Saturday, April 16, 2016

Playing with Tyvek





I've been wanting to dabble more with ironed tyvek, and was happy to see that a few of the current challenges with a "Spring" theme might suit.....

I also wanted to play along with the current Mixed Media Mojo challenge April Fun, which would require an up cycled bit as well as some metal.  Hmmmm.

Up cycle I could do, as some of the online retailers I purchase supplies from use US Priority mail envelopes as packing, and these are made of tyvek.  Metal..... hmmmm.

Then, while poking around on the net I came across a fun tutorial on tyvek beads..... wrapped in thin metal wire with some beading.  Perfect!


I started by cutting apart one of my saved envelopes.  I knew I wanted my beads to be smaller, so I made the pieces shorter than you see in the video.   




I did use the metallic paint approach, just to see how it looked, and created a blend across one of the longer pieces of cut tyvek.  I chose to color both sides, as I did not like the white look in the tutorial, because I would not be stringing these together which would probably disguise that white core.




Once dry, I cut this into smaller pieces, on the angles....

and rolled them individually on a bamboo skewer, starting from the wider end, and pinning the thinner end once done.

Then I heated them, while on the skewer.  And, voila!  As you can see, any printing that showed through the paint is no longer visible once the tyvek shrinks.

 Here you can see just how small they are - those bead tubes are around six inches long at most.

Then I wrapped them with thin wire and some beads..... I am not too good at this, but eventually I got some beads to the look I wanted..... and decided to quit while I was ahead, lol!

On to the larger background piece..... which I painted with Golden fluid acrylics in a rainbow assortment of colors.  I had these paints from my workshop with Carol Nelson, but you could certainly use regular acrylic paints, or perhaps even alcohol inks.....


Once again, I painted both sides...



I made several pieces as I was playing around with the paints and wasn't sure what would turn out ok.   The side you heat with the iron or heat gun will bubble forward (so the other side becomes the pebbled side).  Eventually, I settled on this side as my "front" - I wasn't concerned about the red stripe as I knew I could cut it off if I couldn't get it to roll to the back, and I really loved the stone-like  quality of the paint.


Here it is after the first pass with the iron.... I had it too hot which is why I got such large holes on the left.  I use a small craft iron, but any iron with a teflon surface will work.  I also iron directly on my craft sheet on my table, but you can also use an ironing board, though I would protect the surface with a craft sheet.  I started by using one of those fold-up ironing cloths that many quilters use, but it proved too soft for my liking, and was inhibiting all the interesting bubbles, pebbles and crevasses I like to see.


Here is the back of the same piece.  It is also quite interesting - I just happen to like to other side better, particularly for what I had in mind.  If you look at the piece of tyvek in my last post, though, you will see that I used "the back" in the collage piece.


I ended up ironing this a bit more to get even finer detail in some of those plainer areas throughout.  I wanted lots of nooks and crannies....


Now what?!  I tried a couple of softly colored backgrounds for a more natural look, but the piece disappeared into these.... so I ended up using the back of a canvas panel.  First, I stenciled it with flexible molding paste using the Tim Holtz Flourish stencil.  And then I painted the whole thing  heavily with Distress Antique Linen paint.  That ended up with a lovely pale green cast once dry, but I wanted more of a cream look, so I sprayed Distress Picket Fence over it with lots of water and my heat gun.




Next, I placed my beads as though they were rising to the top, placing the ones with the metal and small beads toward the top..... and the others as just below as though not quite "cooked"....  I used hot glue to attach them all, as the tyvek is quite dimensional and I wanted to make sure everything stuck. That is also how I attached the base piece to the canvas.


Then I mixed my remaining small bead mix with matte medium and slathered them on to hit those crevasses.... and went to bed hoping for the best.



And yay - it worked!



I cut an older Sizzix label from a mop up tag, and stamped it with the word "renew" - as this piece reminds me of plants moving up through the soil toward the sun in this new season.... and also my ideas as they bubble up from wherever they originate, lol!


To tie in the frame, I rubbed the higher areas with Treasure Gold in Spanish Topaz, a beautiful copper color.


 And here is the finished piece.

Thank you so much for stopping by - and if you've time, please do leave a comment as I always love to hear your thoughts! xxx Lynn

I will enter this into these challenges!
Mixed Media Mojo April Fun
Stamps & Stencils Trash to Treasure 
Country View Challenges Spring
A Vintage Journey Spring is in the Air




34 comments:

  1. I really know nothing about Tyvek, but I've certainly enjoyed the fascinating textures and tints you've created here. And the rolled beads are a fabulous addition. I follow by email, but just noticed that somehow I wasn't signed up as a visible follower - so I've sorted that out now!
    Alison x

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  2. You are so creative and your make is gorgeous. Like Alison, I know nothing about Tyvek. I do love homemade beads and always say I am going to make some - well the best made plans!
    Sandy xx

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  3. Unfortunately we don't get USPS mail packages much in the UK! otherwise I'd be all over some right now having read your fab post Lynn. It's wonderful to progress through the ups and downs of the creative process with you here and come through to the final finished project - which is GORGEOUS by the way!!! x

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  4. Well, I experimented with Tyvek many moons ago, but soon gave up in frustration as it just did not work for me..... you have now totally ignited my wish to experiment some more. This piece is totally incredible!!!! It has the complete wow factor, you could hang it in a gallery in my opinion. A great post, oh and by the way the frame is stunning too!! The treasure gold is just perfect to tie it together with the Tyvek piece, - really brilliant all round!!

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  5. Oops, meant to say still, thanks so much for adding it to our challenge at AVJ!!

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  6. What a fabulous piece Lynn. I love playing with Tyvek and your experiment with the beads is out of this world amazing! Love the texture on the frame, and the antique white base really helps to showcase your focal piece! Love it! hugs :)

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  7. OMG This is absolutely FABULOUS! Thanks so much for the tutorial! Can't wait to try it!

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  8. What a great post Lynn, I really enjoyed watching the whole process, the beads are beautiful and I just love your very arty finished piece, it is absolutely stunning and the white frame really makes the art stand out! Love this...

    Thanks so much for joining in with us at A Vintage Journey too! Hugs, Anne xx

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  9. I have never heard of tyvek, I recently had a delivery of some Unity stamps from the USA, now I think I should have kept the envelope !

    Your beads are glorious!

    Thank you for sharing your art with us at Mixed Media Mojo.

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  10. Lynn, I am loving what you're doing with Tyvek - I swear I'm gonna try this process one of these days!! The texture is just amazing and looks so fun to play around with. Love your beads as well, they are so cool, and your frame is perfect for your Tyvek and beads!

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog and being polite about my mosaic snowman - LOL!

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  11. I would say your experiments are quite the success. Love the colors and texture you got here. Thanks so much for sharing with us at A Vintage Journey.

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  12. Lynn, I forgot to thank you for the tip about using the micro glaze - appreciate that and will try that next time!

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  13. Thank you for this wonderful tutorial on Tyvek and a great way to use it!!!... I didn't know that this kind of international envelopes had Tyvek within the paper?... If yes, that's even more great to know, THANK YOU!
    Your canvas is fabulous. :)

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  14. This is truly beautiful, Lynn! I think the beads are the coolest and the entire piece looks so beautiful on your altered frame. What a WOW! I do worry about your lungs! Do you think it's a concern with heating such a material? I am so glad that you are running with all you learned in your recent classes. I love making the most of lessons like that and am happy to see that you are still rewarded with inspiration. Hugs, Autumn

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  15. Oh my gosh Lynn, this is absolutely amazing! Never in a million years would have thought to use Tyvek in either of these ways but what stunning results. A true work of art encompassed beautifully within your lovely stenciled frame, thank you for joining us at Mixed Media Mojo! Deb xo

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  16. Okay darlin, I have got to cut up some of these UPS packages! I never knew it was tyvek and absolutely love what you do with these! Gorgeous texture and heat! Hot diggity! Those beads are splendid and brilliant! Do your hands hurt from wrapping em around the wire? Teehee! Brilliant design with the reverse canvas frame. It creates the perfect backdrop to the focal image of the tyvek and beads. Fantabulous and awesome sauce dearie. Hugz to you muffin! ~Niki

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  17. This is a wonderful creation, I've had some tyvek for years and never got round to using it, thank you for sharing your beautiful project with us at Mixed Media Mojo.
    xxx Hazel.

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  18. What Niki said! Absolutely a successful experiment if you ask me! Love the artsy look to this; surely it would be placed at the center of a fine art display in a museum! That frame is gorgeous on it's own, but paired with the Tyvek sculpture--WOW! Hugs to you!

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  19. Your playful discoveries have brought great rewards and your finished piece has a lovely, organic look. I do hope you take care when heating any kind of plastic, Tyvek is made from polyethene and can be hazardous if the fumes/smoke are inhaled. Looking forward to your next experiment!

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  20. Lynn, thanks for your visit - so pleased you got to meet Eileen Hull and take a class with her! That is on my 'bucket list'. Glad you liked my faux galvanised flower pocket too. Hugs, Anne xx

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  21. Fabulous, Lynn! Your experiment with Tyvek is stunning (mine were not very successful I must say...) and what you made with beads is just fabulous. The frame is so elegant and gives a happy contrast.

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  22. What a wonderful art piece you have created. Love the colours, the beads and the bubbled background - so that is pretty well everything about it that I love. I definitely want to try this. Thanks for joining us at Stamps and Stencils.
    Hugs!
    Cec

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  23. This is such a fabulous piece - I love the beads and the textures, and the frame is beautiful too! I sometimes play around with Tyvek but I don't like the unpredictability of it - I never know what I'm going to end up with! I must say I'd LOVE to end up with something as gorgeous as this! It's a stunner.

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  24. this was so interesting - I had never heard of this - of course - I live under a rock sometimes - thanks for joining us at Mixed Media Mojo
    Barb Housner (DT)

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  25. Stunning piece! Love the technique you have used and all textures and tints you have created! Hugs!

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  26. And thanks for joining us over at Mixed Media Mojo this time.

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  27. WOW so very cool! Love what you used and how you used them! Great job and thanks so much for playing along with Mixed Media Mojo this month!

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  28. I'm very intrigued to try Tyveck now... Your beads and background look amazing. I really like the colors you chose, and you had such an interesting explanation /view on what this reminded you of: plants growing through the soil!

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  29. This is amazing - and very interesting - thankyou - I love what you have done - thanks for joining us at Countryview challenges and good luck! Hugs rachel x

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  30. Fantastic work! Love the textile quality of the tyvek. It's really fascinating to see how the painted tyvek responds to heat. I love the colours you have used and the way you have mounted your piece in the lovely stencilled frame. Thank you so much for sharing this with us over at Stamps and Stencils. I have a similar envelope which I've saved for ages, your post had inspired me to dig it out ! Toni xx

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  31. Hi Lynn, still loving this technique...should be awesome for Halloween! Looking forward to seeing your next project :-)

    I wanted to thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment about Brody's "artwork". So sweet of you to take the time to do that - it made his day...LOL!

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  32. A stunning project and tutorial. We don't really get this packaging here but I do have some Tyvek which I haven't really played with yet - you have inspired me to get started again! I love the colours, the texture and those little beads are simply gorgeous. Thanks for joining us at A Vintage Journey. Julia x

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  33. Scrummy work Lynn, fabulous trash to treasure, love your experiments!!! Ruth xx

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  34. WOWZERS! I am sellbound! This is Awesome!

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