Home | Product Reviews | Tips & Techniques | Tutorials | Newbie Center | Galleries | Links | New Art | My Art Studio
Interesting Ideas | Guestbook | Humorous Hues | Web Design Services | Items for Sale | Family | Email Me
Dominoes
Tyra Smith Cloud9@netnet.net
what do you put on the back to cover the dots?
Good question !!! So far, I've found a few ways: 1. Glue a piece of cardstock to the back. Lay the domino on the cardstock (dot side to the cardstock)...trace around the domino. If you have drilled a hole in the domino, mark it now and use a hole punch to punch out the hole. Now cut out that piece, trimming as needed to make it fit on the back of the domino and glue it in place. Crafter's Pick, YES! Glue and E6000 all work. Probably other adhesives work, but those are the ones I've used so far. 2. Same basic thing as #1, only use sticker paper/crack and peel. No adhesive needed here. 3. Apply gesso to the back and let it dry. Gesso comes in a few different colors...black and white that I know of. You can also tint the gesso using acrylic paints.
what do you put on the back to cover the dots?
Good question !!! So far, I've found a few ways: 1. Glue a piece of cardstock to the back. Lay the domino on the cardstock (dot side to the cardstock)...trace around the domino. If you have drilled a hole in the domino, mark it now and use a hole punch to punch out the hole. Now cut out that piece, trimming as needed to make it fit on the back of the domino and glue it in place. Crafter's Pick, YES! Glue and E6000 all work. Probably other adhesives work, but those are the ones I've used so far. 2. Same basic thing as #1, only use sticker paper/crack and peel. No adhesive needed here. 3. Apply gesso to the back and let it dry. Gesso comes in a few different colors...black and white that I know of. You can also tint the gesso using acrylic paints.
Tyra Smith Cloud9@netnet.net
Painting dominoes with Pinata inks isn't all that hard to do. I'll tell you how I did it, but do keep in mind that this is only ONE way to accomplish it. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it as well. I prepared the domino by deglazing it (soaking it in bleach over night to remove the shiny finish). I'm not sure that this is necessary when using the Pinata Inks. When I bought my dominoes, I just degalzed them all at once because I wasn't sure what all I would be doing with them. I knew that to "stain/tea dye" the domino, it would need to be deglazed. So I just deglazed them all at once. If you want to drill a hole in the domino, do so at this point. I then stamped my image of choice with Staz-On Jet Black ink. (In this case it was a Stampsapes stamp which is much larger than the domino. I layed the stamp on the table, rubber die up, inked it with Staz-On and then positioned my domino over the stamp area I wanted and pressed the domino to the stamp.) Lift gently. I did heat set the ink to speed dry it, not sure if this is a necessary step or not, but I did it anyway. Now, on the stamp you can see where you pressed the domino to it initially...I then lined up the sides and top/bottom of the domino so that I could also stamp all four sides (top, bottom, left and right thin sides of the domino) and continue the scene on all visable surfaces of the domino. Heat set inks periodically to dry so as not to smear anything as I was stamping around. This is the hardest part..LOL Next I just took a paintbrush and LIGHTLY brushed the colors of Pinata inks over the various areas. Don't scrub with the brush, just sort of "lead" the ink to cover the area of choice. I also heat set (to speed dry) the inks occasionally as I worked. When I wanted a lighter shade of blue (like for the water), I mixed a tiny bit of the ink with a tiny bit of alcohol, then painted on the domino. Alcohol will make the ink apprear "dull" when dry (rather than glossy shiny). If you have a problem with the ink drying too fast, mix the Pinata ink with a bit of the Claro Extender and then paint. I didn't really have to use the Claro Extender at all in the scenic domino pieces, but if your climate is dryer than mine, you might have to. Lightly brush the ink on the stamped domino, go slow, take your time, do NOT scrub with the brush (use light pressure)...heat set to speed dry periodically. Once I finished, I did let the domino set over night to make sure it was thoroughly dry. (probably not necessary, but I did it anyway) I knew that I wanted to make necklaces from these pieces, so I wanted to further protect the surface of the finished domino. I applied Liquid Laminate by just squeezing it slowly out of the bottle on the domino, one side at a time and letting it dry before going to the next side. This probably wasn't actually necessary as the Pinata inks are fairly permanent when dry, but I decided to err on the side of caution and sealed the stamped/painted sides. Also, the liquid laminate brought back the "gloss" to the water area where I had mixed the ink with alcohol for a lighter color. I did NOT heat set/speed dry the sealant. I just let it sit and air dry. Once it was all dry, all I have to do is string the leather lacing/leather cording I'm using for the necklace and add any jewelry findings/beads to it that I like. It really is a very pretty piece and not all that hard to make. It's a bit "putzy" because you have to wait around now and then for things to dry, but not difficult.
Painting dominoes with Pinata inks isn't all that hard to do. I'll tell you how I did it, but do keep in mind that this is only ONE way to accomplish it. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it as well. I prepared the domino by deglazing it (soaking it in bleach over night to remove the shiny finish). I'm not sure that this is necessary when using the Pinata Inks. When I bought my dominoes, I just degalzed them all at once because I wasn't sure what all I would be doing with them. I knew that to "stain/tea dye" the domino, it would need to be deglazed. So I just deglazed them all at once. If you want to drill a hole in the domino, do so at this point. I then stamped my image of choice with Staz-On Jet Black ink. (In this case it was a Stampsapes stamp which is much larger than the domino. I layed the stamp on the table, rubber die up, inked it with Staz-On and then positioned my domino over the stamp area I wanted and pressed the domino to the stamp.) Lift gently. I did heat set the ink to speed dry it, not sure if this is a necessary step or not, but I did it anyway. Now, on the stamp you can see where you pressed the domino to it initially...I then lined up the sides and top/bottom of the domino so that I could also stamp all four sides (top, bottom, left and right thin sides of the domino) and continue the scene on all visable surfaces of the domino. Heat set inks periodically to dry so as not to smear anything as I was stamping around. This is the hardest part..LOL Next I just took a paintbrush and LIGHTLY brushed the colors of Pinata inks over the various areas. Don't scrub with the brush, just sort of "lead" the ink to cover the area of choice. I also heat set (to speed dry) the inks occasionally as I worked. When I wanted a lighter shade of blue (like for the water), I mixed a tiny bit of the ink with a tiny bit of alcohol, then painted on the domino. Alcohol will make the ink apprear "dull" when dry (rather than glossy shiny). If you have a problem with the ink drying too fast, mix the Pinata ink with a bit of the Claro Extender and then paint. I didn't really have to use the Claro Extender at all in the scenic domino pieces, but if your climate is dryer than mine, you might have to. Lightly brush the ink on the stamped domino, go slow, take your time, do NOT scrub with the brush (use light pressure)...heat set to speed dry periodically. Once I finished, I did let the domino set over night to make sure it was thoroughly dry. (probably not necessary, but I did it anyway) I knew that I wanted to make necklaces from these pieces, so I wanted to further protect the surface of the finished domino. I applied Liquid Laminate by just squeezing it slowly out of the bottle on the domino, one side at a time and letting it dry before going to the next side. This probably wasn't actually necessary as the Pinata inks are fairly permanent when dry, but I decided to err on the side of caution and sealed the stamped/painted sides. Also, the liquid laminate brought back the "gloss" to the water area where I had mixed the ink with alcohol for a lighter color. I did NOT heat set/speed dry the sealant. I just let it sit and air dry. Once it was all dry, all I have to do is string the leather lacing/leather cording I'm using for the necklace and add any jewelry findings/beads to it that I like. It really is a very pretty piece and not all that hard to make. It's a bit "putzy" because you have to wait around now and then for things to dry, but not difficult.
Mary Jane Mauger mjmr1223@yahoo.com
I have been using Fresco to color the tile as background..heat set, then stamp with StazOn..heat set wait then varnish with sparkle clear or just use clear varnish, some time I use Perfect Paper Adhesive to coat the top. Another method I use it to use a thin coat of ppa on Domino wait until it is dry then I can use my Brillance pads to stamp with, again heat setting each time. Then proceed to set with ppa or varnish.
I have been using Fresco to color the tile as background..heat set, then stamp with StazOn..heat set wait then varnish with sparkle clear or just use clear varnish, some time I use Perfect Paper Adhesive to coat the top. Another method I use it to use a thin coat of ppa on Domino wait until it is dry then I can use my Brillance pads to stamp with, again heat setting each time. Then proceed to set with ppa or varnish.
Tyra Smith Cloud9@netnet.net
1. How do you deglaze dominoes & why do you need to? I deglaze them so I have that nice matte surface, rather than a glossy one. This way if I so choose, I can also "stain/dye" the surface as well as paint it, ink it, etc... If you leave the gloss on the domino, you can't stain it as easily. You don't NEED to deglaze them, lots of people use the dominoes "as is" and create very lovely things with them. 2. And all the dominoes jewelry I have seen is made into a pin. Pins are only ONE thing you can do with the dominoes. I also made some lovely magnets and "tile domino framed pieces" where the finished dominoes are glued to a matteboard and put in a frame. 3. What do you do with them drilled? With a hole in the domino, I can now make keychains and necklaces of all types. :-) The dominoes become something like a big chunky flat rectangle bead. Of course, that is just one way of looking at it. You can also use the holes (partially drilled) as places to glue "things" into that may dangle down from the domino.
1. How do you deglaze dominoes & why do you need to? I deglaze them so I have that nice matte surface, rather than a glossy one. This way if I so choose, I can also "stain/dye" the surface as well as paint it, ink it, etc... If you leave the gloss on the domino, you can't stain it as easily. You don't NEED to deglaze them, lots of people use the dominoes "as is" and create very lovely things with them. 2. And all the dominoes jewelry I have seen is made into a pin. Pins are only ONE thing you can do with the dominoes. I also made some lovely magnets and "tile domino framed pieces" where the finished dominoes are glued to a matteboard and put in a frame. 3. What do you do with them drilled? With a hole in the domino, I can now make keychains and necklaces of all types. :-) The dominoes become something like a big chunky flat rectangle bead. Of course, that is just one way of looking at it. You can also use the holes (partially drilled) as places to glue "things" into that may dangle down from the domino.
Judy Huettel djjkx4@yahoo.com
I've been told, that if you use the Staz-on pad, to LIGHTLY spray about 10-12" away from your domino, otherwise the colors will run. Staz-on is a solvent based ink pad and if you spray too close, this will happen. However, in order to keep the colors affixed to your domino, spray a few coats of Krylon Workable Fixativ before coloring your domino. I myself use the Fabrico pads and then heat set them, cuz I've had too many episodes where I've colored in my dominoes and had them bleed. Also, if you use the Staz-on, there is no need to sand the domino prior to stamping them.
I've been told, that if you use the Staz-on pad, to LIGHTLY spray about 10-12" away from your domino, otherwise the colors will run. Staz-on is a solvent based ink pad and if you spray too close, this will happen. However, in order to keep the colors affixed to your domino, spray a few coats of Krylon Workable Fixativ before coloring your domino. I myself use the Fabrico pads and then heat set them, cuz I've had too many episodes where I've colored in my dominoes and had them bleed. Also, if you use the Staz-on, there is no need to sand the domino prior to stamping them.
Tyra Smith Cloud9@netnet.net
re:Inks running when sealing dominoes
I have not had the liquid laminate run any of my inks when I used it. But I have NOT used standard dye or pigment inks either. Right now the inks I"m using on my dominos are Brilliance and Staz-On...and I heat set them more for speed drying purposes than anything else. Once the inks are dry....I brush on the liquid laminate using a wide, soft paintbrush. I GENTLY brush on the liquid laminate, do NOT scrub or use too much pressure with the brush....and I use a goodly amount of the liquid laminate as well so my brush is not "dragging" across those inks. I know without a doubt that if you use the liquid laminate on top of any ink that is not semi-permanent or permanent, it WILL run the inks. Semi-permanent/permanent inks are, but not limited to: any inkpad marked for use with watercolors, Ranger 213, Brilliance, Staz-On, Memories are SUPPOSE to be permanent when heat set, Fabrico inks are permanent when heat set, yada yada yada. You could DTP (or would that be DTD - Direct to Domino) pigment inks on the domino and then sprinkle clear EP or clear UTEE on top to seal. I would imagine that since the domino is fairly non-porous, the wet time for dye inks on it would be extended and you could also DTP dye inks on the domino and then seal with clear EP or UTEE. Now...you can attack the "color-ization" process of the dominoes another way. Acrylic paints are also lovely and will air dry on the dominoes. They are also permanent enough that liquid laminate will not run the paint. You can sponge, splatter, brush, etc.....the paints on the domino in any way you like. Let dry, or speed dry with a heat gun. If using a heat gun, remember you do NOT want to "cook" the paint. All you want to do is "blow hot air" over the wet paint, swishing the heat gun back and forth about 6-8 inches above the paint. You can also stamp with acrlyic paints. I use a little square of the Cut 'n Dry Foam Pad (made by Ranger) and brush my paints on it...then use it as an "inkpad". Once I"m finished, I IMMEDIATELY clean my stamp and wash out the Cut 'n Dry Foam piece for use again at a later time. I think you could also use one of those make up wedge spongie things for the "inkpad" as well. Acrylic paints are ones such as Lumiere and Neopaque paints (artist grade acrylic paints)...and also your craft acrylic paints like Duncan and Plaid. If any of you still have those Dr. Martin's Ready Tex acrylic paints, they would work too. If you go take a look at the "paint department" at any store, there are some wonderful paints there....spray paints and liquid paints...some spray paints for "special effects" like granite and such...these should all also work on the dominoes. And then you'll find those lovely texturizing sponges they use for wall painting inside your house...ut oh..... Just remember the paints will create an extremely non- pourous surface and if you want to stamp on top of it, you'll have to use either a permanent ink, or stamp and heat emboss. (once again, be careful with heat embossing, you don't want to "cook" your paint) If you have Pinata or Tria inks, these are permanent and should also work on the dominoes. I have a small set of the Pinata inks and I plan to try this out sometime soon. If you have PERMANENT markers (NOT the dye based markers), those will also work on the dominoes. You guys know about the "Caught in Crystal" technique...the one that uses floor wax. This should ALSO work beautifully on the dominoes. It will be a bit more "messy" than the other techniques, but it will give you another way to "color-ize" those dominoes. If you aren't familiar with this technique, check out the "mini tutorials" section on my web site http://netnet.net/~cloud9 and there are also three wonderful tutorials for this on the "Second Star on the Right" web site: http://www.secondstarontheright.com/tutorials.htm (Caught in Crystal, Crystal Ornaments and Caught in Crystal II). You can seal the dominoes in a few different ways: 1. Use a dries clear sealant, such as Liquid Laminate or Laminate It. Gloss varnish medium would probably work too. 2. Treat the domino as a "tile" and use the UTEE tile technique. Finish domino, tap with clear embossing ink, dip in clear UTEE...heat it up...repeat 2-3 times. 3. Spray 3-4 VERY LIGHT coats of a clear spray sealant on the domino. 4. If you have one of those Melting Pots, try dipping the decorated side of the domino in clear melted UTEE. Haven't tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. 5. Envirotex or Envirotex Lite would also work. Mix according to package directions and pour on finished domino surface. If you do this, you'll want to work a good sized batch of dominoes. I have a pretty decent tips file for "Envirotex" on my web site: http://netnet.net/~cloud9/tips_&_techniques.htm Be careful and read the warnings/instructions when working with this product. DO NOT use clear fingernail polish. I've found that it smears almost every ink I've used it on. Blech. So far, these are the only things I'm thinking of, but I know there are a million more possibilities out there.
re:Inks running when sealing dominoes
I have not had the liquid laminate run any of my inks when I used it. But I have NOT used standard dye or pigment inks either. Right now the inks I"m using on my dominos are Brilliance and Staz-On...and I heat set them more for speed drying purposes than anything else. Once the inks are dry....I brush on the liquid laminate using a wide, soft paintbrush. I GENTLY brush on the liquid laminate, do NOT scrub or use too much pressure with the brush....and I use a goodly amount of the liquid laminate as well so my brush is not "dragging" across those inks. I know without a doubt that if you use the liquid laminate on top of any ink that is not semi-permanent or permanent, it WILL run the inks. Semi-permanent/permanent inks are, but not limited to: any inkpad marked for use with watercolors, Ranger 213, Brilliance, Staz-On, Memories are SUPPOSE to be permanent when heat set, Fabrico inks are permanent when heat set, yada yada yada. You could DTP (or would that be DTD - Direct to Domino) pigment inks on the domino and then sprinkle clear EP or clear UTEE on top to seal. I would imagine that since the domino is fairly non-porous, the wet time for dye inks on it would be extended and you could also DTP dye inks on the domino and then seal with clear EP or UTEE. Now...you can attack the "color-ization" process of the dominoes another way. Acrylic paints are also lovely and will air dry on the dominoes. They are also permanent enough that liquid laminate will not run the paint. You can sponge, splatter, brush, etc.....the paints on the domino in any way you like. Let dry, or speed dry with a heat gun. If using a heat gun, remember you do NOT want to "cook" the paint. All you want to do is "blow hot air"
Marilyn Fuerstenberg mfuerst@idcnet.com
I do not bleach my dominos. What I do is take a very fine, the black sand paper and rub the domino across it a couple of times wipe the dust off with a damp cloth. Then I lined up a bunch of them in the cover of the domino box, sponged or painted on gesso, this leaves a little tooth. Then I direct to domino with the Superior Pigment Plus pads. Put the box lid on a cookie sheet, baked them at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes. Let them cool. Stamp them with a permanent dye ink like Memories by Superior, Baked them again for 5 min. When cool I glazed them with the diamond glaze. Then edged them with gold leaf pen or the Painty Pen. I tried the Johnson floor wax and it got sticky. Of course I made the wax ones in July, maybe they wouldn't get sticky in winter. You can also stamp on tissue paper and coat them with Modge Podge. Radiant Pearls will work with the alcohol for a polished stone look. Primary Elements are awesome. You can also coat them with acrylic metallic paints or acrylic inference paints and then stamp. You can add beads in the glaze or whatever other embellishments you would like. The tiny dominos make great ear rings. The triominos are fun to work with to, not the cheapy plastic ones, but the ones made with the same material as the dominos.
I do not bleach my dominos. What I do is take a very fine, the black sand paper and rub the domino across it a couple of times wipe the dust off with a damp cloth. Then I lined up a bunch of them in the cover of the domino box, sponged or painted on gesso, this leaves a little tooth. Then I direct to domino with the Superior Pigment Plus pads. Put the box lid on a cookie sheet, baked them at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes. Let them cool. Stamp them with a permanent dye ink like Memories by Superior, Baked them again for 5 min. When cool I glazed them with the diamond glaze. Then edged them with gold leaf pen or the Painty Pen. I tried the Johnson floor wax and it got sticky. Of course I made the wax ones in July, maybe they wouldn't get sticky in winter. You can also stamp on tissue paper and coat them with Modge Podge. Radiant Pearls will work with the alcohol for a polished stone look. Primary Elements are awesome. You can also coat them with acrylic metallic paints or acrylic inference paints and then stamp. You can add beads in the glaze or whatever other embellishments you would like. The tiny dominos make great ear rings. The triominos are fun to work with to, not the cheapy plastic ones, but the ones made with the same material as the dominos.
Paula madstamp56@aol.com
Oh and just a tip when drilling dominos (I had to check this out first to be sure). The higher the speed on the drill the less chance you will have of having a lot of melted plastic on your bit. Also as you drill, drill down and then pull up, then push down again and then pull back up. Keep doing this until you get all the way through. This will keep the excess plastic from building up around the bit and melting. If you do get melted plastic on your bit just let it cool and then take a pick of some kind and it should pop right off. Another thing you can do is to have an extra hand nearby to spray a little bit of WD 40 into the hole from time to time. It's a little trick I picked up from my hubby who drills metal all the time. It helps reduce friction. Of course you need to do this BEFORE you decorate your domino otherwise you'll be removing all your art work. Make sure you wash the dominos in warm soapy water and dry throughly to remove the WD 40.
Oh and just a tip when drilling dominos (I had to check this out first to be sure). The higher the speed on the drill the less chance you will have of having a lot of melted plastic on your bit. Also as you drill, drill down and then pull up, then push down again and then pull back up. Keep doing this until you get all the way through. This will keep the excess plastic from building up around the bit and melting. If you do get melted plastic on your bit just let it cool and then take a pick of some kind and it should pop right off. Another thing you can do is to have an extra hand nearby to spray a little bit of WD 40 into the hole from time to time. It's a little trick I picked up from my hubby who drills metal all the time. It helps reduce friction. Of course you need to do this BEFORE you decorate your domino otherwise you'll be removing all your art work. Make sure you wash the dominos in warm soapy water and dry throughly to remove the WD 40.
Tyra Smith Cloud9@netnet.net
Ohh and for those of you looking for ways to "seal" your dominoes without running the inks, I've found two ways: 1. Use the "Polycrylic Protective Finish" spray made by Minwax (which I purchased at Walmart in the paint department). 2. Use the new Spray Envirotex (which can be found at A.C. More stores). The key to successfully using spray sealants is to use several LIGHT coats, letting each coat dry before adding another. Hold the spray can at least 6 - 8 inches above the surface you are sealing and do a slow wave across it with the spray sealant. I think I normally use about 4-5 coats of the spray sealant and both of the above work extremely well. Inks that work:
Brilliance (heat set to dry)
ColorBox Chalk (heat set to dry)
VersaMagic (heat set to dry)
Staz-On
Pinata Inks
Ranger's Decor-It Inks
Ranger's 213 Inks
Sharpie Pens (which come in many colors now)
Ranger's Adirondack Pens (heat set to dry)
Krylon Leafing pens
Lumiere and Neopaque paints
Any type of acrylic paint (craft or artist grade)
Tube variety artist grade watercolors You can use standard dye or pigment inks, but they won't dry (even when heat set) and you'll have to put clear embossing powder on top and heat it up to seal in the inks. Treat the dominoes like a non-porous surface and you should be just fine.
Ohh and for those of you looking for ways to "seal" your dominoes without running the inks, I've found two ways: 1. Use the "Polycrylic Protective Finish" spray made by Minwax (which I purchased at Walmart in the paint department). 2. Use the new Spray Envirotex (which can be found at A.C. More stores). The key to successfully using spray sealants is to use several LIGHT coats, letting each coat dry before adding another. Hold the spray can at least 6 - 8 inches above the surface you are sealing and do a slow wave across it with the spray sealant. I think I normally use about 4-5 coats of the spray sealant and both of the above work extremely well. Inks that work:
Brilliance (heat set to dry)
ColorBox Chalk (heat set to dry)
VersaMagic (heat set to dry)
Staz-On
Pinata Inks
Ranger's Decor-It Inks
Ranger's 213 Inks
Sharpie Pens (which come in many colors now)
Ranger's Adirondack Pens (heat set to dry)
Krylon Leafing pens
Lumiere and Neopaque paints
Any type of acrylic paint (craft or artist grade)
Tube variety artist grade watercolors You can use standard dye or pigment inks, but they won't dry (even when heat set) and you'll have to put clear embossing powder on top and heat it up to seal in the inks. Treat the dominoes like a non-porous surface and you should be just fine.
For information on related topics see:
Tutorials: Domino Keychains, Domino Magnets, Domino Necklaces
Tutorials: Domino Keychains, Domino Magnets, Domino Necklaces