The Easy Way to Create a Shadow with Chalk Couture Designs
How to Create a Shadow with Chalk Couture
Creating beautiful home decor is super easy with Chalk Couture items. Using the Chalkology chalk paste and a transfer (that looks like a silkscreen) you can have beautiful seasonal decor all year long!
If you have made a few items with chalk couture paste or inks then you may be ready to learn an advanced technique and learn how to create a shadow with chalk couture inks or paste.
Why Create a Shadow
Well, Why NOT create a shadow effect? The shadow gives your decor piece more depth and can really make some designs look dimensional.
This technique really works best with words, letters or designs that aren't very intricate. This is purely my opinion though. I've tried creating shadows on pieces and find that the more intricate the design the more difficult it is to “line it up” and create a desirable shadow.
How to create a Shadow effect
Supplies to have on hand
You will want to make sure you are prepared to create your chalk project. I outline the extra items I suggest you have on hand when you start. You'll want to make sure you have a space that's large enough to put your surface, your paste, and a pan with water in it.
Step by Step instructions
Choose your design and surface. You will want to fuzz your transfer like you normally do and place it on your board. You can shop all the chalk surfaces at my chalk shop.
This first layer will be your shadow. I like to choose a lighter color paste like white or off white. Depending on your design these colors tend to look best. If I were working on a white board, I would choose a darker color for my shadow
Lay down your transfer and smooth it over your surface. Then cover your design completely with the paste and remove the transfer. I prefer to wash my transfer before I use it again for the second layer. You'll want to clean it using these step by step instructions on cleaning.
Once your transfer is dry, your paste on your surface should be dry as well. You will then reapply the transfer but shift it up and over slightly. Then apply your paste to the transfer and peel it quickly so the paste does not dry to the transfer.
If the design is large, you can work in sections from the top down and peel your transfer up, just over the area you have pasted and then gently lay it back down to work on the next part.
This is definitely a technique that gets better the more your practice it. I think once you get the hang of how you want it to look, you'll know how to place your transfer. So, just keep practicing. And remember your chalk surfaces can be cleaned!
Creating a Shadow effect using Chalk Couture Inks
Creating a shadow using ink on fabric is done in a similar way.
You will want to be sure that you use an ink mat and apply your fabric to the ink mat. This keeps your fabric stable while you apply your transfer and ink.
You can apply the shadow first OR you can apply the main color first and the next color on top of it. You can see how I applied a purple ink and then used the silver shimmer as a layer on top. I really like how this design turned out.
Tips for shadow technique success
This technique can take some practice to get it how you like it. That's the beauty of chalk couture surfaces. Most of the surfaces will wash off easily with no “ghosting” so you can re-create your design until it's how you like it.
Also keep in mind that your 2 layers can be any color, however, something to keep in mind, if you are using any of the shimmer colors, they tend to be more transparent. So you will want to plan your design accordingly.
Lastly, have fun with it! That's the great thing about Chalk Couture. It's replaceable. Just like their slogan says – Create, Love, Repeat!
If you love learning new techniques, then you may want to learn about creating ombre effects with paste to create beautifully blended artwork!
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How to create a Shadow effect with chalk couture
How do I create a shadow technique with Chalk Couture paste?
You can easily create a shadow effect using Chalk Couture transfers and paste or ink. Simply place your transfer on your desired surface and cover the transfer with your shadow color. Clean your transfer and reapply, shifting up and over and add paste. Peel your transfer and clean it.
