HOW TO MAKE A REALISTIC BRICK WALL BACKGROUND

Embossing Folder PLUS Ink Technique

Hello all! I had so much fun creating this card, I just had to share it today! This realistic brick background is easy to make in just a few simple steps. As this is a more complex card, I'll only be discussing how to create the background today. Please leave a comment if you'd like me to post a "RECIPE" for how to make the entire card!

You'll need to gather the following supplies:

Darice Brick Wall Embossing Folder

Embossing machine (I used my Big Shot)

Terra cotta CS (4" x 5 1/4")

White ink pad (I used Brilliance Moonlight White)

Dark brown ink pad (I used burnt umber)

Medium brownish-orange ink pad (I used cognac)

Medium grey ink pad

Sponges

*Q tip

To get the whitish-grey look to the mortar in the brick wall,  I applied white ink to the embossing folder BEFORE embossing. Open the embossing folder - the side with the print (Darice) has the RAISED mortar lines on the inside  - apply the white ink to this side by lightly tapping the pad directly on the surface until well coated. Next, place terra cotta CS into the folder on the side that does not have ink , close it, and run through your embossing machine! Upon removing the CS, you should see the white mortar lines indented into the terra cotta CS!

If the white lines are too light for your taste, adding more ink is easy. Pick up white ink with a Q-tip and drag over the lines until you achieve the desired look - it only takes an extra minute or two. NOTE: I've personally gotten the best results with Brilliance Moonlight White, I think it coats better, but I've also used white chalk ink  for this.

The next step is to create highlights and shadowing on the brick wall. I started highlighting with the cognac ink pad, picking up a little color with a sponge, then lightly dabbing this randomly 6 or 7 times on the brick background, Remember to dab lightly - you can always add more ink, but you can't remove it if it's too dark! IT'S OKAY TO GET A TINY BIT OF COGNAC ON THE MORTAR, just not too much!

Now its time for light shadowing. Pick up a little grey ink with a clean sponge, and randomly dab this lightly onto the background where there is no cognac 7 or 8 times. Here, it's okay to get a little more of the grey in the mortar lines, as they are inset & would naturally be a little more shadowed looking, as long as the ink is not too heavy!

To create darker shadows,  pick up a little burnt umber ink with a clean sponge. Very, very, very lightly dab this randomly 2 to 3 times in an area where you want a heavier shadow. If you look at the photo, you'll see I applied mine to the upper right corner (shadow from eaves) and the lower left corner (shadow from window) and just a smidgen where the vines are hanging in the upper left corner.

Finally, to finish off the background, I sponged around all the edges lightly with the burnt umber ink. This gives a little extra contrast when placing it on a lighter card base, such as the blue in the photo.

Now the brick wall background is complete & very realistic looking!

I hope I've helped to inspire your creativity today & have fun playing with this technique! Smiles, Laura