Way Back Wednesday!

After I wrote the title to this post, you know I had to double check the calendar! It IS Wednesday, right? Of course, since I’m writing this on Tuesday, I get even more confused…. Anyway, I thought I’d do a way back Wednesday post of a technique I taught way back. It’s called the Bokeh technique!

BOKEH TECHNIQUE

If you love creating unique backgrounds, you’ll love this technique. The word Bokeh comes from the Japanese word ‘boke’, which means ‘blur’ or ‘haze’.  It is a photographic technique, defined as the way the lens renders out of focus points of light. The photo below uses dark background colours, which makes the technique easily visible.

Now that you’ve seen the sample, does it makes sense?

BOKEH TECHNIQUE

This technique is very easy to do. Below, I’ve broken it down into easy steps.

1) Using either clear acetate (window sheet) or card stock, create a template. Use either circle dies, or punches.   An acetate sheet can be easily wiped clean & re-used. (image below)

2) Using blending brushes, apply your ink colours on a White card stock panel.  Less pressure will give you a lighter colour; you can always add more colour by going over the same area again.

3) Once your ink is dry, place your template where you want your first circle, and apply White Craft/Pigment Ink using a blending tool.  Continue to randomly place circles where ever you like; mix the sizes, and overlap the circles for extra interest.

4) You can also simply use the sponge end of a sponge dauber & dab circles onto the card panel.

5) Allow the Craft Ink to dry – this takes time!  You can speed up the process by using a heat tool.

6) Your background is now complete!  You can use it as a background base for die cuts, or stamp directly on top of it.

Try different colour combinations. Below, you can see that the technique is more visible on the darker background. The lighter background it is much softer & more subtle.

GIVE IT A TRY!

I hope that my way back Wednesday tutorial has inspired you!  This Bokeh technique is easy, and creates an unique background & adds texture. All without adding extra bulk of layers. Have you done this technique before? Let me know if you try it out!

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