Tutorial: Easy self-made die-cut masks

Hi!
Today I wanted to share with you a fun technique I came up with a few days back. I was inspired by the lovely designs of my thin metal dies, and looked for ways to use the die-cut pieces as masks on my card projects.


My plan was to use mists and watercolours, so just placing a die-cut piece on my cardbase would not have worked that well. I did not want the wet media to flow under the mask, so I had to came up with a technique in which the mask would stick to the surface and stay in place.


The cheapest and easiest solution was to make my masks from masking tape. Not the fancy one I use for my projects but the cheap type you get in hardware stores. For being able to easily remove the tape from my die I used baking paper underneath the tape:

First I cut a piece of baking paper, and covered it with horizontal and vertical stripes of masking tape. I let the tape striped overlap each other for easier handling of the die-cut mask.
When cutting my die was facing down on the masking tape. I did not have to do any adjustments on my 'die-cutting sandwich', but just to use the standard stack for thin metal dies.




The die-cut piece was like a masking tape sticker that could easily be removed from the cardstock. It was yet sticky enough to prevent the ink from spreading underneath the mask. 


A masking tape mask is also quite durable. After misting I dried the project, and added some ink and paint splashes and stamped patterns. When all the layers were finished I just pulled the mask off.




For getting a crispier masked image I coloured the masked background with Distress inks instead of mists. Worked very well, too!




This technique was so fun and easy! This time I used it for my Christmas card projects, but my head is already spinning with other projects I will used it...!
Hope you give it a try!



Dies used (click on links for more info):
Deer: Sizzix Thinlits Die - Elegant Deer
Snowflakes: Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Paper Snowflakes


If you have any questions, please write a short comment below :)

Wishing you a nice day!
Hugs,
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