Gesso Resist Silhouettes

This month's Spicy Supply Challenge (GC74) at the Gingersnap Creations Blog is Versamark (or any other brand of clear embossable ink).  I slightly modified a a new (to me) technique called Gesso Resist for my designs. 

I started by tearing text-filled pages from various books and magazines and painting them with Gesso, allowing portions of the words to show through the paint.  I let these dry overnight.

Next I stamped Hero Arts Silhouette Bells in Versamark ink and clear embossed.  I applied various shades of blue and purple Distress Inks with a sponge until I got the depth and combination of color I wanted, rather than working from light to dark as in the tutorial.  I wanted an all-over blended color with subtle variations for my design.

The "Goth-Themed" twist of my card is that the text behind the image is an article about the 70th birthday of John Lennon from Entertainment Weekly.  If you look closely, you can see "Double Fantasy", "Rock & Roll" and "Mind Games" in the text.

I attached the magazine page to cardstock before trimming to give it some stability, so I could use foam tape to attach it to the Origami paper background.  I finished with a few wraps of silver cord and an SRM Sticker sentiment.  Here's a close-up of the texty background:

Here's another card I made using the same technique, but combining pinks with the purple inks instead of blues.

I lightly inked the Friend Definition from Hero Arts and partially stamped it multiple times on the Memory Box paper background.  The Gesso Resist Garden Silhouette is framed with purple velvet paper for an elegant texture.

There are so many fun ways to use Versamark … here's a Tutorial Gallery filled with possibilities to jump-start your creativity.