In scrapbooking, if you want to get a rusted look for some embellishment, what will
you do? Of course there may be many answers for this question. Some answers may
include affixing actual rusted metal. But affixing real rusted metal is not secure,
healthy and long lasting. Therefore, the most sensible choice you could make is
to make your embellishments look like rusted in order to give it an antique look.
Usually, a metal rust look provides your scrapbook layout with a burnished appearance
that is ideal for segments of scrapbooks. Trust me; rusting does not look nice on
all the scrapbook albums as the rusted look and feel only go well with specific
purposes. It is more suitable for a scrapbook that features masculine themes or
themes involving mechanics, automotives, technology, etc. Therefore, you need to
do some serious thinking before making a move to add a rusted metal appearance to
your scrapbook layouts.
Rusted metal appearance is used in scrapbooking in many ways. If you are creative
enough, finding your own way is not impossible. If you find a new unique way, do
not forget to share it with the scrapbooking community because that’s one way how
you can keep the scrapbooking fun alive.
Coming back to our topic; the rusted metal appearance is usually great for background
scrapbook layouts as well. It also creates an attractive appearance when applied
to photo boarders. Here’s an idea: how about creating a wall background which looks
rusted? Depending on the type of your scrapbook album and it’s purpose, a rusted
wall will surely look unique. So if you think you want to give it a shot, here’s
what you can do. Simply, sketch a bricking pattern on to the scrapbook layout with
a marker to get rusted wall effect.
But how do I get a rusted effect?
If that’s the question that’s running in your mind, here’s the answer. There are
a few things that you will need to create a rusted metal look. Firstly, you will
need a red or burgundy colored sheet cardstock. You can choose one of these colors
depending on what kind of rust you are expecting for your scrapbook. If you select
a red sheet, your rust effect will be more reddish and bright. If you use burgundy
sheet, the rust look will be darker and real. Then you need chalk in three colors;
brown, beige and black.
To create the rust effect, coat the burgundy or red sheet of cardstock with brown
chalk. Then you need to gently scrub brown chalk over the entire surface of the
sheet. Now get the beige chalk and scrub it over the entire surface of the sheet.
Beige chalk coat will act as the base coat for rusting effect. Once you are done
with beige chalk, you might notice the powdery effect on the surface. This is no
mistake as it is something to be expected!
Now use a sponge-tip applicator for applying bronze or rusty color on to the surface.
You can easily purchase bronze or rusty color from your local crafts store and the
good news is that they are quite inexpensive.
Next step is to add black and beige chalk on to the surface for creating highlights
and shadows. You need to be creative at this step as this is where rust gets rustier.
Use your artistic imagination to derive shapes and shadows. So, if you followed
through every step correctly, you should have a rusted metal appearance scrapbook
layout in your hand, by now!
Return to Scrapbooking article page