How To Make Cards Using Tattoo for Inspiration

Use different tattoo types for inspiration to make unique, daring, and beautiful cards. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on how here.

All of the cards in this article were inspired by Altenew’s Transcending Tattoo Techniques online class. Prior to taking the class, this author thought that using tattoos to inform cardmaking seems like a kind of an oxymoron. Although there are some that are beautiful, there are so many more that are not!

But the instructor, Jaycee Gaspar, did a wonderful job researching tattoos and adapting them with gorgeous results. And now, we’re sharing our interpretations of three of them with you in this article.

You’ll have to take the class to learn about the different types of tattoos and their histories. And I strongly recommend that you take the class. But, we’re sharing how to make these three stunning cards as follows. The article is kind of long as the cards are more complex than most.

Tattoo Inspiration: Trash Polka Card

We’ll begin this card by stamping the floral images onto kraft cardstock using multi-media ink. We use this kind of ink because we don’t want it to bleed when we begin to color the images in the next step. Hint: consider stamping some extra images to practice coloring with before working on the ones for our project.

Let’s take a look at our stamped images before we get started to get a feel for where the light will hit them and where there will be shadows. Then, beginning with the darker watercolor brush we’ll begin to add color in the spots where petals are under other petals or are meeting each other.

And then, with water, we’ll draw the color out towards the end of the petal. For the darker petals, we’ll blend with both light and dark red. And for the lighter petals, we’ll begin with the light red at the center and pull it out.

We’ll follow the same process for the leaves with the black brush.

We’re going to make sure that the coloring is dry and then we’ll cut each of the images out with the coordinating dies.

Trash Polka Tattoo Card Background

Hint: It helps to arrange the focal point prior to working on the background. This results in proper sizing and placing of the background images.

Hint: Using Glad Press ‘n Seal makes it easy to pick up and save the arrangement while we work on the background.

The first step that we’ll take to create the background is to “pounce” (dab) the “On the Plus Side” stencil with black ink on a sponge dauber. Our goal is to vary the intensity of the black throughout the background and fade the color at the edges. And, we’ll twist the stencil so that the design is on an angle to create added interest.

Next, using the other stencil and the dark red watercolor brush, we’ll color through the stencil that is set on a funky angle. Then we’ll turn the stencil perpendicular to where we had it first and do some more coloring.

Now we’ll splatter the background with ink spray with big splotches of black.

The last thing that we’ll do for the background is to add some shading behind our flower arrangement. And we’ll do that by blending black ink using a light hand in a circular motion. The texture in the cardstock creates a beautiful, grainy shadow that helps to set off the focal point.

One last thing to do before we assemble the card is to add the sentiment. Using our arrangement again, we’ll decide where to add the sentiment. And then we’ll stamp it directly on the card panel.

Assembly

We’re going to pop up the flower in the very front. We’ll attach everything else right to the card panel using liquid glue. To do so, we’ll turn the arrangement (still stuck to the Press ‘n Seal) upside down.

We’ll begin by gluing the pieces together that will overlap and not show when they are attached to the card. Then we’ll add glue to all the pieces but the front flower and then turn it over, press down, and remove the Press ‘N Seal.

The last thing to do is add the front flower. We’ll do so by tracing the flower onto a double-sided adhesive foam sheet and then cutting it out about 1/16″ smaller than what we traced. Then we’ll peel off the backing on one side and attach it to the flower. And, we’ll peel off the backing paper on the other side and attach the flower over the other floral images.

Supplies

The following list may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something by following a link on this page, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

• Cardstock: Card base – Neenah Classic Crest 110lb, Card panel and Images – Gina K Designs Kraft
• Stamp: Altenew Poppy Garden
• Die: Altenew Poppy Garden
• Ink: Gina K Designs Amalgam Ink – Obsidian; Altenew Pigment Ink Obsidian, Altenew Crisp Ink Jet Black
• Ink Spray: Altenew Jet Black
• Stencil: Altenew On the Plus Side, Altenew Buffalo Plaid Builder Stencil
• Watercolor Brushes: Zig Clean Color Real Brush 029 Geranium Red, 022 Carmine Rd, 010 Black
• Sponge Dauber: Scrapbook.com

Tattoo Inspiration: Old School Graphic Coloring Card

We’ll begin this card by stamping the outlines for the butterfly and floral images using multi-media ink. But this time we’ll use white cardstock. Then we’ll stamp the layers for the butterfly’s tail with the colors we’ve chosen.

And then we’ll color them using the coordinating alcohol markers. Because we’re styling this card after a tattoo we’re not to color all of the white spaces. And, we’re using colors a little differently than what we would ordinarily do when coloring cards.

We’ll cut the images out when we’re done with our coloring.

We’ll arrange the images over the card base using the same technique as we used for the first card. And then we’ll add some splatters for the background. And, we’ll stamp the sentiment with black pigment ink.

Lastly, we’ll attach the images to the card base using liquid ink.

Supplies

The following list may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something by following a link on this page, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

• Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest 110lb Solar White; Neenah Classic Crest 80lb Solar White
• Stamp: Altenew Dovetail Butterflies; Altenew Build-A-Flower: Wild Rose
• Dies: Altenew Dovetail Butterflies; Altenew Build-A-Flower: Wild Rose
• Ink: Gina K Designs Amalgam Ink Obsidian; Altenew Pigment Ink Obsidian; Altenew Crisp Ink Cotton Candy, Sweet Mango
• Alcohol Markers: Altenew Cotton Candy, Sweet Mango, Frayed Leaf
• Adhesives: Bearly Art Glue

Tattoo Inspiration: Watercolor Card

Believe it or not, there are tattoos that use watercolor paintings for inspiration. And then this card uses them for inspiration.

We begin by stamping the images of this stamp set on watercolor paper with watermark ink. They leave heavy, hand-drawn look lines as we would find in a tattoo. After brushing the images with anti-static powder, we’re going to sprinkle embossing powder over them. Now we’ll use a heat tool to melt the powder until it’s smooth and shiny.

Working one petal at a time, we’ll use a paintbrush to add water to the paper. Then we’ll flick a little bit of the color by scraping it from the pan with a craft knife. And then we can draw the color out with the paintbrush. We’ll repeat this process for all of the images.

Hint: the images that we heat embossed will help to keep colors from moving from one petal to another or from the image to the background.

Hint: adding a coordinating color adds some interest to the images.

Once the paint has dried we’ll cut out all of the images using the coordinating dies.

Loose Watercolor Background

Now, we’ll use the same colors to create the background. We’ll do this by spraying some water onto our card base. And then this time we’ll pick up the color from the wetted pan with a paintbrush and dab it onto the card base. Then we’ll pick move the card in different directions to get the color to move.

Once we’ve finished with the watercolors and they’re dry we’ll splatter the same colors over the top. We’ll do this by adding water to the pan, picking it up with a paintbrush, and then tapping the paintbrush over the card base.

Assembly

We’ll arrange the images, stamp the sentiment, preserve the arrangement, and attach the images using the same methods we used for the first card.

Supplies

The following list may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something by following a link on this page, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

• Cardstock: Card base – Neenah Classic Crest 110lb Solar White; Card panel – Canson XL
• Stamps: Altenew Botanical Garden, Altenew Many Thanks
• Dies: Altenew Botanical Garden
• Watercolor Paint: Altenew 12 pan Essential Set
• Ink: Multi-media – Gina K Designs Amalgam Ink Obsidian; Pigment Ink – Altenew Obsidian; Watermark ink – Versamark
• Anti-static Powder: Rabbit Hole Cottontail Embossing Powder Tool
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe Raven
• Sprayer: Distress Sprayer Vaporisateur
• Adhesives: Liquid – Bearly Art

Looking for More Unique Inspiration for Cards?

Check out Learn Remarkable Techniques With Markers.

Everyday Supplies

The list below are tools that are used to make most of the cards shared in all of our articles.

• Glass Media Mat, Tim Holtz- The perfect work surface for doing just about everything.
• Heat Tool, Wager – For heat embossing
• Mini-Misti, Sweet Petunia- For perfect stamping
• Large Blending Brushes – 4 pack, Gina K Designs – Wonderful brushes for perfect ink blending
• Mini Blending Brushes – 4 pack, Gina K Designs – Work well on delicate designs
• Blending Brush Caddy Stand, Gina K Designs – holds 10 blending brushes and when paired with the lazy susan listed below provides the perfect way to store as well as access your brushes quickly and easily and at your fingertips.
• Set of 10 Blending Brushes and Caddy Stand, Gina K Designs
• Lazy Susans for Blending Brush Stand
• Water Media Mat , Waffle Flower– Perfect for blending. The mat holds your cardstock and your ink pad in place while working. Easy to clean
• Gemini JR Electric Die Cutting Machine – This little workhorse makes die-cutting a breeze
• Spellbinders Platinum 6 Manual Die Cutting Machine – The ultimate manual die-cutting machine
• Mini Paper Trimmer
• Stamp-n-Storage – Beautiful, well-made wood storage units for paper, ink, markers, punches
• Stamp Conditioning Eraser, Altenew – used to condition brand new stamps
• Stamp Shammy, Lawn Fawn – used to clean your stamps
• Neenah Classic Crest Solar White A2 White Envelopes
• Clear Cellophane Bags
• Score Buddy Scoring Board, Scor-Pal
• Bone Folder
• Label Machine
• 12mm Label Tape
• 6mm Label Tape
• Small Storage Pockets, Avery Elle
• Large Storage Pockets, Avery Elle
• Extra-Large Storage Pockets, Avery Elle
• Stencil Pockets, Gina K Designs
• Stamp-n-Storage Die Magnet Boards