Clarity Matters Blog Tutorial: How To Transform Clear Parchment Into Rainbow Parchment

Hello hello! Grace here.

I hope this finds you well, safe, and enjoying your Sunday morning.

We are joined by the wonderfully talented Maggie Byford, a valued member of the Clarity Design Team. She has prepared a fantastic step-by-step project for us.

I’ll hand you over to our teacher…

How To Transform Clear Parchment Into Rainbow Parchment

This is a follow on from my earlier Blog Tutorial (4^th June 2023) How to Emboss a Frill and Apply Colour to Clear Parchment, which introduced you to a technique known as “Dorsing”, using Dorso Crayons. For this tutorial, I’d like to show you how to transform your clear parchment into rainbow parchment using the same technique but using Perga Liner B (blendable) pencils instead of crayons.

This is where we are headed…

INGREDIENTS

Alphabet A5 Sq Plate Mate (GRO-MA-40002-07)
Numbers, Ovals & Tags A5 Sq Plate Inset (GRO-WO-40133-11)
Nested Scallops Squares A5 Sq Plate (GRO-PA-40557-03)
New Design Groovi Club Back Issue 38 – Flower Bouquet (GRO-FL-41169-01)
Groovi A4 Clear Parchment Paper A4 (GRO-AC-40024-A4)
2-Needle Bold Perforating Tool (PER-TO-70279-XX)
Pergamano Excellent – Embossing Mat (PER-AC-70075-XX)
Groovi Embossing Tool 1 & 2 (GRO-AC-40026-XX)
Black Dual-Purpose Groovi Mat A4 (GRO-AC-40194-A4)
A5 Black Super Foam (GRO-AC-41765-XX)
Groovi Sticker Tabs x 16 (GRO-AC-40437-XX)
Groovi Guard (GRO-AC-40345-XX)
Ringlock Scissors (PER-TO-70041-XX)
Pastel Mix Pergamano Brads (PER-AC-70270-XX)
Clarity Card Blanks Pre-Scored x20 6×6” White (ACC-CA-30618-66)
Dorso Oil (PER-CO-70066-XX)
Blending Pen and Refill Nibs (PER-AC-70440-XX)
Dry Tumble Dryer Sheet
Paper Tissues for blending
*Perga Liners – Combi Box (PER-CO-70063-XX)

 Colours used on this project: B4 Blue, B5 Violet, B6 Dark Green, B9 Yellow, B14 Fuchsia
  *Alternatively, you can use Polychromos oil-based pencils in similar colours

METHOD

Step 1. Position your clear parchment over the Nested Scallops Squares plate and wipe a dry tumble dryer sheet across the surface to make the embossing tool glide easily in the grooves. Use Groovi #1 to emboss the 2^nd and 3^rd largest double outlines on the plate, then emboss the scallops on the outermost outline only (as shown in the picture).
TOP TIP: Use the Groovi Guard to help keep your parchment flat whilst you emboss the lines and scallop shapes.

Step 2. Centralise your parchment over the bouquet on the Flower Bouquet plate and emboss the whole design, as shown.

Step 3. With the back of your parchment facing upwards (and the bouquet design upside down), lay it onto a firm surface such as the hard side of your black duo mat or a piece of cardboard. Attach all 4 corners of the parchment to the mat/cardboard using removable tape or Groovi Tabs so it doesn’t move while you’re working. We are now going to use 5 different colours to draw even lines diagonally across the parchment to form a rainbow effect. Starting with the first colour of B5 Violet at the bottom right, hold your pencil nearly flat and use the side of the pencil lead to apply the colour in a side-to-side motion, extending the colour all the way across the outer scallops as shown in the picture. This technique can be practised on a spare piece of parchment if you feel more confident trying it out first.
TOP TIP: The more pencil colour you apply, the darker the colour will appear once blended with oil.
ANOTHER TOP TIP: Don’t throw away any practice pieces as you can make use of them as coloured scrap for punching out or cutting out 3D butterflies, flowers, leaves etc.

Step 3. Working in the same way as Step 3, but leaving a tiny gap away from the Violet colour, apply B6 Dark Green.

Step 4. Continue adding the remaining colours as follows: B14 Fuchsia, B4 Blue, B6 Dark Green, B14 Fuchsia, B5 Violet. Remember to leave those small gaps in between. Here is what it should look like…

Step 5. For blending, apply a couple of drops of Dorso Oil to a folded piece of tissue paper. Starting with the Violet colour at the bottom right corner, rub the tissue across the colour in small circular movements as well as from side to side in order to evenly spread the colour. Take care at this stage to avoid touching the colour next to it if you can. With a new tissue for each colour, continue blending each individual colour, until all the individual colours have been blended.
A similar method of blending can be seen in more detail in my tutorial How to Emboss a Frill and Apply Colour to Clear Parchment (4^th June 2023), which you may find helpful.
TOP TIP: Take care in the amount of oil you apply to the tissue – too much and the colour will disappear, too little and it won’t spread the colour evenly. If you have put on too much oil then simply add more colour to the parchment (with the side of the pencil as before) and start blending again until you reach the desired effect.

Step 6. Take another piece of clean tissue paper and blend the separated coloured lines by rubbing the edges where the colours meet. I didn’t need any oil on my tissue for this blending but if you do need to use some then it must be the very tiniest amount or it will simply remove the pencil colours.

Step 7. When all lines are blended this is what your work should look like from the back and front.

Step 8. Still working on the back of your parchment over a firm surface, use the pencil eraser with the white end (not the pink end, as it’s too soft) to erase the colour from inside each of the petals, leaves and stems. Use a soft brush to brush away any eraser residue.

Step 9. Still working from the back, use your coloured pencils to colour as follows:
Petals – B5 Violet, B14 Fuchsia and B4 Blue.
Leaves and stems – B6 Dark Green.
Flower-centres – B9 Yellow.
Band holding the stems – B14 Fuchsia.

Also, continue the colouring-in of the scallop shapes around the outer border. Use the same colours that flow diagonally through them, as shown in the picture. Use your soft brush to brush away any pencil residue.

Step 10. Using a separate blending nib for each colour, and taking a small amount of Dorso Oil from a craft sponge or Oil Mix Mat, start to blend the colours in the flowers, leaves and stems, as well as inside the scallop shapes.

Step 11. On the front of your parchment and over a thick black superfoam mat, use your 2-needle bold tool to perforate around the scallop shapes. Start with the angles in between the shapes as shown.

Step 12. Continue the 2-needle perforating by joining up the angles. When you’ve been all the way around, use your parchment scissors or snips to cut between the perforations from the front.

This is what it should look like from the front (below) and this can be your finished card ready for mounting, but if you want to progress a little further… you can make some of the flowers in 3D (decoupage style) as you’ll see in the next step.

Step 13. Divide a fresh sheet of clear A4 parchment into 2 halves with a pencil line down the centre. Use the Flower Bouquet plate and Groovi #1 tool to emboss all 6 flowers on the plate, spacing them out as shown in the picture below.
On the left-hand side (marked A) you’ll see that there are a couple of petals that need making whole, which you can do freehand off the plate, on an embossing mat, as shown on the right-hand side (marked B).

Step 14. Colour these flowers and flower centres with the same colours as you did in Step 9, then blend each colour with your blending nib and some Dorso Oil.

Step 15. Perforate around each flower with your 2-needle bold tool, then cut between the perforations with your parchment scissors or snips so you have 6 individual flowers.

Step 16. Lay your individual flowers next to your bouquet of flowers in the order you see them in the picture below.

Step 17. On the back of each individual flower centre, attach a narrow foam pad cut to size, then use tweezers to put each flower in place on your finished card as shown.

Step 18. This is the card ready for mounting.

Step 19. Cut a piece of deep pink Rainbow River Companion Paper to size and round off the corners with a corner rounder/punch. Do the same with the corners of your folded white card. Attach your finished parchment to the coloured card using a Pergamano brad at each corner, then mount it onto the front of the folded white card. Your project is complete!

What a lovely bunch of flowers! Thank you, Maggie, for sharing your tips and techniques with us. That’s a beautiful step-by-step project.

Everything that Maggie has used can be found on the Clarity website, HERE.

Looking at the week ahead. Quite a few things to look forward to…

• Monday 23rd October – In The SHAC with Barbara – 10am Live on Facebook and YouTube (so it is in the same format as Groovi Tuesday)
• Thursday 26th October – In The SHAC with Clarity on Create & Craft – 3pm & 7pm (7pm is missing)
• Friday 27th October – Mixed Media on Create & Craft – should be 9am & 1pm and not 9am until 1pm – don’t that many hours in one go!!!!!!

Monday 23rd October:
In The SHAC with Barbara – 10am Live on Facebook and YouTube
Tuesday 24th October:
Groovi Tuesday with Paul – 10am Live on Facebook and YouTube
Thursday 26th October:
In The SHAC with Clarity on Create & Craft – 3pm & 7pm
New & Exclusive on Create & Craft – 4pm & 8pm
Friday 27th October:
New & Exclusive on Create & Craft – 8am
Mixed Media on Create & Craft – 9am & 1pm

Hope to see you there!

Travel gently, friends.
Lotsa love, Grace & Maggie xoxo

Clarity – The Home of Art, Craft, and Well-Being.