Coasters anyone?

Hi ya'll!
Hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend!

Here is another project I made for the latest craft show. I have made coasters before. Many. For the first show, I bought an entire box of tiles and went to town, only to have nearly every one smudge and run when i sealed it. It was terribly discouraging, and I think I showed up at the show with a handful, IF that.

Before the last show, I decided to try a different tile, and a different sealant. It worked!!

My trouble then, was deciding what images were best for a coaster! I had done alot with swirlys and sayings, flowers and plant life - but I wanted something different and I don't know why it didn't dawn on me until a week before he show that I could use images of people and animals! I started with some CC Designs (Coffee Kiki, how more appropriate can you get?), and some Anyas and eventually got up the nerve to ink up a recently purchased Stampavie image. That's her you see there. The image is Gillian Roberts - "Being Together" from Stampavie. I think its one of the most adorable images I have ever seen.

One of the best things about these is that your tile DOES NOT have to be perfect! The differences in markings make each one unique and you can find similar ones if you want to make a set.

There's a few things I learned that might help a first timer, that I'll pass along so you can avoid some of the frustration I went through with the useless box I had!

First, choose a very smooth tile. I like a smooth tumbled marble.

Next, don't press too hard on your image, but use a juicy pad.

If you're going to seal your tile (which I recommend and is a must if you are coloring), use a good quality poly. I used Verathane. Spray a thin quick layer, allow it to dry and repeat a few times for a good seal. Don't saturate your tile or else you will run the chance of your artwork smudging and running!!

Color as much as you want to! I have used lots of mediums on my tiles. You must stamp your image with Staz On. Momento does not work. But color, the sky's the limit! I have used markers, copics (careful you do not touch the Staz On with your copic or it will blend your line). but my favorite is watercolor pencils. You get the watercoloring effect on the the tile and you can shade very well with it and add/take away color as needed.

Go! Go! I wanna see you make one now!

Thanks for stopping by!