DOMINO ART   Written by Design Team Member – Shirley Fyfe

Looking for a fun and creative way to add a little interest to your scrapbooking pages or even something to add to that birthday card you have to do? Why not try some decorated dominos – they are quick, easy and the creative possibilities really are endless.

Before starting to decorate any of your dominos, it is necessary to remove the glossy surface finish to ensure your glue and/or paints stick properly. I have used two methods in the past to do this – one you can soak them overnight in a neat bleach (don’t dilute it) and rinse them thoroughly the next day OR secondly (and this is the option I tend to use now as it is much quicker and takes just a few seconds) you can give them a light sand with a fine grade sandpaper.

Now that you have your dominos ready, it’s time to get creative!

In my ‘Sing’ sample domino, I have simply applied a coating of Mod Podge to the surface of the domino before attaching a piece of printed tissue paper over the top. (Mod Podge is a waterbase sealer, glue and finish, which is suitable for a wide range of surfaces) To ensure that I didn’t have any air bubbles trapped under the tissue paper, I used the handle of a paintbrush and gently rolled it across the surface and then wrapped the remaining tissue paper to the back of the domino. Some punchies and some miniature rubon letters are all that is needed to complete this little accent piece.

In the ‘Autumn’ sample , I have used acrylic paint to create my background. Firstly I painted each of the two dominos in blue and then once dry I painted over the top with a layer of gold. Once completely dry, I then took very fine grade sandpaper and lightly sanded the surface and sides to reveal some of the blue colour underneath. I then used some Metallic Rubons around the edges of the dominos, added some rubon letters and a sparkle charm and viola! A perfect embellishment using minimal supplies.

Embossing on dominos is a simple but very effective technique too. In the ‘Fob Watch’ sample, I simply painted the background with two layers of acrylic paint, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before moving onto the next step. I then inked around all the edges using a gold inkpad and smeared a little of the ink across the surface of the dominos as well.

When you attempt to emboss an image over more than one domino, carefully secure the dominos in place with a little double-sided tape to ensure that they don’t move. It is then a simple matter of stamping your image and embossing it as you would normally do. Why stop at two dominos? How effective would it look to have a whole border done in decorated dominos?

Working with dominos can be very addictive and there really is nothing that can’t be done using them! Why not even try adding some ‘lumpy bumpy’ embellishments to add a little more interest as well?

In ‘Silent Night’ I have painted the domino with two layers of red acrylic paint and once dry I then glued on a torn strip of green cardstock through the middle and wrapped the edges around to the back. I then used some micro beads glued into place, some Making Memories Mini Simply Stated rubons and a little Christmas tree charm to complete the piece.

Similarly, on the ‘Sun’ domino, I have applied one layer of blue acrylic paint, then one layer of crackle medium and then another layer of blue acrylic paint (allowing each layer to dry thoroughly inbetween). The result, which is clearer in real life, shows a light crazing to the background of the domino. All I then added were some micro beads, seed beads, a piece of netting, a sea star button and some rubon letters to complete the look.

As you can see the possibilities really are endless!

If you were at all worried about pieces coming off your dominos, a layer of Dimensional Magic or even Mod Podge will seal everything in quite nicely and at the same time give a very durable finish to your creation.

So, there you have it . . . a few sample ideas to get you going and I believe that once you do start dabbling in the world of creative domino art there will be no stopping you!