The Tando Creative Hexagon pack comes with an assortment of sizes, some solid and some as frames.
I chose all the open frames, you can use as many as you like. Then, thinking about what I wanted to achieve, I arranged them in an attractive shape.
Next, I glued them together using PVA. I spread the glue along one edge at a time and built the shape gradually, allowing each piece to dry before getting too carried away. Keep your arrangement on a flat surface so that it doesn’t twist before it is dry. It is a bit fiddly, and make sure the shapes don’t
stick to the surface you are using.
Once the shape has dried and is firm, I painted it with DecoArt Lamp Black. Paint both sides, and when it is dry check for missed bits.
Now you can plan where you want to put your flat hexagons, make a note or take a photo of your final layout for future reference.
Now the fun bit! I used Ranger Alcohol Inks on clear acetate sheets to make a bright and colourful background. I used Limeade, Gumball, Dandelion, and Patina colours. I added a few splashes of Piñata Brass for accent.
I had to use two sheets of A4 acetate because my shape is quite large. I left my sheets to dry overnight to ensure I didn’t smudge them.
When the alcohol inks are thoroughly dry the next stage is to glue the hexagon shape on to the acetate, so that no joins were visible. I used all purpose solvent glue.
I glued the upper sheet first, then carefully cut round the bottom edge of the hexagons. Then I matched the lower sheet and cut round that to fit.
I trimmed around the shapes with a very sharp Xacto knife after the glue was dry - be careful when using sharp tools.
The acetate side we’ll call ‘the back’. I used ‘all purpose’ glue for this as I needed it to dry quickly.
Once the acetate is attached to the shape, and while it is drying, it is time to sort the flat hexagons.
On one side I glued cooking foil with the shiny side up. I used PVA for this bit. The other side and edges are painted with DecoArt Lamp Black.
When they are dry, trim round with the sharp blade. Refer back to the practice layout and glue the flat hexagons into place on the ‘front’ of the frame. Put the foil side down - towards the acetate - so that light coming through is reflected back on to the surface.
The black fronts contrast beautifully with the light and colour shining through.
All that is left to do is to hang it in a window where it will meet the sunshine and play a medley of light and colour around the room.
I used black copper jewellery wire to make a hanging loop, then used all purpose solvent glue to attach it to the frame. I had to experiment to find the best place to put it so that it hangs vertically.
I left the glue to set overnight because I wanted it to be really firm before it took the weight of the finished sun catcher.
Click the link to see the sun catcher on my Instagram feed.
We just need plenty of sunshine to get the most from our sun catcher!
Products:
Ranger Alcohol Inks (colours of your choice)
Jacquard Piñata Brass
Acetate sheet
PVA and all purpose solvent glue
Great project. Vee xx
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