Altered Game Pieces

by Cindy Lyles

Take dominoes to a whole new place using reinkers and stamps.

Supplies

  • Game piece
  • Sanding block
  • Dye ink refill
  • StazOn™ ink
  • Detailed stamps
  • Gold leafing pen
  • Spray sealant
  • Plastic glove (optional)
  • Magnet
  • Industrial cement such as E-6000

Step-by-Step

  1. Step 1

    Using the sanding block, sand the smooth side of the game piece to remove the shine.

  2. Step 2

    Place a very, very small amount of reinker onto the sanded game piece.

  3. Step 3

    You will now alter the base color of the game piece. Don the glove if desired. This will prevent your fingers from becoming stained, and the chance of any fingerprints on the piece.

    Blend the reinker on the sanded game piece surface. I chose to have the color fade away versus an even application. If you have applied too much reinker dab your finger onto a baby wipe or paper towel. The reinker will dry almost immediately.

  4. Step 4

    Ink stamp with StazOn™ or other solvent ink. Stamp game piece. Allow to dry.

  5. Step 5

    Apply leafing pen to edges of game piece. The chisel tip really does a great job creating a nice edge.

  6. Step 6

    Seal the game piece with a spray sealant.


  7. Step 7

    Using E-6000 or other industrial cement, adhere magnet to back of game piece. Allow to dry.

    Tip: If doing multiples of these at the same time, use caution not to place the pieces too close to each other. The magnets will naturally attract each other, and will dry askew and not centered on the back of the game piece.




  8. Step 8 (Optional)

    Add a bauble if desired.

    I found these at Michaels in the bead aisle and adhered with a small amount of Crystal Effects™.



  9. Other samples using the same technique. The snail image from Winged Things uses two classic reinkers. The other two use Pinata Inks and Claro Extender (used to achieve the mottled look). Source: http://www.usartquest.com.

Variations

    Try Embossing
    If you don't mind getting your VersaMark pad dirty, you can also press the game piece into a VersaMark pad, then dip into a vat of clear embossing powder, coating the stamped surface and leafing pen on the edges, and heat set. This latter method tends to leave a visible texture on the surface of the game piece.

Your Turn

You've seen the tutorial, now you try it! We've got a section of the gallery set aside for Altered Game Pieces. Try this technique, then upload your artwork to the gallery. Show us your creations!

***Please note - Internet Explorer/Edge is not a supported browser, and will not allow you to see the videos. Please use Chrome, Firefox or Safari to view our tutorial videos.

Questions and Comments

We'd love to get your feedback or questions. Leave your comment below.

Tracy, sounds like your problem is with the medium you are trying to color the image in with, which I assume is some type of marker. What kind of maker are you using? And, is it only the StazOn that is smearing, not the ink you used as your base color?
Deb  |  Sat May 22, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Be very careful about touching the domino where you are going to apply ink because of the oils from your fingers... I started wiping them with alcohol to get off any fingerprints before starting. The inks that I have used are colored Stazon and alcohol inks (Ranger). Also go lightly with the sealant. Enjoy :o)
Condor Keeper  |  Sat May 22, 2010 at 9:45 PM
Love these. I just bought 3 dozen so I can make them for friends, family and my swap group.
Syn  |  Sat Jun 5, 2010 at 9:00 AM
Just a tip! If you don't want to get your versa mark pad dirty, use a brayer. Roll the brayer over the versa mark pad and then roll it over your domino. Be sure to clean your brayer good between each use. You could use a baby wipe.
Some people use alcohol inks to color their backgrounds with. I didn't have any on hand so I colored my background using a cotton ball wet with alochol. Then I took my SU! reinker and put a few drops of two different colors on them. I randomly sponge by domino and set the ink with my heat gun.
Hope this helps!
Twinglesin2001  |  Wed Jul 7, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Awesome tutorial. Thanks!
Melanie  |  Thu Oct 7, 2010 at 9:52 AM
These are adorable, super easy, and turn out fantastic! I got a stamped custom made for my wedding, and used these to make little momentos for bridesmaid gifts. They turned out fabulous, and the girls loved them.
Ribbon  |  Thu Dec 9, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Hey, I was wondering how exactly you do the embossing. I have tried it and it isn't working. I went on and added the inker to the domino...then I stamped my stamp in versa mark, then stamped onto the dom, and then sprinkled emboss powder..it was such a mess...I think i am doing tihs wrong bc you guys keep talking about getting the versa mark dirty..what am I doing wrong?
Melissa  |  Tue Jan 11, 2011 at 6:54 PM
Hi, The background ink must be all the way dry or the embossing powder will stick to it and to your stamped image. The versa mark pad gets dirty when you put it on to cover the whole domino (then emboss with clear) for a solid shiny finish....
Hope this helps :o)
Condor Keeper  |  Tue Jan 11, 2011 at 9:30 PM
Please HELP! I love these and have been working on them for 3 days. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I sanded my dom, inked it with stampin up ink, then I am attaching jewels and beads. My ink today was still wet and it smears. I also tried applying triple thick to give it a glossy look and to maybe dry the ink... once I spread it on it smeared my pretty design. Does anyone know why my ink doesn't dry..do I need to polyurethane it before I do the glossy coat and put on my beads? I am doing these with my Teen Mops and I just can't get it right...please any help is great!
Melissa  |  Sat Jan 15, 2011 at 10:14 PM
i even heat set it after I added my alcohol ink
Melissa  |  Sat Jan 15, 2011 at 10:17 PM
OH ok..she used stampin up ink in the tutorial so I figured that is what i needed...i went last night and got some alcohol inks!
Melissa  |  Sun Jan 16, 2011 at 1:45 PM
I don't think playing with them is a great idea...unless you have only put ink on them (no raised parts). When you play dominoes both the front and the back are put down on the table where your art work can be rubbed off or chipped over time. The set should also be all the same so the different tiles can't be marked out when they are face down. Hope this helped :O)
Condor Keeper  |  Sat Nov 19, 2011 at 7:42 AM
I have seen some beautiful ornaments made from these. My question is what did you do to the back side of the dom to cover the black spots or did you just leave them showing? I am thinking of trying my hand at these this year.
Cyndi  |  Wed Nov 23, 2011 at 7:36 AM
I have tried the chalks. I have recently purchased permanent sharpie markers. the SU markers dont work at all. I will try the alcohol as well. I am going to try the sharpies see if that works .. I do however think it could be the sealant as well because I did try to touch with my finger and it did not smear until I sprayed them ... I am wondering if mod podge would work. I have tried the versa and the clear powder but then I got specks. I will give it another try soon . Thanks everyone
Tracy Gritke  |  Wed Nov 23, 2011 at 2:31 PM
I love the look of these, and am working on some new ideas. I have a Laura Ashley stamp that this would look beautiful on. Busy reassigning all kinds dominoes to new beautiful pieces. Will share when I get done!
Shelley E  |  Fri Jun 8, 2012 at 1:03 PM
hi i have used the E600 GLUE and glued a bead on the top edge and when dry i put a peice of leather to make a great necklase and on the back i used a peice of contrasting felt and glued it to the back to cover the dots.
cheers from Australia susan
susan mcmillan  |  Wed Jul 4, 2012 at 8:23 AM
How inspiring! What a wonderful idea. Can't wait to try it! Would like to see an answer about the ink that would not dry asked by several other people before I invest in this. Thank you for sharing.
Ronnie Kay Folkins  |  Wed Apr 10, 2013 at 10:53 AM
Try using archival inks. Suppose to work better on dominoes.
Rose Clapsadle  |  Thu Aug 20, 2015 at 5:51 PM

Page 2 of 2 pages  <  1 2

You need to be logged in to comment

GET OUR NEWSLETTER



Splitcoaststampers's privacy policy