Tutorial: How to Use a Sanding Block, to Distress Paper & Card

Welcome Back   

Earlier this week, I introduced you to the humble sanding block. In today’s post I will share a few tips for how to get the best results from using one, when you want to distress card and paper.   

Sanding Block

Techniques with a Sanding Block

Choosing the Right Cardstock

Sanding blocks, are best used with cardstock which has a white core. That way, when you scratch into the coloured surface of the card, a different colour will show through.

Examples of white core card are;

• Cor Dinations  
• DCWV (Die Cuts With A View) Match Maker card, which also has a white core.  I have had great success using this, and this is what was used in these samples.

To determine if you card has a white core, look at the very edge of the card. Even card in a stack, will show white on its cut edges. If you tear coloured card and see white in the middle, that is, the white core. It simply means, that the card only has colour on the top surface, rather than all the way through it.  

Distressing card 

• Take a sheet of textured cardstock, that has a white core. 
• Holding the sanding block flat and level with the card, sand over the surface.

This will remove some of the colour from the surface of the card. Especially effective, if the cardstock has a linen or textured finish, as that will give highs and lows, where the sanding block hits the high points and missed lower areas of the pattern.   

Flat cardstock, distressed using a Sanding Block. Before & After.

Embossing 

• Another way to sand, is to run your card through a die cutting machine with a textured folder.
• Then, sand over the raised area of the resulting embossed (or raised) pattern.
• Tap off any access dust, resulting from the sanding to reveal the white card.
• You could ink or paint with dabbers in another colour, over the newly exposed white card.

Get clever with it, by selecting a single direction and sanding only in that direction. This gives the appearance of a light source. An alternative to highlighting with a white pen 😉   

Embossed cardstock, which has been distressed using a Sanding Block. The sanding reveals the white core of the card.

Edging 

You can also simply use the sanding block to expose a white edge to coloured card. To do this;

• Hold the sanding block at an angle to the card stock.
• Swipe the sanding block along the edge of the card, as if you were filling your nails.

This gives a more controled effect. It gives more depth and dimension to a project. Useful if you want to give the appearance of matting and layering, without adding bulk to a project.   

Sand the edge of cardstock, to create the look of a faux mat. It frames your image and also adds dimension to your projects.

In the example below, I have used all of the above techniques combined in a card.  This card was created from a single sheet of 12 x 12″ scrapbook card. Sometimes less is more, you don’t have to have piles and piles of stash to create intricate designs. Just a few bits n bobs from the cupboard, and a little ingenuity.   

A finished card, featuring the techniques described in the tutorial.

Have a play, it’s a lot of fun and it’s the best way to discover what your tools can do. Don’t always strive for a finished project, just play and see what turns up 🙂   

Links

DCWV Die Cuts With A View, manufacturers of Match Makers cardstock and many others.  

Coredinations; Manufacturers of cardstock with white core, and also different core colours to the surface. Excellent for use with sanding blocks 🙂  

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon   

Billie 🙂

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