Stippled Pearls Backgrounds By Trish Bayley

These backgrounds are very easy to make and look absolutely stunning! Their scans really don't do them justice at all, because when you move them in the light they shimmer and sparkle in all different colours.

You can use this technique to create backgrounds that look totally different and best of all unique. Read on below for instructions and different variations of this background technique:

Stippled Pearl Backgrounds

These background instructions are for the following background sample which you can see below

What You Will Need

Toothpicks

Pearl Acrylics Paints in:
Dark Blue, Light Blue, Pink, Yellow, Purple and Green colours.

I used pearl paints by: Crayola (Pearl Brites), Lumieres, Inscribe, Galt Toys and other companies.

Black Glossy Card Stock:
You can use both glossy and matt card. Both work well, but the results are more vibrant with gloss, the samples in the gallery are all created using gloss card.

Stipple Brush:
You can use a shaving brush (which is what I used) or a brush for stencilling with. Any brush with stiff bristles will suffice.

Plastic Spoon

Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments:
If you don't have pearl ex, use Fairie Dust, Moon Glow, Powdered Pearls or Eye shadow with Mica.

How To Create

1. Using the toothpicks, scoop up a dollop of pearl paint and drop little blobs of various colours over the black card. Concentrate your drops in the centre of the card, allow spaces between the colour changes and have contrasting colours next to each other. i.e. blue next to green and purple.

I used different brands of pearl paints for this technique and they all worked well. I got especially stunning results with the crayola pearl brites paints. Lumiures also worked well but I found they were no better than the cheaper Inscribe pearl paints

2. Take your stipple brush, and using a bouncing stippling motion, move the paints around the card working outwards so that the colours blend and cover the entire card

3. Dip your plastic spoon into a pot of pearl ex powder to take up some powder, you only want a tiny bit as this is concentrated. Shake the spoon over the wet stippled paint so the pearl ex sprinkles over the surface of the paint.

4. Quickly stipple over the top of the pearl ex, moving it around the surface of the paint so that the paint seals the powder in. Set aside to dry. Your background is now complete.

Tips and Tricks With Stippled Pearls Backgrounds

The trick with this technique lies on the colours of pearl ex you use and also the amount of pressure you use when you stipple.

I used an interference violet pearl ex colour which instead of hiding the colours of the pearl paint it reacted to the paint colours and took on a whole new look.

On another background I used gold pearl ex which hid some of the pearl paints but it also enhanced the overall look of the background giving it a completely different look.

Gentle stippling results in more of the black background showing through which makes the pearls shine more vibrantly.

More vigorous stippling results in a more pearl cloud result which also looks good.

There is no right not wrong way of doing this technique.

Instead of black glossy card substitute with Acetate!

I created the Stippled Pearls Background technique on acetate which look really different as you can see

You can also create the Stippled Pearls Background on white glossy card. It isn't as vibrant as when created on black card but it still works, see below

More Backgrounds

Background Technique Created Using
Pearl Acrylic Paints And Pearl Ex

Background Technique Created Using
Pearl Acrylic Paints And Pearl Ex On Acetate

Backgrounds Created By Trish Bayley 2002


Stippled Pearl Background PVA Method
For these backgrounds I substituted acrylic paints for pva glue. You can use perfect paper adhesive if you have it, but its not essential. The backgrounds I created were made using Anitas PVA multipurpose white glue.

These background instructions are for the following

1. Squirt a dollop of PVA glue in the centre of a sheet of glossy black card.

2. Next stipple the pva glue to push it all over the surface of your card stock, if you run out of pva glue before you have covered the card, apply more.

3. Using a plastic spoon, scoop and shake different colours of pearl ex over the glue card surface.

4. Quickly stipple over the top of the pearl ex, moving it around the surface of the glue before it dries. Set aside to dry, your background is complete.

Wash your stipple brush in warm soapy water before the glue dries solid on your brush.

The glue dries clear leaving only the colours of the pearl ex you have chosen. You don't need a sealant as the glue acts as a fixative.

The Stippled Pearls PVA method may also be applied to acetate and white card stock.

More Backgrounds Created Using
P.V.A Glue And Pearl Ex Pigments