Stenciled Artesprix Zip Case

Hi! I’m Alison Heikkila and I am very happy you are visiting today. My second Artesprix project for this month is a Canvas Zip Case, which is one of my favorite Blanks offered by Artesprix. Not only does the Zip Case have plenty of room for you to create awesome designs on, but it’s really useful and makes a great gift. My tutorial today is really simple and fast to recreate, so I hope it inspires you to try Artesprix for yourself. 
*Some affiliate links are used in this post. That means that if you shop through these links, I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you. For more information, please see my Affiliates page.

What is Iron-On Ink?
Artesprix Sublimation Markers, Ink, and Paint are specially formulated to allow you to use basic copy paper to: color, stamp, stencil, and monoprint anything you wish and turn it into a heat-transferable design. These designs are then applied to a polyester or polyester coated substrate with heat and pressure. You can use a heat press or a home iron! These designs, through this process of sublimation, will become permanent on your substrates.

Supplies:
Zip Case 3 Pack
Ink Pads
Protective Paper
Heat Tape
A Colorful Life Designs: Tranquil Spiro Stencil
Therm O Web: Pixie Spray
Blending Brushes (A dedicated brush for each color)
Copy Paper
Pencil
Heat Source: Home Iron or Heat Press

Step 1: Trace the Zip Case on to a piece of copy paper with a pencil.

Step 2: Spray the back of your stencil with Pixie Spray to help keep it from moving when you begin inking it.

Step 3: Apply the stencil to the copy paper and begin inking it in rainbow order. You’ll find that the colors blend beautifully. 

This is what my finished design looked like. I made sure to go past my penciled outline so that in case I accidentally move my Zip Case when I tape it, there won’t be any white space.

Step 4: Tape your design to the Zip Case. Be sure to secure it well.

Step 5: Let’s make our Sublimation Sandwich! Add a layer of siliconized paper to the top and bottom of your Blank. Your sandwich will be: Protective Paper-Colored Image-Blank-Protective Paper. The Protective Paper prevents any images accidentally transferring to either side of your Heat Press or to your home iron. My photo shows the sandwich before I flipped it over.

Step 6: Sublimate the Zip Case at 400 degrees for 45 seconds.  Be sure to keep the zipper out of the Heat Press so that it doesn’t get squashed (ask me how I know. 😉 )

Step 7: Time for the Peek Test! Carefully lift a small portion of your art off of the Blank to ensure a good transfer. If you need to re-press your piece, you can do it since you haven’t moved the art out of place.

Here’s my completed Zip Case, with the original art. I love seeing how bold the colors become through the sublimation process. And the stenciled lines are nice and crisp. 

This Canvas Zip Case may look like it took a while to make, but it was actually really fast and simple. Artesprix’s Ink Pads blend so nicely, even on copy paper, that you don’t need much effort to get an amazing looking project. How would you like to get more ideas on using Artesprix’s Sublimation Ink Pads, Markers, and Paint? There’s a Facebook Group that’s just for fans of Artesprix! You can click HERE to join. Also, don’t forget to visit the Artesprix store to see all of the available blanks and bundles, so you can get started with sublimation. You can use my code, ALISON10 to save 10% off of your purchase. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!