Show Me Sunday - A Tutorial by Erin B!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Good morning! Today I have a little tutorial for you on how to do a couple different types of distressing! And you need very minimal supplies :).


Supplies Needed: Your hands, scissors, nail file or sandpaper

I absolutely love to combine layers of different kinds of distressing and feel that the end result always looks fabulous.
For this tutorial, I'm going to explain how to do heavy, medium, and light distressing so you have a nice range of types to experiment with.

For a heavy, curled distressed look, start by tearing the perimeters of your paper like this:
When finished, your paper should look as follows:Start in your upper-right corner and begin rolling the edges toward you.
Don't be afraid to tear your curls as you go- get mean with them! Continue along all four sides of the paper. The end result should look like this:For added grunge, I sometimes like to scrape these curled edges with the blade of a scissors and brush over them with some gesso. While the gesso is still wet, I like to further curl the edges- when they're damp, they are a lot more flexible to create an even messier look!

For a "medium" distressed edge, I like to use the blade of my scissors. I begin by (carefully!) scraping toward myself along the edge of my paper, sanding the edges with the blade.
Sometimes the blade will slip into the paper and create a gouge or gash. That's okay, it's all part of the look :). When finished, your end result should look like this:

And here's a closeup of the scissors distressed edge:
You can also distress the edges of your photos using this same technique. I know, sounds scary. But you'll love the result!

Finally, you can take a nail file or piece of sand paper to sand and lightly distress the edges of your paper. Sometimes if you just want a little of the white core to show along your edges, this is the perfect way to accomplish that.


Here is my layout combining all of these distressing types!
I hope this tutuorial was able to clear up some of the questions you might have had about distressing- and that you get the chance to try it out yourself!
Thanks for stopping by!

12 Comments »

12 Responses to “Show Me Sunday - A Tutorial by Erin B!”

Debbie said...

Just love it Erin, thank you for showing it, I will have a go at this, it looks amazing. Debbiexx

blsd2scrp said...

thank you so much for this tutorial! I can't wait to try "distressing" out!

Joanne said...

Great tutorial Erin! Distressing seems simple, but sometimes I have an issue with it! The tip of using the gesso on the curled edges is a good one, tfs! You finished page is GORGEOUS!!! Aloha, Joanne

GrammaChurch said...

Thanks for the great tutorial - I love this look but have never quite achieved it. Your layout is so pretty I love how it shows off the layers and yet brings focus to the pictures!

ScrappinEweRobyn said...

Thank you Erin on this useful information!!! I love distressing but have not achieved "your" look yet. Tips to practice, YEA!!!

okanogangirl said...

Beautiful page!!! Great tips - I never thought to tear the page edges first then roll. That makes a HUGE difference in look! Thanks so much Erin

Moongirl said...

Thanks so much! That is how I've been doing it. Nice to know I was on the right track

Unknown said...

Glad you all like it!!

Tracee said...

Thanks for the tips, your edges always look great! Tx

Laurie said...

soooo...that's how you do it!! lol.. love it, thanks for showing :)

Sonia said...

Hello Erin
I just love your fab layout, great design.
I also use the blade of my scissors and love distressing.
Thanks for your great tutorial and for your inspiration.
-Sony
sonia-studio60.blogspot.com

- - Sheryl - - said...

what a beautiful layout