I admit it…I am head over heels in love with Lutradur. I use it in so much of my work…in fabric art, artist trading cards, greeting cards, scrapbook layouts, and mixed media art. I just love the fiber texture and how you can burn it and paint it. Instructions for making this ATC are at the end of this post.

You can treat it just like paper when you paint on it, but I recommend placing an absorbent sheet underneath to catch any paint that seeps in between the fibers. I usually paint on top of watercolor paper, then I get a “two-fer.” I particularly love brushing Liquitex^® Acrylic inks! on Lutradur because they have a bright, fluid consistency and the fibers really show through. You can also spritz it with spray inks or draw on it with pencils, pastels, and markers.

And then there’s the burning! Using the pointed writing tip on a textile tool, you can carve any shape you want into the sheet. Be sure to work on a heat-resistant surface. With the hot air from a heat gun, you can burn interesting lacy effects like I did with this snowflake. You can fold and cut Lutradur just like paper, then burn it like chiffon fabric. It takes a little practice to control the burning – the closer you hold the gun to the sheet, the faster it just melts away. If you paint the sheet first and let it dry, then it will burn more slowly. Always work in a well-ventilated area when you are burning Lutradur!

Close-ups of lacy burned effect and paints topped with iridescent medium

“Loving Lutradur” Artist Trading Card

• Card stock trimmed to 2.5″ x 3.5″
• 5.5″ x 8.5″ piece of 70 gram Lutradur
• Liquitex^® Acrylic Paints in two colors
• Paint markers in coordinating colors
• Craft glue
• Heat gun and textile tool (with writing tip)
• White opaque gel pen

1. Paint cardstock with a lighter color, set aside to dry.
2. Cut the Lutradur sheet in half. Paint one half with a darker color, set aside to dry.
3. Use the textile tool to carve the lines of a heart into the other half sheet of Lutradur; careful not to let the lines intersect.
4. Trimming around the lines, cut out a heart shape.
5. Color the heart as desired with the paint markers, and write “love” on top with the white gel pen.
6. Apply the heat gun to the dry, painted sheet of Lutradur to melt away areas as desired to create a lacy effect.
7. Crop the burned lacy sheet down to just under 2.5″x3.5″ and glue to the card stock.
8. Use a paint marker to rim the edge of the card with color.
9. Glue the heart on the card.
10. Embellish as desired—I added some self-adhesive bling and I stitched around the edge with my sewing machine.

Related posts:

1. Lutradur Calling Card Case
2. Technique Tuesday with Lea Cioci
3. Butterfly Wall Hanging Project with Ultra-Light Lutradur
4. Quick Thanksgiving Votive Project with Lutradur
5. Technique Tuesday with Gladys Love