Using foil and ink can be really effective. I’ve used a Sheena Douglass folder with trees. Ive embossed it with gold holographic foil (once for the foiling on the Todo machine plate and then again, lining the foiled image up with the tree pattern in the folder, using the embossing folder in the normal way. Then I have inked over the top with distress inks (stormy sky,gathered twigs and scattered straw) It has been mounted on to pale blue card and then on to a pale pink 5×5 card blank. I think the raised texture created by the folder creates a better effect than the foiling on its own.

Here are a few more examples in different colour foils- same folder.

So how is it done?

This is an embossing folder.

The idea is to heat the todo hot foiling plate. The green light will show when it is ready. Place enough foil to cover the plate face down.

This is the foiling plate.

With the foil face down on the hot plate put card on top. Whether the card is mat coated or textured, eg. watercolour, you will get a different effects with the foil. Then open the embossing folder and put the raised edge on top. The Todo A plate goes on top of that. Wait a minute or two for the heat to be felt on the A plate. Set dial to 5-6 depending on your machine. Each Todo will be slightly different. Roll over the plates with the moving Todo platform forward and back. Then the big reveal. When you peal way the foil you never quite know what you are going to get! Its the excitement of that and what you can do with the left over foil that makes this technique interesting and very creative. Particularly when you add your inks.

Next post will look at the left over foil- How do you use the reverse?