Dominoes are small canvasses that can provide so many hours of pleasure! Whenever I have to create a gift for a friend, I think first of a domino pin or necklace. Dominoes are made from resin or wood and are easily manipulated. You can put holes in them with a drill or wrap them with metal. They can be painted, bleached, collaged, and glued. With all these properties, it is no wonder so many stampers have a passion for dominoes. These little treasures can become such fabulous things; it is all in how you look at the domino. The dimension, color, and size are perfect for so many things. From small pendants to a full canvas that looks like a mosaic, the domino is an incredibly diverse object. Simply adding color to the domino with permanent ink immediately changes the domino and makes it into a piece of art. Taking the domino to the next step is easy when we look at it as another surface upon which to stamp.

When stamping on dominoes, solvent and permanent craft inks work best. I have found that when stamping a domino, it is easier to ink the stamp and then place the domino upon the part of the design you wish to transfer. To avoid smearing the ink, lift the domino straight up. Heat set the ink to make sure it is completely dry before moving on to coloring or applying collage layers.

If you prefer, acrylic paints can also be used to add color to dominoes. I sponged Lumiere on this domino and then stamped over it with solvent ink after it dried. When it was finished, I added it to this mini-assemblage.

Drilling a domino is fairly easy. Many stampers have small power tools that will easily go through the domino. Take care to use appropriate safety equipment and to do this in a well-ventilated area, as the resin will make an odor as it is drilled. For the less adventurous, pre-drilled dominoes can be purchased at stamp stores and online. Turning a domino into a piece of jewelry is a snap with the addition of a satin cord or a pin back.



And for those who do not like to be restricted by our canvasses, there is another option: use several dominoes together for one large composition. Dominoes that are put side-by-side can create a larger canvas for designing. In the example below, I used the dominoes as tiles to create a dramatic mosaic effect with this depiction of “Genesis”. To unify the four pieces, I placed beads from a discarded necklace around the finished piece.

Whether you choose to use your domino alone or with other objects, you’ll find they can be used in many different ways to create incredible works of art. Whether we wear them, integrate them into our collages, or use them as an embellishment, there are endless hours of creating pleasure for the stamper.

Resources:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dominoart/