Copics on Candles

I week or so ago I came across an awesome idea - adding stamped/digi images to candles! I was so excited I had to give it a go myself. The tutorial that I read is here - but I've also detailed how I made my candles, below.

Materials you will need:
white tissue paper (although I'm sure it's possible to use coloured tissue paper)
stamp and ink (or if you visit the tutorial link above Lydia shows you how to use a digi image)
a plain candle (I've used cheap white candles although, again, I'm sure it's possible to use coloured candles)
baking paper / grease or wax paper
heat gun
something to colour your image with (I used Copic markers)
decorations (optional)

Firstly I discovered that tissue paper has a rough and a shiny side. After reading a few different blogs the consensus seemed to be to stamp your image on the rough side (so this is what I did). I have not tried stamping on the shiny side so I'm not sure how it turns out in the end - or if it even makes a difference!

Images stamped on the rough side of the tissue paper. Bear with flowers and duck with flower are both from Crafter's Companion - Popcorn the Bear "Bunches of Love". The footprints poem with images and bible verse are both from Our Daily Bread Designs "Footprints Set". I stamped all these images using Memento "Tuxedo Black" ink.

I then coloured my images using Copic markers (see bottom of post for the colours I used). I found that it was better to lean on some paper towel or scrap paper as the Copic markers tended to bleed through the tissue paper rather quickly. It was also quite hard to blend the colours on the tissue paper...but they still colored it quite nicely. I then cut around the images leaving just a little "white space" around the edge.

I then took my plain white candles...

Bought these "cheap" candles from Spotlight.

...and you place your image where you want it on your candle and then wrap the baking paper over the top of your image. You need to make sure that the baking paper sits flat and tight against the image otherwise your image will not adhere to the candle properly and/or you will get "dents" in your candle where the crinkles are.

Most of the tutorials I read said to use grease or wax paper. I used plain baking paper that didn't really have a "grease / wax" side and it worked just fine.

This is what it looks like from the top when the baking paper is wrapped around the candle.

 You then use a heat gun to gently heat all over your image. This melts the candle wax a little and "melts" the tissue paper (with your image) into the candle. As you heat the image you will be able to see parts of the image turn "darker" (kind of like watching embossing powder change colour) and that's when you know that part of the image is done. Make sure you do right to the edges of the tissue paper.

Be warned; however, to not heat the candle too much. There is a fine line between melting the tissue paper into the candle and destroying it altogether! If you heat it too much (and depending on which way you are holding your candle) you may get wax running everywhere which will leave "blobs" and "holes" in your finished product and you may have a wonky looking candle!

You can carefully remove the baking paper and check to see if all of the image is adhered. If it isn't just place the baking paper back on and re-heat.

Also note - it's probably because I used baking paper - but on one of the candles I did heat the image a little too much - not enough to make the wax actually "run" but enough so that it melted a "slather" which then stuck to the baking paper as I peeled it off. I did manage to mostly melt this slather back on the candle and make it look reasonable but I guess if you use grease/wax paper this helps the candle wax not to stick to the "paper" as much.

I'm also wondering, but didn't actually test the idea, if it makes a difference to the amount of "wax" that may come off the candle if the candle/baking paper are still warm or cold when you peel it off. My thinking is that if the candle and baking paper are still warm the candle wax is more likely to stay on the candle; whereas if you waited a bit and the candle and baking paper are a little colder, the candle wax may adhere more to the baking paper - which may take slathers of wax off your candle (which may not have happened if it was still warm/hot)? Not sure if that makes sense - but I know what I mean! :-)

Anyway...you should now have your image on the candle!

Front and back of same candle

Front and back of same candle

And then you can decorate anyway you like. I added some silver rhinestones to mine and ribbon to another one (not pictured).

Full list of materials:
Copics: Bear: R43, R46, Y15, 0, YG11, YG23, YG17, YG67, W9, E41, E43, E44, E47, E49; Duck: Y11, Y15, Y17, YR04, YR18, E42, E44, E23, E35, R43, YG11, YG23, YG17, YG67; Footprints candle: B32, B34, B37, G43, G46, G24, G28, E31, E43, N3, N5 and 0.
Stamps: Crafter's Companion - Popcorn the Bear "Bunches of Love" and Our Daily Bread Designs "Footprints Set"
Ink: Memento "Tuxedo Black"
Cardstock: Rapt! white tissue paper
Dies: None
Other: Woolworths select baking paper, plain white candles (from Spotlight), heat gun, papercraft rhinestones, scissors, paper towel and scrap paper.

If I were to make them again the only thing I would change is probably the quality of the candle. I bought cheap candles because I had never tried the technique before and didn't want to spend a fortune just to destroy them! However, because they were cheaper they didn't have as nice a "finish" on the outside (some were a bit lumpy before I attacked them!) More expensive candles definitely "look" nicer, have a smoother finish and would have a more "professional" look to them once you've added your image.

I have also started a Copic page - you can view it here.