Use your reinkers like Paint: You Can Mix craft, classic, & versamark inks!

You can use reinkers just like paints. Muck about in them: mix, experiment, & create a new look or technique. The acrylic paint-like opacity of craft/pigment inks lets you paint on colours other than white. That's how the Certain Celery craft ink (used to paint the leaves on this card) shows up against the Vintage Violet cardstock.

I'll bet most of you use your reinkers to 'paint' stamped images, so I thought it might be useful to chat a bit about the different types of ink & their paint like qualities or possibilities... Reinkers really are a paint-like medium. Paint is essentially a medium comprised of a pigment/colour, a binder, and a carrier/vehicle (goopy stuff with colour that dries nicely, lol) :0) The difference between classic water-based inks and Craft or pigment inks is basically viscosity or goopiness. Of course, you probably know that...

...Classic inks are:

1. thin
   
2. not unlike a concentrated watercolour wash
   
3. transluscent or see-through
   

...and Craft inks are:

1. thick
   
2. akin to a runny acrylic paint (very close to dollar store craft ink, though with a higher pigment quality)
   
3. more opaque or solid

...But have ya mixed 'em? The difference between the two types of inks makes blending them fascinating. When they interact with each other they give you different shades and different levels of thin/thickness and sheer/opaqueness. (Blah blah blah...) you gots ta try it to see what I'm blathering on about.... ;0)


You can just use a dinner plate as a palette and daub on some inks--Then you mix away! This card was painted with a mix of white craft ink and classic inks (Vintage Violet & Elegant Eggplant):

An easy trick used to get this feathery two-toned look is the...

...wet into wet painting technique:

1. Stamp & emboss your image (this one is done with glue pen embossing) The raised lines of the image make it SO easy to paint.
2. Paint an area with a wash--I love an aqua painter (brush with water in handle) for this.
3. While that area is still wet go in with two colours of 'paint': 1st a light hue then immediately after the 2nd dark colour. Watch them bleed. The more water you have, the more they will bleed, so you can control the look with a little practice. You can go in with darker shades after to add depth. It's always good to keep some little puddles of pure colour (especially white & the darkest shade) to keep dipping your brush into. That keeps your colours from looking muddy.
   

You can mix colour families to get another shade you really love. Experiment with shades to get a lot of variety with just white craft ink and a darker shade.

If you want to create a custom coloured stamp pad: just buy a cheap empty pad at a craft or stationery store and add two colours of ink to it.

Some inky details:

Classic Inks:
Water-based dye-inks, can be used to watercolour with, (not waterproof except for the basic black & basic brown which won't bleed on Stampin' Up! cardstock)

Craft/Encore ink:
Pigment inks, gives an opaque look, thicker and dries more slowly, colour lasts longer, is waterproof when set. For use on chipboard (where it gives more opaque colour, on wood, fabric, etc... (Scrapbookers fave.) Encore ink is a metallic pigment ink

Watermark ink:
Versamark ink, gives a tone on tone 'watermark' effect, You can paint with it (to emboss your painting) mix it with classic/craft inks. This works by extending the drying time and allowing you to sprinkle powder. You can achieve an impasto look (thick paint with visible brush strokes.) You can also tint your own Versamark pads to get a custom translucent ink pad: Just use old (stained) pads & add both colour and Versamark reinker.

The white-ish flowers are made a little less opaque & detailed by painting on a wash of white craft ink & then dabbing that with a clean paper towel. SO easy!

Card Details: Stamps: Flowers are by Stampendous: Peony Square (about 8 cm SQ) Circle of Friendship, Wanted, & Loonies for Littles. Cardstock, retired Vintage Violet (distressed with tone on tone ink.) Accessories: retired SU ribbon (V.V.) Silver e.p. and a Sakura quickie glue pen, Circle punches (1" & 1 and 3/8") , Scallop (circle) punch (to create the scalloped edge with stamped detail along the side of the main image), retired corner rounded (to create scallop along bottom of card.)

Happy Artsy Fartsiness, :0)


P.S. more inkiness details here
P.S. Amazing chart on inks at post #6 of this scs thread
(if you can't get the chart from that link, lemme know & I'll email you.)