archival ink with...

Ranger's weathered white embossing powder...

this is the 3rd post in the series,

 that shows several ways

 to use the same stamp... 

you'll find #1 here...

that showed

watercoloring with distress stain...

and #2 here...

that was about

watercoloring with archival inks...

both with the same stamp for different results...

I got hooked on the weathered white, 

because it's a very textured, gritty, matte finish embossing powder...

it actually feels like sandpaper after it's melted...

it's great for backgrounds...

and

I really like it for doilies & lacy borders...

this page in my new fat little book, shows the vintage doily background stamp, inked with glacier white pigment ink, then embossed with weathered white embossing powder...

you can click the photo to see the texture better...

I inked over the cooled embossing powder very lightly with a bit of potting soil archival ink to age it...

in the photo below, 

I used weathered white again with

 the lace border stamp...

I think it really looks great

 on kraft cardstock...

the hearts are the new mat mini "have a heart"...

the large & small leaves are the hosta stamps layered together...

I use them for so many projects...

the flower is from this stamp-it stencil-it...

(bottom middle) & it's inked with 

potting soil archival ink...

 the cute gal is cut from a 

found relative card...

here's the same lace border again, this time it's lightly inked with tree branch archival, to create the vintage effect...

see that beautiful flower color?

it's the new cactus flower archival ink...

delicious!

the flower is popped into the

 cute mini teacup die cut...

it's cut from 

my black magic mat board...

I used the faux graniteware technique 

to jazz up the cup/saucer...

you'll find the mat mini heart here...

I LOVE the mini envelope...

that's stamped on a white mat board scrap & cut out...

the sentiment is from

 the new "just say it" background stamp...

and the spoon is a perfect fit for

 the adorable tea cup...

oh...

 the flower center is a new mat mini button, accented with some black glaze pen dots & some tan-ish embroidery floss...

I demoed this weathered white embossing powder/archival ink technique @ CHA & here's a video compliments of Melody Lane...

if you click the link

you can see it on YOU TUBE...

in the video  you'll see the technique used with

 this "retro flower" stamp...

I think bolder images work best...

fine lined images don't show up as well...

this technique only works on black, because archival are translucent inks & they won't show up on a black surface...

this technique will not work on a light surface, UNLESS you are using a stamp-it stencil it...

that's another way to use the stamp-it stencil-its...

I'll be showing that soon...

it's flipping' COOL...

this card starts off the same as 

in the previous 2 posts...

 I inked the same stamp with glacier white pigment ink & added weathered white embossing powder...

my base is Ranger's black cardstock...

I'll trim this base down later, 

when I figure out what I'm doing...

I decided on these 2 archival inks...

leaf green for the leaves & 

the new gorgeous garden patina

 for the flower...

choose any archival colors you like & they will work & look great...

here's the leaf green added with the blending tool...

I find it best to tap the inked blending tool over the embossing powder, as opposed to rubbing over a large area...

you do see a tiny bit of wetness, where the ink is on the black background,

 but that will dry & disappear...

next, I inked the flower...

you can see that the area around the leaves is already drying...

give it a quick dry & you'll see that the archival tints the embossing powder...

and...

the black background shows no color...

I wanted to add dimension to this card, so I used my clearly for art BLACKOUT...

it works the same as the clear CFA...

just use the Ranger heat-it tool to soften the material, then shape & it stays put...

since the "blackout" is a plastic-ish surface, I did prep it with the antistatic powder tool, to prevent stray embossing powder from sticking everywhere...

here are the 2 CFA blackout pieces cut out & ready to be the top layer...

I ended up not using the top one...

but I'll have it ready for another day...

back to the original black cardstock piece...

I trimmed around the leaves for something a little different...

they're hanging off the base...

I added a piece of black foam adhesive under the CFA blackout piece...

 I LOVE this stuff...LOTS &

 it's perfect for 

clearly for art...

you get perfect dimension & great adhesion...

here's my card layers...

the largest was stamped with 

the new "simply stripes" background &

 inked with the new sunflower archival...

the top layer is sunflower again, stenciled thru the new "lots of dots" stencil...

I didn't worry about the center, since it would be covered...

and the middle is black cardstock...

and here's the finished layered card...

the sentiment is stamped with jet black archival...

the flower center is tim's new hex fastener inserted into a fluted fastener...

I offset the top layer just a tiny bit so that the bottom flower/leaves layer would peek thru...

so that's post #3...

showing several ways to use the same stamp...

I hope you've enjoyed it...

I'm not sure what's next...

stay tuned!

would you like another series like this?

today I have a CHRISTMAS assignment that needs to get done...

yikes!

I  hope you can see how cool 

the weathered white embossing powder is, especially when it's tinted with archival colors...

it's super easy, it's another way to use your archival inks & it adds really nice texture when you...

make art!

wendy

archival ink watercoloring...

here's part 2 of this series...

showing how to use a stamp, 

several different ways...

I started this sample the same way as the previous post...

I worked on watercolor cardstock...

and used the stamp from "unlimited art"...

I inked the stamp with Glacier White pigment ink, stamped it toward the bottom left and heat embossed it with 

Ranger's white embossing powder...

so far same as yesterday's card...

the previous post showed watercoloring with distress stains...

today, I'm switching to archival sprays & 

archival inks...

archival sprays???

to make the archival sprays, I added rubbing alcohol to the mister (¾ full) and added drops of the archival reinker until I liked the color...

I'll be using sunflower and sky blue...

make sure to choose colors that will work well together in areas where they might overlap...

I wanted to keep the background fairly light for this card...

remember...

 archival inks are translucent, as are distress inks...

if the background was super dark, it would limit the colors that you could use for the watercoloring...

I misted right over the stamped image & gave it a very quick dry...

next I chose the archival colors for the leaves & the flower...

you'll need rubbing alcohol...

that's what's in the distress sprayer...

when I'm painting/coloring with wet archival inks, I LOVE the detailer water brush...

I use the brush empty...

I like it because the bristles hold very little fluid, which gives me very good control...

if you're heavy handed...this helps a lot!

I love that the tip is still pointy & for me, I have much more success with it as compared to a regular paint brush...

 I'll ink my leaves with leaf green & the flower with gorgeous violet...

 

I swiped the corner of the 

violet archival pad 

onto the craft sheet...

it takes very little & you'll see a puddle of rubbing alcohol to the right...

next, I picked up some alcohol & some ink...

you can start very light & add layers or just paint one layer...

here's my first petal...

I kept painting until all the petals were colored...

then went back over them to darken the center of the flower...

this took less than 2 minutes...

you want to work fairly quickly as the watercolor paper absorbs the inky fluid quickly & the alcohol evaporates quickly...

I didn't find it necessary to dry each layer...

one thing you'll notice is that the alcohol doesn't warp the paper & there are no streaks...

the inks blend really easily...

to clean the brush, just dip it into the alcohol & tap it on a paper towel & the color is gone & it's ready for the next color...

on to the leaves...

there's leaf green archival on the left & 

a little alcohol on the right...

picking up color...

I added a layer to all 4 leaves, then went back & added a tiny bit of shading to the leaves, closest to the flower...

another layer of leaf green to add more shading ...

and the leaves are done...

because the embossing & background are white, the flourish doesn't really get noticed, so I darkened that area with sky blue...

better!

now to add more details...

I stenciled the borders stencil vertically toward the left side, using sky blue...

I avoided the flower/leaves...

it looks like this...

then stenciled again, horizontally with sky blue...

and so far, it looks like this...

here's a fun discovery...

I wanted to add some white dots to the background, 

but Glacier White is a beautiful bright white ink...

to make it more subtle, I swiped the pad onto the craft sheet, then

moistened the blending tool with rubbing alcohol, picked up some Glacier White & stenciled the polka dotty stencil...

I LOVE the result...

it's a very cloudy/chalky effect...

the dots are in the background, where they should be & not competing with the focal point...

used full strength, I was afraid that it would be too stark & the flourish would get lost again, being near that bright white ink...

here's a closer look...

I will be doing this lots more...

I stamped the sentiment toward the top right corner, with jet black archival...

and added pen stitching to accent the stenciled borders...

at this point I wanted a bit more color under the flower...

I stamped a portion of the flower/leaves onto a post it note & masked off the flower/leaves...

that's the post it note under the card...

then I added a bit of sunflower archival, with the blending tool...

looks better...

here's my accent pieces...

the new mat mini heart got inked 

with red geranium &

the mat mini button got a light layer of sunflower archival...

I spotted a

bundle deal for all 4 new mat minis...

it's a buy 3 get one free deal...

both mat minis got stamped with

the vintage text stamp... 

I used a vintage button & some black embroidery floss to tie them together...

I wanted some inky dots in the background, so I dispensed a few drops of broken china distress stain onto the craft sheet...

picked it up with the detailer water brush & tapped it over the card...

a few black glaze pen dots

and

here's my finished card...

super fun...

now for a side by side comparison...

here's the same stamp 2 ways...

same stamp...totally different result...

inks make a huge difference!

I think this also shows that stamps 

can be any style that fits YOU...

they can be

clean, simple, pastel...

artsy...

or bolder & bright...

I like that this is another way 

to use your archival inks...

archival inks are great for stamping, embossing, stenciling, making backgrounds & for this watercoloring technique...

and I'm L O V I N G the archival reinkers made into archival sprays...

REALLY   L O V I N G...

the next post will show this same stamp used with a different technique...

this one uses 

weathered white embossing powder...

I hope you're inspired to test out painting with your archivals or distress stains...

have a wonderful weekend...

make art!

wendy

watercoloring with distress stains...

it's no secret that I love rubber stamps...

I love them because they don't need to look the same each time you use them...

if you change up the technique, 

the surface or

 the inks,

 you have endless possibilities...

so, with that thought in mind, 

I thought I'd do a series of posts

 showing several ways to use one stamp...

I chose the stamp on the top left from the new set called "unlimited art"...

I have a 4 ¼ square watercolor cardstock with round corners to work on...

 I inked the stamp with

 Glacier White pigment ink, 

stamped it in the lower left corner, then heat embossed it with Ranger white embossing powder...

for the first way to use this stamp,

 I'll show you how I used distress stains to watercolor the image & the background...

disclaimer...

I'm NO EXPERT...

so don't expect perfection...

I just had a fun play & I thought I'd share...

I pulled out my usual colors...

then challenged myself to put one away & choose a different one...

hello ripe persimmon!

I had 3 sizes of brushes ready & a little container for water...

you can use either the distress stains or the distress  spray stains, since the ink is the same in both...

I especially like the sprays, because I can unscrew the lid & touch the spray tube to the craft sheet to add just a tiny drop or 2 of ink...

it takes very little & I felt like I wasted almost no stain with this method...

I also like the spray feature of the bottles for quick background techniques...

you could also dispense a little bit of the stain from the dabber top...

this is peeled paint & it's way too much!

I wet the first leaf with plenty of water...

the embossing powder acts like a dam to contain it...

then I touched the moist brush into the stain & added it to the leaf...

if you have too much fluid, dip the dry brush into the stain to remove some...

2 done...& getting ready for #3 & 4...

4 leaves done...

now the flower...

that one drop of ripe persimmon 

colors the whole flower...

I wet the flower, dropped in the ripe persimmon & the flower has this gorgeous color...

that top left leaf looks sloppy...

no worries...

that goes away when I added the background...

I chose 2 colors that I knew would blend & not look yucky in the background...

broken china & fossilized amber...

working under the flower, I added plain water...

(the water controls where the stain goes...)

then dropped in the fossilized amber right under the flower & let the water move the stain...

I let it partially dry, then I blasted it with the heat tool because I have no patience to wait...

and so far...

it looks like this...

now the top section gets water added, then the broken china gets dropped in, at the top of the flower...

I tilted the card to make the color flow quicker...

I added a little diluted broken china 

to the bottom corners too...

and dried the whole card...

I wanted white space & stopped myself (this time) before I inked the whole bloody thing!

I *wish* I wouldn't have added color to the corners...

I *think* I would have liked it better with some white on the bottom...

oh well...

lesson learned!

here's an oops...

you can see that I got a drop of water on the tip of the leaf...

but it can be fixed by adding more peeled paint...

now to lighten some distress in the background...

the "lots of dots" stencil goes over the card...

I moistened the clean blending tool with water...

keep it just moist...not super wet...

psst...here's a bundle stencil deal!

for all 4 new stencils...

I rubbed it over the stencil to bleach out some of the distress...

this adds a layer to the background & more interest...

I also used the dots & stripes stencil to add

 sky blue archival dots to the right side, 

sticking with the DOTS theme...

my sentiment is stamped in jet black archival...

moving on to the bottom...

this new sunflower ink is GORGEOUS...

I stenciled it thru 

the stripes portion of the stencil, 

avoiding the flower & leaves...

so far...

next, I inked the birdhouse stamp with jet black & pressed the coordinating mat mini birdhouse onto the inked stamp...

this makes it easy to line it up exactly...

now the birdhouse looks like this...

I added watering can to the roof & some 

red geranium to the walls, 

making the right side darker...

I used a post it to mask off the roof...

then used the new ticking background to add more detail to the house...

to accent the flower center, I added 

a black "have a heart" mat mini...

a little pen stitching & a line drawn for the birdhouse...

that's about it...

oh...

I accented 3 of the large sky blue dots with the top I removed from a mini multi medium...

it makes a great stamp!

I tapped it onto the Glacier White pad several times...

here's the finished card after it was added to a black card base...

the tiny details on the birdhouse are so fun & I like that they can be customized, with stamps or remnant rubs...

that's the first way to use this stamp & many other stamps can be used the same way...

this sample has nice bright, bold colors...

kind of scary for me...

no brown...

but I had fun & learned 

that I *should* stop & leave more white...

 here's a reminder 

 to use just portions of a stamp...

for this one, I cut out & used only the flower...

this one is on a kraft cardstock base...

I stenciled the new repeating quilt stencil with watering can & tree branch archival...

that really makes the black stenciled leaves & sentiment stand out...

keep in mind that the archival inks are translucent, so the base color affects the final outcome...

the flower was painted over with 

the new buttercup mica spray...

it adds a beautiful shimmer...

painting it on gives you complete control of where you want the shimmer...

the next 2 posts (using this same stamp),

 will focus on using archival inks & 

archival sprays...

(archival reinkers mixed with alcohol in a mister)...

I just made 2 more colors yesterday...

garden patina & sunflower...

I seriously LOVE these...

today, I'm making red geranium...

 I'll also be showing how to use this same stamp with weathered white embossing powder and archival inks on a black surface, for a rather dramatic effect...

I hope you'll try this...

it's fun to use your supplies another way...

time to go so I can...

make art!

wendy