Happy Holiday weekend from Sunny Chincotegaue Virginia.
Today I have my next “homework” blog for you about ink blending. I have to warn you it is pretty long! Do you ever look at those ink blended backgrounds and get intimidated? I used to! But as with any card making technique I have liked, I found that helpful hints can get you right over that fear. You will be bobbing your head saying ‘yup, I get it now’. I am going to show you some great techniques you can do with ink blending along with a really fun card.
These are all the different tools I use for ink blending. I am sure if you are making cards you are familiar with most of these products. First is the big make-up brush, there is a brush made specifically for blending made by Picket Fence called Life Changing Blender Brush Set. They are fabulous! I have found that I can get the same result with a set of make-up brushes I got on the cheap at TJ Maxx. The next one is a Finger Sponge Dauber. Then we have Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool, and finally the Nuvo blending sponge.
Here is my take on them. I love the brush for when I only want a hint of color, it allows me better control. The finger dauber is great for adding bokeh type circles or doing smaller areas. The Tim Holtz mini blender I find difficult to use. I am not sure why! Lastly is the Nuvo sponge, this one is my go to. Although I have my personal faves for things you may want to practice and figure out what works best for you.
The type of paper you use is also important. I find the smoother the paper the better, unless of course if you are using ink blending for a watercolor effect. I have two papers I really love for blending. The first is Gina K Artist choice, as it is a nice thick paper. The second is Stampin’ Up! Whisper White, this is a thinner paper.
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Blend a whole sheet with a single color to match your project. This is super helpful if you are missing a card stock color!
 
Use two three or more colors to set a scene. This would be great for a card featuring water.
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| Add some texture by flicking water (on the left) or watered down white craft paint (on the right). This is great to create sky and water. |
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This did not photograph well, but I spritzed the piece with shimmer spray and it actually sparkles
The card I will be making uses heat embossing
and a watercolor technique.
 
Starting with a piece of cold pressed watercolor paper, I stamped my image with Versamark on the smoother side. Then heat embossed with white embossing powder.
  I blended color into the leaves and flower with my smallest brush then spritzed the whole thing with water. I could have stopped here as this looks totally cool already.
  |  | Distress Resist Spray leaves you with a great shiny texture, think rocks and beaches or even SNOW. |  | Embossing on top can give you a quick and eye-catching card!
|  | You can also do small sections to highlight one area. Doing spots like this in multiple colors looks very cool also. Experiment, you never know until you try. Remember you may not think your blend is smooth but when you place something on it or over it you will be surprised at how great it will look. Never give up before you finish. Give it a try IT’S FUN! | ||||||||
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| Distress Resist Spray leaves you with a great shiny texture, think rocks and beaches or even SNOW. | ||||||||||||||
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Embossing on top can give you a quick and eye-catching card!
| | You can also do small sections to highlight one area. Doing spots like this in multiple colors looks very cool also. Experiment, you never know until you try. Remember you may not think your blend is smooth but when you place something on it or over it you will be surprised at how great it will look. Never give up before you finish. Give it a try IT’S FUN! | ||||||||||||
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| You can also do small sections to highlight one area. Doing spots like this in multiple colors looks very cool also. Experiment, you never know until you try. Remember you may not think your blend is smooth but when you place something on it or over it you will be surprised at how great it will look. Never give up before you finish. Give it a try IT’S FUN! |
I felt as though it needed something else……so I took some black paint and mixed it with some pearl paint and some water and flicked it over the whole darn thing!
Next I trimmed my image a bit making it 5 x 3.75 and set about to build a card. Since I can alway use Thank You cards I added the Thanks! sentiment from the Fabulous You set the flower was from. I stamped it with Versafine and used Clear embossing powder to make it really pop. Using my usual base card of Neenah Solar white I then added a layer of Stampin’ Up! Blueberry Bushel cut with Whimsy Stamps Hand Stitched Nested Rectangle Die. I added black card stock to the back of my main piece trimming it with just 1/8 of an inch then attached that to the card base with fun foam for dimension. For my final touch I added 5 tiny Basic Rhinestone Jewels from Stampin’ Up!
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| Here is the finished product! |
I hope you enjoyed this REALLY long post about ink blending. Do me a favor and pop down to the bottom and leave me a comment letting me know what you think.
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Thanks! You are the BEST!
Ahhh . . . the anatomy of a card. Great post, Jill. I read every word. and you explained it all so well.
Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day.
Hi Shari, thanks for liking my blog. That stamp is from a set which I believe is a flower if the month set, you could only get it by subscription. I borrowed it from a friend. When I get home tomorrow I will look at the name, I didn’t include it because I could not link it for you all to shop.
Wonderful tutorial! Very easy to follow. The flower stamp you used you said was Fabulous You but I can't locate it. Could you tell me more about it? Very much enjoy your Blog.
Thank You Hilda! So wonderful to hear from you and have you comment!
Love this tutorial on blending. Your finished card is stunning. Thanks so much for sharing this technique with great pictures. Have a great day! Hilda