Category Archives: Techniques

See How to Use Inkers for a Mixed Media Tag

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by Jowilna Nolte

See How to Use Inkers for a Mixed Media Tag

This month’s color, Coral offers so many possibilities. I pulled out all my products in those shades and created a bright and beautiful gift tag perfect for tying around a gift. I love making tags instead of cards – so quick and easy and just the right size to experiments and create some fun effects.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Directions


Step 1

Add a few drops of dye ink refill ink onto watercolor paper and mist with water. Keep adding drops of ink and mist with water until you are happy with the look.


Step 2

Use a tag template and cut your colored paper into a tag shape.


Step 3

Stamp birds and sentiment onto smooth white cardstock using VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink.


Step 4

Add a few drops of re-inker ink onto your craft mat. Mist water next to the ink. Pick up a small amount of water and mix with the ink and then paint your bird images.


Step 5

Mist your tag and painted birds using Shimmer Spray in Frost. It gives the end product a beautiful shimmer.


Step 6

Trim your sentiment strip and adhere it to the bottom of your tag. Adhere to the painted birdie above the sentiment. Add additional stamped detail to the left of the tag and the background. Use inks to add splatters over the tag for some interest.

Supplies

Imagine

Other

  • Watercolor paper
  • Cardstock – white
  • Stampers Anonymous – stamp
  • Paint brush
  • Watercolor paint

Use a Beautiful Coral Color on These Cute Panda Birthday Cards

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by Elina Stromberg

Use a Beautiful Coral Color on These Cute Panda Birthday Cards

Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute declares a particular color “Color of the Year”. It is chosen in a secret meeting of representatives from various nations’ color standards groups, and the result of the meeting is communicated in Pantone View, which fashion designers and other consumer-oriented companies purchase and use as guidance for their future product designs.

This year the Pantone Color of the Year is “Living Coral”. It is described as “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge”. Lovely! To celebrate this newly released Color of the Year “Living Coral” is also the color of the month for Imagine AIR’s. I must admit that coral is very rarely seen on my crafting projects, but I was quite surprised how yummy this rich red color looked on my card creation. Especially when contrasted with simple light grey hues!

Skill: Beginner/Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Layer two stencils on the card background: Place the patterned stencil on the background paper and a circle stencil on top. Secure on your crafting mat with masking tape. Apply ‘Electric Coral’ Radiant Neon ink through the stencil with a sponge dauber. Remove both stencils.


Step 2

Place the inked background paper on a sheet of printing paper. Pour clear embossing powder over the stenciled and inked area. Pour any extra embossing powder onto the printing paper and funnel the extra powder back into its container. Heat the embossing powder with a heating tool until completely melted. Trim the decorated paper to size and mat on a piece of coral colored cardstock.


Step 3

Stamp the panda image and sentiment text with black ink on white paper. Cut out and glue on the card front. Attach card on white card base using double-sided tape. When the card was finished the stencil still had still coral ink on it, so I decided to use it for another fun card background: I misted the inked part of the stencil gently with water, placed it upside down on a piece of grey patterned paper, and transferred the ink on the paper by rolling the stencil background with a brayer.


Step 4

Then I removed the stencil, let the ink dry, and dabbed a thin layer of coral ink on the pattern. Then I repeated the mounting on coral cardstock and used a different panda image for this card. I think this reverse version of the stencil pattern looks very nice, too!

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Light grey patterned paper
  • Coral cardstock
  • White paper
  • White card base
  • Heat gun
  • Brayer
  • Water mister
  • Stamps: Stampin’Up: Party Pandas
  • Stencils: Circle stencil
  • TCW: Botanical Garden (6”x6”)
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Double-sided tape

See How VersaFine Ink Can Be Used with Copic Markers and Stenciling

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by Melissa Andrew

Today, I share how to use VersaFine Clair in multiple ways! This fabulous pigment ink allows for crisp clean stamping, stenciling, and layering. It works wonderfully for embossing sentiments “I am So Sorry” on vellum for sympathy cards and can be used under mediums such as Creative Medium. I stamped a teddy bear image with Memento ink and used Copic Markers for coloring, however, VersaFine can layer on top of the Copic coloring. See how I use VersaFine carefully with Alcohol Markers.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes

Directions

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Whimsy Stamps – Hugs Bunny Clear stamp set
  • Copic markers
  • Cardstock – white, blue
  • Bristol Smooth cardstock
  • Vellum
  • Paper Trimmer
  • Heat Tool
  • Stencil

See How to Upcycle Packaging into a Mixed Media Statement Piece

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by Kassy Tousignant

The inspiration for this piece was the quote I included on the canvas. I am forever on the lookout for inspiring and uplifting quotes. Things that make you think, or give you the push you need to move forward. I really also love working with upcycled materials. We don’t need more trash in the landfills, right?! I knew that my Imagine mixed media products would work wonders to make this piece come alive! When i’m working with resin pieces, I always reach for my Fireworks sprays and All-Purpose Ink. They both cover beautifully. This quote on the canvas is very near to my heart and all of the elements came together perfectly to give it a home.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours plus dry time

Directions

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Recycled packaging
  • Ribbon, string, twine
  • Washi tape
  • Modeling paste
  • Stencil of choice
  • Vellum
  • Sequins
  • Matte medium
  • Resin pieces of choice

See How to Create a Journal Cover with Walnut Crystals

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by Iris Rodriguez

“Bloom where you are planted” is a phrase that means to make the best of our situation…a theme for my art journal page this month. For this journal page, I used Imagine’s Walnut Ink Crystals, which I find to be absolutely fabulous. Use them to create mottled, scumbled, drippy, sprinkly, watercolored painterly effects. Use this effect as a background or paint images with these effects. It plays well with other inks.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1.5 Hours

Directions


Step 1

Begin by stamping and embossing with Imagine’s white embossing powder. I was going for a theme of rulers and flowers, denoting growing and blooming.


Step 2

Spray the paper with a little water in random areas. Sprinkle the Walnut Ink Crystals, they look like coffee grinds. Spray more water in random areas, to allow the crystals to dissolve more than others. To color in sections, use a paintbrush to color.


Step 3

Techniques for varying the look of the Walnut Ink Crystals. Leave crystals as is, spray more water on some areas, for a watercolored look-paint with a brush, hold the paper up and spray water on the top of the paper and allow the ink to drip down. Allow the paper to completely dry.


Step 4

Add a different, but contrasting color. Place a few drops of Tropical Lagoon All-Purpose Ink on your surface, spray a little water into the ink. Brush the ink in random areas. Spray water and allow the ink to drip. Allow the paper to completely dry.


Step 5

Touch up areas with the walnut ink with a brush. Dissolve a few crystals completely in water to make a solid ink solution. I like to scumble ink in areas, making it look, a little like soil. Allow the paper to completely dry.

Step 6

Using white acrylic paint and Imagine’s Jumbo Dauber, stencil in flowers in random sections. Wash the dauber right away. Allow the paint to dry completely.


Step 7

Place the stencils over the same flowers that were just stenciled with the acrylic paint and color in the flowers by inking with pad directly or using InkBlushers.


Step 8

Vary the look by blending several color inks. Color the flower’s outline with a white Posca pen. Add a sentiment and you’re done.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Watercolor paper 9 x 12 inches
  • Carabelle Studio – Steampunk Metre stamp
  • Flower stencils
  • White acrylic paint
  • Posca pen-white (fine)

With Love Is The Sentiment Today

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by Jowilna Nolte

Make your colors pop and become more vibrant by using layers of ink on top of each other and add a magical spray of Ink Potion to it. A quick resist effect and stenciling adds to this fun love inspired Valentine’s Day card in shades of red.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes

Directions


Step 1

Adhere a stencil (brick design) to a piece of white cardstock. Use Sweet Plum and Love Letter Memento Luxe ink pads and blend color through the stencil.


Step 2

Leave the stencil in place for this step. Use an ink blusher and a small amount of gloss texture paste and swipe it over the stencil. Using a small amount at a time will prevent the paste from seeping underneath the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil and leave to dry. Wash your stencil immediately.


Step 3

Trim your stenciled panel smaller to fit onto the front of a card. Use a heart stencil and modeling paste to add a stenciled design to your background. Leave the paste to dry.


Step 4

Once the paste is dry, spray Lady Bug Fireworks over the right side of the panel to add color. Mist the entire panel with Ink Potion no.9 and see how all the colors pop. The resist from the glossy paste leaves the design clear only letting the ink sit inside the open spaces adding more color in selected areas.


Step 5

Use VersaFine Clair Glamorous and stamp onto white cardstock using a background design. Die-cut small and large hearts out of the stamped piece.


Step 6

Ink the panel around the edges using Memento Rich Cocoa to highlight the color even more. Adhere the hearts using foam tape for dimension. Emboss a sentiment and adhere to the large heart. Add ink splats in red, white, brown and black. Finish off your card with diamante.

Supplies

Imagine 

Other

  • Modeling Paste
  • Heart Stencil
  • Brick stencil
  • Kaisercraft – Sentiment
  • Heart die-cuts
  • Carabelle Studio – background stamp
  • Watercolor paint
  • Palette knife
  • Heat gun
  • Anna Griffin – Glossy Paste
  • Foam tape