Category Archives: Art Journal

Quick & Easy Projects: Ink for Planners

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by Marcie McCabe

In today’s post, I will do a quick review of our ink brands and discuss the best inks for the thinner pages of journals and planners. If you are a planner addict or simply would like to craft some fun “goals” pages for the New Year then check out what we have to say about the best planner inks for 2020!

VersaFine + StazOn

One of the unique qualities of planners is the thin pages on the inside. These thin pages are designed to be flexible and lightweight so journals remain easy to use and at a low cost. If you like stamping inside your planner then getting a great inkpad is crucial. Let’s start with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne! VersaFine is a solid ink for making cards, but on thin pages, it is going to show through on the following page. StazOn Jet Black is an excellent mixed media ink and will stamp on nearly anything, yet again it shows through on thin paper. So these two inks I would save for cardmaking.

VersaMagic + Memento

VersaMagic is a highly pigmented chalk ink. The Midnight Black stamps well and does not bleed through the paper as heavily as other black inks. I vote YES for this ink on thin pages. Memento Tuxedo Black is a water-based dye ink that is an excellent ink for cardmaking and using with other inks such as alcohol markers but has a heavy bleed through on the thin pages. In my observation, it bleeds through the most.

What about grey?

If you really like a certain inkpad brand and feel you still want to use it on your planner or journal pages then you can try a lighter shade. Although Memento Tuxedo Black is too heavy for thin pages an alternative is London Fog. The grey tone is light enough for the journal page. I was inspired to try VersaFine Clair in Morning Mist, but again the tone of grey is too dark and the VersaFine showed through again. It is not an issue of the ink formula but rather the color hue of this particular grey.

Final Thoughts

When looking at different inks for journal pages consider different colors within a brand or brands with unique pigment qualities. The winners of this stamping-on-thin-pages test are Memento in London Fog and VersaMagic in Midnight Black!! Thank you and Happy Planning!

Call for Imagine Design Team for 2020

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Imagine is proud to announce its call for Imagine’s Design Team for 2020! We are looking to change things up this year and are looking for artists and designers who can inspire the next generation of beginning crafters with amazing projects using Imagine and Tsukineko products.

We are looking for 5 energetic video artists to fill two different roles for 2020:

3 Beginner Crafters Project/Tutorial Artists who will submit 2 edited videos per month featuring a quick and easy project and/or technique intended for the beginning level crafter. We intend these projects to look simple, clean and easy to complete in 3-4 steps. See our Blog for an example.

2 Intermediate to Advanced Technique Artists who will submit 2 edited videos per month featuring a crafting technique or how-to project intended for all crafters. We intend these projects to look simple, clean and able to complete in 5-8 steps.

Basic requirements:

  • Commitment of one year — January 1st, 2020 – December 31st, 2020.
  • Ability to professionally photograph, film, edit and submit high-res JPG images and video.
  • Submit clearly written and detailed descriptions in English for each project, including a list of supplies.
  • Socially active online with an established blog and Facebook or Instagram presence.
  • Not currently employed and/or affiliated with competing manufacturers including as a design team member, guest designer, etc.

Perks:

  • Exposure of your work 
  • Generous supply of Imagine and Tsukineko products
  • Opportunities to grow your stash with the product from Imagine’s preferred partners.
  • Links back to your blog or website

Show Us Your Artwork!

Show us just how creative you are! Make a project using Imagine or Tsukineko products. We are looking for clean and simple papercrafting or art projects that reflect a modern aesthetic.

Submission Process for Round 1

Send your submission to marketing@imaginecrafts.com with the subject line of “DesignTeam Round 1 <your name>”. Your email must include: which role you are applying, name, mailing address, phone number, email address, your personal blog and/or website address, and two links to video content of your work, a 700px wide jpg of your original artwork. Please name your photograph “DesignTeam_<your name>_2020.JPG” 

Round 1 submissions are due by 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, November 7th. Those artists who will be continuing on to the next round will be contacted by Wednesday, November 13th with further instructions.

Color of the Month for October is Chili Pepper

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Color of the Month for October is Chili Pepper

Color of the Month for October is Chili Pepper! We see this color as a rich dark red. This richness can be a true red with a hint of brown. We feel that the Fall is a great time to indulge in warm rich colors and this is the perfect match. Some of our ink brands that represent this color are StazOn in Claret, Delicata in Ruby Red, Memento Ink in Rhubarb Stalk and VersaFine Clair in Chianti.

We challenged our artist with this beautiful color as well as the use of Fabric in their projects. So stay tuned for crafty goodness this month.

Here is a Sneak Peek!

Embroidery Hoop Colored with All-Purpose Ink by Iris Rodriguez

Denium & Stamping on Fabric by Kyriakos Pachadiroglou

Farm Harvest Stamp on Fabric by Roni Johnson

 

Learn to Decorate an Art Journal & Follow Your Dreams

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by Elina Stromberg

Learn to Decorate an Art Journal &amp; Follow Your Dreams

I love using stamped, colored and fussy cut images on my card projects, but they also make great collage elements for art journal pages. This page was inspired by a new stamp set I purchased a short while back. I liked the oval background illustration on the stamp package and decided to replicate it on my journal page. Instead of using the original pink and purple color scheme I decided to create a blue night scenery and to put the lovely girl and the moon on a sparkling and shimmering blue night sky background. I think that the versatile Rinea foil was a perfect choice for this project as was the white StazOn Pigment ink: It’s a creamy pigment ink suitable for all surfaces. I was happy to see how beautifully the white ink worked on the blue Rinea foil!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours

Directions


Step 1

Stamp the main image on white cardstock. When coloring with alcohol markers, use water-soluble Memento ink for stamping. When using watercolors or watercolor pencils, use VersaFine Clair in Nocturne. Cut out the colored image with scissors. Draw an oval on white paper. Cut out and trim a slice from the left side. This straight line will be placed on the edge of the journal page. Use the white paper as a template to trace the same shape on blue Rinea foil. Cut with scissors. Then cut the foil oval slightly smaller than the paper template; remove approx. ¼ inch from the round edge.


Step 2

Decorate the round edge of the paper oval with heat embossing: Dab VersaMark on the edge and cover with Mboss embossing powder in Silver. Heat set with a heat tool.


Step 3

Mat the foil oval onto the white/silver paper. Stamp the sentiment on foil using StazOn Pigment inkpad in Snowflake.


Step 4

Paint the journal page background with blue acrylic paint. The oval main image area can be left unpainted. Add a hint of light blue and pink on the dark blue paint.


Step 5

While the paint is still wet sprinkle sparkling ‘Shimmery Night Sky’ Mboss embossing powder on the page. Let dry. Once dry heat set the embossing powder with a heat tool. Glue the ovals and “girl sitting on the moon” image on the page. Paint stars on the page background using white StazOn Pigment ink and a cotton swab. You can stop there or continue to craft until you are happy.

 

Supplies

Imagine


Other

  • Rinea Foil Paper – Glossy Sapphire/Gold
  • Carabelle Studio – ‘Follow Your Dreams’ Stamp set
  • Promarker Alcohol Markers
  • Piece of white paper
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Acrylic paint – Blue, Light blue, light pink
  • Paintbrush
  • Cotton swab
  • Heat tool
  • Glue
  • Art journal book

Learn How to Make a Background Pattern with Sponge Daubers

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by Lori Warren

Need a quick and simple background technique for a greeting card? See how I create a patterned background with large sponge daubers and Memento Ink. Sponge daubers are dense foam and can behave like a soft textured circle stamp when inked up heavily. This technique is a perfect start for a card, art journal or even a scrapbook page. The color scheme and options are really endless.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 45 Minutes

Directions


Step 1

Use a large dauber to apply Memento Inks to the card panel.


Step 2

Stamp floral images onto card panel with Memento in Tuxedo Black.


Step 3

Stamp a single flower and leaf image onto a separate piece of cardstock (with same dauber background) and cut out.


Step 4

Enhance single flower/leaf images with Memento Dual Tip Markers.


Step 5

Apply London Fog Memento to Craft Mat and add water; add ink splatters to the card panel.


Step 6

Edge card panel with Memento in London Fog.


Step 7

Use cutting die to die cut decorative strip from Rinea Foil paper.


Step 8

Adhere Rinea foil paper element to the card base.


Step 9

Adhere Single flower/leaf to the card panel with double-sided mounting tape. Highlight with a glitter pen.


Step 10

Double stamp sentiment. First stamp in Angel Pink then again, slightly offset, with Tuxedo Black.


Step 11

Edge card base with Memento in London Fog and Angel Pink.


Step 12

Adhere panel to the card base.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Rinea – Double-sided foiled paper
  • Spellbinders Thin Die
  • Hot off the Press – Botanical Blooms
  • Double-sided mounting foam

Color of the Month is Tuscan Sun

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Color of the Month is Tuscan Sun

Color of the Month is Tuscan Sun. We were thinking of blended burnt orange and yellow sunset when we choose this hot summer color. Some of the inks that easily reflect this color choice are Memento Luxe in Morocco, Memento in Tangelo and VersaMagic in Pumpkin Spice.

For the Month of July August, we are also doing a special feature of Rinea Foil Paper. This beautiful paper foil comes in a variety of colors and patterns and we challenged our artists to use them in their tutorials and projects, so be on the lookout for awesomeness!!!  ******Correction: the exchange with Rinea is in August! 

Mixed Media by Roni Johnson

Best Wishes Card by Lori Warren

Paper Craft by Martha Lucia Gomez