How To Paint With Versafine Clair

by Jennifer Vanderbeek

How To Paint a Desert Scene With Versafine Clair

VersaFine Clair is great for using with wet mediums because it’s oil-based formula won’t interact with paints or sprays. But I also wondered what else I could do with this very versatile ink. I discovered that VersaFine Clair’s quick-drying formulation makes for a wonderful, texture-rich dry brush effect when combined with Fantastix and that, while you can’t make a fluid medium with it and water-based thinners, a little bit of added oil will work! I had a lot of fun reaching beyond traditional techniques to create my “painted desert” scene.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Canson – Hot Press Watercolor Paper
  • Hero Arts – Stamp Your Own Cactus
  • Acrylic Blocks
  • Fiskars – Paper Trimmer, Scissors
  • Olive Oil
  • Helmar – ZapDots

See What Craft Supplies Our Artists Recommend for Weddings

See What Craft Supplies Our Artists Recommend for Weddings

There are so many kinds of craft projects that would successfully create a DIY wedding. We see all sorts of fabulous ideas on Pinterest and highlights from crafter’s blogs that blow our minds. We decided to ask our Artists in Residence (and some members of the Imagine team) to recommend their favorite Tsukineko or Imagine products to use in wedding cardmaking and crafting. Here is what they had to say!

Product Recommendations

3 Votes for Delicata!

Steph Ackerman

I recommend Delicata in Celestial Copper and Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Clear. This metallic pigment ink creates a beautiful effect on vellum. For further detail add a touch of color with Memento Markers to coordinate with the colors of the bridal party. The full-size inkpad should be enough to create a large number of cards and this ink has an inker available. So if you are creating more than usual then purchase the inker with the large inkpad.

Nadine Carlier

Delicata in White Shimmer and Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Iridescent on black cardstock is a great combo. For a video tutorial, I created this gorgeous black and white themed wedding invitation card. If you need the extra shimmery wedding then spray some Sheer Shimmer Spritz Sparkle. Watch Nadine’s video.

Jowilna Nolte

I recommend using All-Purpose Ink Pale Mint Green and Delicata in White Shimmer on top, all on a pearly cardstock. One lovely stamping technique I recommend for making an invitation would be to use a layered stamp set like you would find in the Altenew collection.

Shop Delicata

 

3 Votes for Embossing Powders!

Jennifer Vanderbeek

Gold and silver embossing powder is the best way to bring a touch of elegance. If you don’t have time to DIY it all, a touch of gold or silver embossing on your paper goods can elevate purchased items with a bit of pizazz.

Melissa Andrew

I really love Imagine’s Embossing Powders on vellum. I love a beautiful soft look for weddings and a gorgeous embossing powder on or under vellum is simple yet stunning. The beautiful colors, gold or silver, are the perfect colors to represent long-lasting love. They seem to compliment any colors a bride would choose. VersaMark ink is a great ink for embossing because of it’s tacky qualities. 

Arjita Sepaha Singh 

For an Indian wedding, perspective red is the color! Red is considered auspicious and adding Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Gold will be like a match made in heaven.

Shop Embossing

2 Votes for Creative Medium!

Kyriakos Pachadiroglou

I recommend Creative Medium in any of the Iridescent colors as a great way to create backgrounds that are not visible at first sight, giving an elegant and festive style with a distinctive glamour.

Martha Lucia Gomez

I enjoy Creative Medium in Clear and created a floral design using a watercolor technique with Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray and Memento dye inks. See the full tutorial for this card. 

Shop Creative Medium

2 Votes for Sheer Shimmer Spritz!

Roni Johnson

For wedding projects, there’s nothing I like more than Sheer Shimmer Spray to add a touch of elegance, sparkle, and shine. It comes in 6 different colors, perfect to match any theme the bride and groom have chosen. Sheer Shimmer Spray can make plain white sparkle and they make colored backgrounds really pop! 

Marcie McCabe

My recommendation is Sheer Shimmer Spray in Sparkle and Fireworks Craft Spray in the colors of the wedding party. 

Shop Sheer Shimmer Spray

 

1 Vote for Fireworks Sprays

Iris Rodriguez

I recommend Fireworks Shimmery Craft Sprays for crafting in wedding decor. It can be hard to match the right colors for wedding decor. Since Fireworks is available in 24 colors and is a dye-based ink, you can choose one of the colors or blend colors to make the desired color. For example, to make a simple cork place card holder (in photo above), add a paper flower embellishment and color it with Fireworks! It’s elegant, inexpensive and personal. To make a zero waste wedding, make a wreath by attaching all remaining cork place card holders and flowers to a frame.

Shop Fireworks!

2 Votes for VersaFine Clair

Kassandra Tousignant

I recommend a delicate floral background stamp on paper with Sheer Shimmer Spray in Sparkle. In the photo above, I layered the paper with an acrylic sheet on top stamped with VersaFine Clair inked “It’s Your Special Day” sentiment. 

 Amanda Harryman

For those who don’t want to emboss, but want a touch of that elegant look, I would recommend Delicata in Golden Glitz or Silvery Shimmer depending on colors or preferences. I can also say that I would recommend VersaFine Clair in Nocturne, or other wedding colors, to use for the return address stamp on invitations since it will stamp the details clearly, and be smudge-proof quickly.

Shop VersaFine Clair

Create a Beautiful ‘Under the Sea’ Theme Tag

by Kassy Tousignant

Create a Beautiful 'Under the Sea' Theme Tag

I would love to show you a fun, new way to use Radiant Neon Amplify Texture to create an interesting Snakeskin texture on your next tag or cardmaking project. In this project, I used it with a background stencil and colored with Fireworks sprays to achieve a dynamic, textured pattern on my tag.  I am always looking for new, innovative ways to create texture and add visual interest to my work and Amplify really took it up a notch! The light foam that pops as a result of heat-activation is unlike anything else. I also love that it can be sprayed or painted over to achieve your desired look.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes

Supplies

Imagine

Other

  • E6000 glue
  • Prima – Sculpture Medium clear, Acrylic paint
  • Liquitex soft body paint – Muted Grey, Muted Turquoise
  • Graphic 45 stamp
  • Echo Park – Snakeskin stencil
  • Woodcut Octopus
  • Cloth netting

 

Design a Beautiful Floral “Congratulations” Card for a Wedding

by Martha Lucia Gomez

Design a Beautiful Floral "Congratulations" Card for a Wedding. Using Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray - Sweet Plum, Potter's Clay.

One of the advantages of the watercolor technique is that you will never obtain two identical pieces, but with Fireworks you can still have a lot of control and keep your design just the way that you want. Today, I will show how easy it is to use the watercolor technique to make a wedding card.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour + dry time

Directions


Step 1

Stamp the sentiment over watercolor paper using Memento Tuxedo Black. I used a Congratulations stamp from the Every Day Sentiments stamp set by Joy Clair. Here I used my trusty Misti stamping tool to position the sentiment.


Step 2

Take a detailed stencil and secure it over your watercolor paper. I used the Glorious Petal Stencil by Hero Arts. With a palette knife apply the Creative Medium in Clear careful not to cover the “Congratulations” stamped area with the medium. As soon you finish, remove the stencil and wash it with warm water and let the Creative Medium on the paper dry.


Step 3

In a separate piece of watercolor paper stamp the flower images using VersaMark and coat with White Embossing Powder. I used one flower included on the stamp set “Love is in the Air” from Dare 2B Artzy. To decorate my project I used three flowers. Heat set embossing powder.


Step 4

Here is where the magic happens! Color the flowers using the Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray in your favorite colors with a paint brush to obtain the watercolor effect. For me, the best way to color was creating two spots of spray ink on my mat, one mixed with water and other undiluted. I used two different colors on my flowers, Sweet Plum and Potter’s Clay. But using the two dilutions you can achieve variance and depth in your image.


Step 5

Paste the stenciled layer over a color layer and add ink splatter with the spray stick of the Fireworks directly over the stenciled design. If you want you can also use a paintbrush. Splatter the ink as little or as much as you feel.


Step 6

Finalize your card by pasting the watercolor flowers over the stenciled design using double-sided foam tape or dimensionals. Adhere the decorated layers to a card base.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie
  • Watercolor Paper
  • My Sweet Petunia – MISTI Stamping Tool
  • Heat tool
  • Joy Clair – Every Day Sentiments stamp set
  • Dare 2B Artzy – Love is in the Air stamp
  • Hero Arts – Glorious Petal Stencil
  • Double sided foam tape or Dimensionals