Episode Two - Peach & Navy
Hello friends and welcome to the second post of my “Unexpected Color Combinations” series.
Every Tuesday there will be something new and exiting so don’t forget to check every week what is new.
I am positive that you have seen this color combination, now, I am not sure about you, but I often forget about this color combo and how much I really like it!
The last time I worked with this color combination was last year when Spellbinders still had “Card Kit of the Month Club”, or I believe that is what it used to be called. Unfortunately, that club does not exist anymore, but I still have some of the ephemera that came in the kit and they were navy and peach.
I created these awesome projects that I am so happy with. I often get a project that I do not like that much, but this one turned out really good.
I am not going to explain the process of every project, and if you would like to see how I created all of this, please head over to my YouTube channel and watch the latest video.
What I would like to focus on today is ink blending. Now, this is probably hard to see on camera, because it goes so fast, so let me explain the process of ink blending.
Ink blending can be a tricky thing, but your blending is also going to depend on what kink of inks you are using. There are two major types of inks – dye and pigment. Dye inks dye the paper, where pigment inks stay on top of the paper and will eventually dry, but that also depends on what kind of paper you are using. Dye inks are going to be harder to blend, because the pigment dives deep into the fibers of your paper, it is designed to to that and the second it hits the paper it starts drying and that is why it’s so hard to blend them and every time you do, your image ends up looking so splotchy. But this is ok, once they dry completely, the
When it comes to pigment inks, this also includes all hybrid inks, you do not have to rush. Pigments stay wet and on top of the paper for a bit longer so you can move them on your paper much easier.
When beginning to ink blending, always protect your fingers with some masking tape, or you can use post it notes or some scrap paper for this. One of the best solutions, and something I highly recommend would be a sticky mat, such as the one from Altenew. I am thinking of Stampwheel (click HERE for more) and that thing is revolutionary! Aside from that, you are going to need daubers or blending
brushes. I personally prefer daubers over brushes for pigment inks, or to be precise for Distress Oxide Inks. And why is that? Well, bristles do not hold as much of pigment as sponges do, so the blending is going to be much faster and more vibrant. But, you can most definitely use the brushes if you wish. To be honest, I had a bad experience with cheap brushes, so when and if you are looking into buying blending brushes, do not be stingy. Trust me it will save you a lot of time and patience when blending. I think that could be the reason why I picked the daubers. The brushes that I highly recommend, and these are also fabulous for dye inks, are the ones from Altenew, called Mini Blending Brushes (click HERE for more info).
When ink blending, it really does not matter which color you start off with first. I honesty believe that this is a personal preference. The important thing is where and how you start: ink up your sponge well (or a brush) and always start away from the paper and gently bring the pigment to it, in a circular motion. Very gently, no need to press hard, and just keep adding the pigment from the bottom up. You want to do the same with the other side of your panel and make sure to overlap the colors. This is what is going to make the blending seamless. And keep going back and forth until you are happy with your results.
And that is how you ink blend.
I recommend starting off with two colors and get used to it. Once you’re comfortable with that, move to blending three, four, or more colors.
If you have never done ink blending before, start off with a tag, or a smaller panel, just so you can practice the technique. You can then use these panels for die cuts if you don’t find them appealing for a card.
I have always been the biggest advocate for not throwing your hard work away. there is always a way to salvage your work, yeah just have to think of a way of how to do it.
And that is all for today. I apologize it took me a while to write this post, but it is here now and I hope this helps you with your ink blending.
For more information about this post and how I created this project, please go to my YouTube channel and watch the video. You can also visit my channel directly from this website.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need more information.
Thank you for visiting me and happy crafting!