Permanently Perfect

I hardly ever do perfect... Part of the reason I love the vintage grunge style of crafting is that I don't have to worry about that extra smudge. :)  The Funkie Junkie Inspiration Ave is challenging the team to use Archival inks because they are a permanent ink!  I love archival inks and the variety of colors along with the ability to not smudge and dry quickly!  

The beauty of the archival ink is the ability to use other mediums which you can blend and spray without losing the sharpness of the inked image. I also love the various colors which can be paired with watercolors to change the way the image looks.  I decided to use the same image and ink it up with three different archival inks and color the image with the same watercolor to show  how the outline ink can change your art and how it appears. 

I started with three scraps of paper that I cut into a tag shape.  I then stamped the flower with three different archival inks.  

For my next step I used a pink watercolor pencil and a water brush to add shading to the flowers. 

I loved the effect of all three flowers and how they looked different just because of the ink used on the outline stamp.  The watercolor pencil was the same for all three and yet each flower looks like they have a different shade of pink and green.  

I also used the archival ink to ink up the edges of the tag all around just create a nice crisp line.

Then I took each flower and created a different background  using a mix of distress inks, distress ink sprays, and archival inks to add texture and interest. 

On this first tag I stamped the flower on a scrap paper and cut the flower head out and laid it over my tag's flower.  I then stamped the field label using black archival ink in an alternating pattern.  I then used post it notes to mask off the rectangles to sponge in distress oxide ink in the alternating rectangles. 

I finished with a stamped sentiment which was cut and applied at different angles.  

For the next tag I used a new stencil with the same distress ink to add a little visual effect in the background of the tag. 

I could have used the mask but because I was randomly applying the distress ink, I just sponged around the flower.  

I also used a watercolor pencil (black) to add a hint of shading around my flower to make it pop from the paper.  I used a water brush to soften the shading of the black watercolor and was able to do this because the archival ink will not respond to the water brush. 

I added a hint of distress spray inks to the background and use the same effect on another piece of card-stock to stamp my sentiment and apply. 

For my final tag I wanted to use the archival ink to add the pattern to the background of the tag.

I stamped the pattern using the same archival ink.  The pattern started to take away the focus on the flowers so I smeared watered down white acrylic paint to soften the effect of the archival ink.  

I added shading again with the black watercolor pencil around the outlines of the flowers to make them really stand out.  I finished with a splatter of distress oxide stain spray spritzed onto my craft mat and picked up randomly onto my tag. 

I hope this inspired you to try out your various archival inks in a fun way.  I wanted to share with you the first thing I did when I received the new archival inks.

I always smear a solid section of the ink pad onto a scrap piece of card-stock.  (you also can use labels which already are ready to stick on your ink pad container)

Then I cut strips and tape them to the ends of my ink pads.  Because I have a wonderful ink rack my husband created for me that stores all my archival inks that looks like this: 

It makes it really easy to pick out my ink pads whether they are in the rack or stacked up on my craft desk. 

Suzz

Products:

• Ranger Archival Ink Aubergine
• Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black
• Ranger Archival Ink Wine Celler
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Abstract Floral
• Ranger Tim Holtz Watercolor Pencil - Black Soot 
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stencil - Deco Floral
  
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Curiosity Shop
  
• Ranger Distress Oxide - Peeled Paint
• Ranger Distress Oxide Stain Spray - Peeled Paint
• Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Love Notes
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Mr. Rabbit