Here are some
key points that make Distress Inks different:
STAYS WET LONGER - (allows you to blend and shade on
photos and paper - also emboss) other dye inks dry
too fast especially on photos so you end up with
lines and marks if you go direct from the pad.
COLOR WICKS OR SPREADS OUT - (these inks will travel
across the surface of your paper when spritzed with
water) other dyes do not travel as much although
they might bleed a little when wet, the Distress
Inks actually "wick" or spread out much further
creating several tone on tones.
COLOR STABILITY - (the colors of the Distress Inks
will not break down when wet or heated allowing you
to have more color control for the finished look)
other "brown colored" dyes will break down when
water is added leaving a pink & green hue.
COLOR PALETTE - Well these are unlike ANY other
colors of inks you've seen. The color palette of
Distress Inks is:
* Antique Linen - the color of aged lace or linens
found in the cherished heirlooms of Grandmother's
trunk
* Old Paper - the color of weathered and timeless
book pages tucked away in the attic for generations
* Tea Dye - the orange hue of saturated tea bags with
the results of dying in a tea bath for days
* Vintage Photo - this color is captured right out of
the photographs from times gone by
* Walnut Stain - a rich, dark stain of and old walnut
tree perfect to create a dark wash of color
* Black Soot - from the depths, a black like no other
- this is the one you've been searching for
* Fired Brick - the look of charred cinders from an
old camp fire
* Weathered Wood - taken from the patina on a dairy
barn’s window frame
* Mustard Seed - the rich, warm taste of spicy
Americana mustard
* Peeled Paint - the color of the flaked green paint
on Aunt Sadie’s porch
furniture
* Tattered Rose - Grandma’s cabbage rose wall paper,
faded and stained to
perfection
* Milled Lavender - a veil of pale lavender sachet
tucked into Mom’s lingerie
drawer
TO DISTRESS: I like to use water
when I am distressing. I think it gives the papers
more of a weathered texture, so here's how I start.
Working on any type of paper (manila, cardstock, or
text weight), crumple the paper up - always press in
the center of any heavyweight cardstock or manila
stock - this will break the surface tension of the
paper and allow you to crumple up the paper easier
without tearing it. Next rub the Distress pads over
the surface - you can work with several different
colors or just one - WALNUT STAIN IS IDEAL FOR THIS.
Then spray the inked surface with water (you will
immediately notice the ink "travels" outward when
water is applied as these inks are designed to react
with water). Heat the surface to dry - and here's
why... Although you don't have to Heat Set these
inks for any reason, I like to dry the water using
either my Heat-It Craft Tool or an iron. This will
allow for more tone control and keep areas dark and
others light. Ironing the paper will also give you a
much smoother surface to stamp on without
compromising the aged finish. *If you allow the
surface to air-dry most of your color will end up on
the edges only because the paper will bend and
buckle when wet, forcing the ink and water to the
edges. Notice that these Distress Inks retain their
color value even when wet and dried. Other brown
dyes will break down in color (sometimes leaving a
pink and green hue).
DOUBLE DISTRESS TAGS: Crumple tag and apply 2 colors
(one new tone and one original tone) of Distress
Inks directly from the pads to each crumpled tag.
Spray with water and dry.
"WRINKLE-FREE" DISTRESSING
To create the look of aged papers, from times gone
by, without all the lines
and wrinkles - give this a try. Working on your
non-stick Craft Sheet, begin
by directly applying various colors of Distress Ink
Pads to the surface of the
Craft Sheet. A couple of swipes of a color or two
will do the trick (you
might also try using an original color of Distress
Ink along with a new one!).
Get out your Distress Re-Inkers for this next step
as you want to add a bit of
intense color for the ultimate vintage look. I like
using Walnut Stain or
Vintage Photo for this, so remove the glass dropper
from the bottle and drag it
across the inked Craft Sheet - do not squeeze any
drops of ink as it will take
over everything! Next mist the Craft Sheet with
water to allow the inks to
begin mixing and blending - usually 3-4 sprays is
plenty. Then take your paper
or tag and place in directly on the inked Craft
Sheet and lift it off. If you
have any un-inked areas simply place that area of
the paper on any left over
inks on the sheet. Finally dry your paper or tag
using an iron or a Heat-It
Craft Tool ( if you allow your papers to air dry
they will curl and force most
of the ink to the edges so I prefer to heat them to
dry.). To finish your
attic-fresh look, ink the edges with Distress Inks
using a piece of Cut n' Dry
Foam.
FOR STAMPING: What can I say about
the many stamping applications these inks can
achieve. Once again the special formulation on these
Distress Inks provides a versatile finish on papers
yet still allow for "normal" stamping applications.
I like to stamp on uncoated (matte) papers and
immediately rub the image with a cloth - this will
soften or shadow your image WITHOUT smudging any
detail - VINTAGE PHOTO, WALNUT STAIN, TEA DYE, BLACK
SOOT - wonderful for this one! Another surface is
glossy cardstock - keep in mind this is a different
type of dye ink so when you stamp on glossy, certain
areas of your image will "bead" up, once again
providing a Distressed look without you doing a
thing (this is probably one of my most favorite
looks) - some areas of the image appear "pitted".
Brayering on glossy cardstock is also wonderful
because you can still manipulate the inks with
different tools, brushes, your fingers, whatever.
Even after the ink is applied you can achieve
amazing texture and color shading.
ON PHOTOS: FINALLY an ink
formulated for photos! Whether you're a scrapbooker
or not you can use all types of photos (vintage or
new ones) on your cards and pages. The Distress Inks
work on all types of photos - inkjet, laser, toner
copies, regular photos (matte or glossy) and even
color photos! Start by using the lightest colors
ANTIQUE LINEN or OLD PAPER with either a brayer or
DTP (direct to photo). Cover the photo in the
lighter colors, blend the colors with
a small piece of Cut n' Dry Foam after you apply the
inks - these inks stay
wet long enough for you to blend out any lines or
marks other ink pads leave on
photos. Next age the edges with VINTAGE PHOTO or
WALNUT STAIN by applying the pad directly to the
edges - soften and mix the tones with a small piece
of Ranger Cut ‘n Dry™ Foam. Of course to complete
the aged process lightly sand - YES SAND - the photo
with medium grit sand paper. Don't go over anyone's
face, but just make a few scratches here and there.
PHOTO TINTING:
Distress Inks acid-free, easy to blend formula makes
them your best choice
for photo tinting. Make a black and white copy of
your favorite photo onto
Ranger Gloss Paper. Select areas of your photo to
colorize. Pick up ink directly from the Distress
Pads with Cut n' Dry Nibs and color. It's that easy!
Cut n' Dry Nibs provide the control you need to
place colors exactly where you want them. Distress
Photo Edging Make any photo look antique. Cut a
small square of Cut
n’ Dry Foam. Ink the foam on one of the Distress
pads. Rub the inked foam
around the edges of the photo for anaged effect.
THE RE-INKERS: The Distress
re-inkers are so versatile and fun, especially the
bottles they're in! These vintage looking glass
dropper vials are perfect for aging a "batch" of
tags, fibers, linens or whatever, in baths of
Distress Inks & water. You can also create your own
palette on your craft sheet using the reinkers and
hand tint any black and white photo color by color
(very fun thing to do). I also like using the resist
ink or Perfect Medium and the reinkers to create
amazing stained backgrounds on papers. Enjoy the
journey…
For more
information, visit
www.timholtz.com.
[Top of page]
