Inking and Chalking [Archive]

materialgirl197

28-09-2008, 10:38 PM

So far I've only dabbled with chalk and not really touched ink, but I would like to do more of it as I have seen that it can be incredibly effective.

I would like to buy some inks and chalks but there are so many around on the market and some quite pricey, so how do you decide which to go for. Also where can I learn a little about how to use them.

I'm starting a new scrapbook and would really love to incorporate these techniques.

wombat

29-09-2008, 06:16 PM

For inking edges I prefer chalk inks. I would start with a charcoal, a moss green and a chocolate brown one-well they're the ones I use most for inking. If you are wanting to stamp, then that's a whole new story, and best left to people who know more about the various inks than me!

fifecat

30-09-2008, 12:29 PM

Crafty Kacy

01-10-2008, 06:18 PM

Stazon inks are good because they give a crisp edge to stamping, and you can use them on things like acetate too. They do sometimes stain your stamps if you don't clean them quick enough, and there is a special cleaner that you can buy for them (although I haven't bought it - just use a baby wipe and if I'm not quick enough live with the stain - the stamps still work just as well!) I've just bought some distress ink pads as well because people seem to recommend them a lot, but not tried them yet. I like chalk inks too.

aliscrapper

01-10-2008, 06:23 PM

This may be a daft question (so I apologise if it is) but is there any difference betwen Versacolor ink pads and the ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink Pads (in cats eye shape container)??

Thanks
Ali

materialgirl197

02-10-2008, 06:32 AM

If you just want to ink edges I would get a selection of cheap mini ink pads. Wombat's colour ideas are good. Chalk inks give a nice effect but pigment inks are fine too for edging.

Stamping is another matter as Wombat says! To get good crisp effects you need particular types of ink pads.

I would just start of with some cheap ones and have some fun!

I'm not really sure what I want to do with the inks and chalks yet. I've seen so many stunning layouts using these techniques that I thought I would give it a go. I don't want to spend too much on something that I'm not too sure of so I think I'll start with a few inks or chalks and leave the stamping for later.

Any recommendations for good but not too pricey chalk inks?

crystaltips

03-10-2008, 11:25 PM

This may be a daft question (so I apologise if it is) but is there any difference betwen Versacolor ink pads and the ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink Pads (in cats eye shape container)??

Thanks
Ali

Versacolor is a pigment ink (slow drying, you can heat emboss using it), CB fluid Chalk inkpads are fast drying and dry to a matt 'chalky' look.
I use the CB chalk cats eyes loads, great for inking edges as well as stamping. HTH!

crystaltips

03-10-2008, 11:40 PM

I would like to buy some inks and chalks but there are so many around on the market and some quite pricey, so how do you decide which to go for. Also where can I learn a little about how to use them.

Check out www.heroarts.com for techniques and fab inspiration. Their blog is fantastic and has good video tutorials.
Chalks-wise - I'm not keen on the Pebbles chalks, personally. They look very pretty in their tin, but don't seem to have great depth of colour when you use them. Other people might have had more success however.
I like the Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks (cats eyes shaped). They are fairly inexpensive and give a nice effect. Have a practice on scrap card, as when they're new, they are very juicy and you need a light touch when inking edges.
Versacraft inks are the ones that will also stamp on fabric and ribbon, which can be useful. HTH!

aliscrapper

04-10-2008, 07:17 PM

Versacolor is a pigment ink (slow drying, you can heat emboss using it), CB fluid Chalk inkpads are fast drying and dry to a matt 'chalky' look.
I use the CB chalk cats eyes loads, great for inking edges as well as stamping. HTH!

Thank you - that's really helpful.

Much appreciated.:thanks:

materialgirl197

04-10-2008, 09:51 PM

Thanks for the info - it's really helpful.

materialgirl197

04-10-2008, 10:00 PM

Quick question -the Colorbox Fluid Inks - do they last or do they dry out? I've had inks that have dried out- okay, they were cheap, but I was not impressed.

materialgirl197

04-10-2008, 10:02 PM

LydiaRebeckah

05-10-2008, 09:07 PM

can you use chalk ink for embossing?

Alibri

06-10-2008, 12:30 AM

Quick question -the Colorbox Fluid Inks - do they last or do they dry out? I've had inks that have dried out- okay, they were cheap, but I was not impressed.

Not really - my pallette ones last at least two years ... after that, they either dry out or the foam starts to disintegrate ....

Alibri

06-10-2008, 12:31 AM

Oh and a couple more things- sorry for driving you all mad B)

Why are you recommending the cats eyes rather than the palettes or regular shape?
Also for someone starting out are there any colours you would recommend if I start off with only a couple?

Cats eyes are cheap, and you can buy them individually at about £1.5o ish each ... pick the colours Wombat suggested ... my browny ones are definitely the ones I use the most .... it depends what colours you will use the most.

Alibri

06-10-2008, 12:32 AM

can you use chalk ink for embossing?

No - they dry too quickly. You need to use pigment inks, like Brilliance - or the Versa ones.

mummybecks

06-10-2008, 09:02 AM

The cats eye shape and size gives you better control when inking edges.

materialgirl197

07-10-2008, 10:53 AM

Cats eyes are cheap, and you can buy them individually at about £1.5o ish each ... pick the colours Wombat suggested ... my browny ones are definitely the ones I use the most .... it depends what colours you will use the most.

I looked around on line and the cheapest cats eyes I could find were £1.60 each. The queues (stack of 6) are available for around £6.50, making it better value. I've decided on the queue called Pumpkin because it has what I think would be good beginners colours.

Alibri

07-10-2008, 11:28 AM

They're nice! Good choice. Hope you have fun with them. :)

crystaltips

07-10-2008, 11:47 PM

I looked around on line and the cheapest cats eyes I could find were £1.60 each. The queues (stack of 6) are available for around £6.50, making it better value. I've decided on the queue called Pumpkin because it has what I think would be good beginners colours.

The queues are great value aren't they? and you know all the colours will go well together. Some of the queues are pigment ink (slow drying) which you can dry with your heat gun to prevent smudging/transfer, or heat emboss using clear powder for a raised shiny effect.
Have lots of inky fun!

Tanfastic

18-10-2008, 05:38 PM

Hope it's ok for newbies to post advice (for what it's worth!) but I found a great way to add ink to paper edges and to distress & age stuff using Distress inks.

I bought some cheap wedge-shaped make-up sponges and dabbed them on the ink pad then applied this to my paper edges (holding the sponge to the paper edge as you would the ink pad). I also dab ink onto the paper and swirl it around to age it. It works great with the brown tones and is easy for new crafters like me (and less scary than applying the ink pad direct to the paper).

I found it gives a good effect - I used it on my 'King of Sleep' card (in the gallery). It probably also prolongs the life of the ink pad as the paper edge isn't cutting into the ink pad and you can replace the sponges really cheaply. I'm not sure if it works with other inks, e.g. ones with foam ink pads but it's worth a try.

I've also used cotton buds with metallic inks to provide thicker frames around paper - that turned out quite well too, especially if you want to matt your photos/images onto different layers of card and don't have many different colous.

Hope that also helps.

Tan xxx

Eileen C

25-10-2008, 12:24 AM

I've used cosmetic sponges like this, but find they tend to deteriorate quickly. IMHO it's well worth investing in a single sheet (approx A4) of Ranger Cut'n'Dry stamp foam, which you can get for under a fiver if you try hard! Cut this into bits about 2" x 1" or even smaller and use one end for each colour of ink pad you have - you get zillions out of one sheet. It makes the effect of the applied ink much softer, and it's much easier to get it even. I find that if I apply the ink directly from the pad, even with chalk inks, that I get a very variable effect, hard lines in some places and spread out bits in others. Definitely one of my best investments.

And I agree, greens / browns / greys get used most for edging.

Tanfastic

12-11-2008, 12:34 AM

Thanks ~ excellent idea ~ I've seen the Ranger cut n foam and really wanted to try it, but as it was pricey and I'm on a limited budget I bought the 99p pack of cosmetic sponges from Wilkinson's ~ there's 8 wedge shaped ones (purple and white) in the pack and I've only used 2 so far and they are still going strong! This could be as they are latex as opposed to sponge. I reckon they are a very good cheap alternative if you can't afford the cut n foam ~ it doesn't matter too much if they don't last long as they are so cheap and you get more life from your ink pads. I will defo be trying cut n foam at some point tho! :thanks:

Dan99

15-11-2008, 05:41 AM

There are two video tutorials on my blog that deal with ways to apply distress inks, here (http://dan99.blogspot.com/2008/09/distress-inks-101.html)and here (http://dan99.blogspot.com/2008/09/video-tutorial-blurred-focus-and-water.html). They're probably better viewed in that order too! IHTH :)

~natasha~

25-11-2008, 02:46 PM

If you buy distress ink, please do buy a rangers non stick craft sheet (used for melt art etc). When I saw dans tutorials and then ordered some distress inks I looked at the price of the sheet and decided against it. I ended up buying a teflon baking sheet... do you think I could get on with it :rolleyes: but I carried on for weeks... then when I needed some more foam I ordered the sheet. I am just using it now and its much much more easier. Deffinatly worth the extra couple of pounds.