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Search the archive, three years of Inklings.
Ask the Artist
Our Artist in Residence, Dina Kowal, answers your questions
March 3, 2021
Q: Tricia wants to know: "I would love to put all my sayings from all my companies together. I don’t see anybody else doing this so I am not confident that I will not be sorry that I did it. Any thoughts, or have you done this?"
A: Yes! No regrets. I have all my sentiments in CD cases grouped by category (everything from Art to You!) and cataloged in Evernote. I'm starting now to type out each sentiment in Evernote so they're even easier to search. The only sentiments that are not in that system are those that are very image-specific - so a sentiment like "Hoppy Birthday!" is in with the bunnies rather than the birthday stamps.
February 24, 2021
Q: Karen asks: "Can you use acrylic paint on clear stamps?"
A: You can! Just be sure to clean them off with warm water before the paint dries. A soft toothbrush is useful for getting into the grooves.
February 17, 2021
Q: Karen wants to know: "Is there such a thing as matte embossing powder?"
A: Wow! has a clear matte powder. Distress embossing powders are designed to have a more matte and textured finish. Check out Emerald Creek for some really interesting special effect and blended powders, especially the Baked Velvet and Baked Texture lines. I was playing with some layered powders last night on a paper bead, and found that the oils from my fingers dulled the finish just with a little handling (I wanted that effect, so that was good!). Not sure if that works with all powders, but it did with the Ultrathick Embossing Enamel. Overheating regular powders can dull them as well, if you want to experiment with what you already have.
February 10, 2021
Q: Linda wants to know: "I always thought vellum was that very thin paper you can see through. What is Bristol vellum?"
A: The term 'vellum' can refer to a kind of paper (usually translucent or semi-translucent), or it can refer to the surface finish of paper. Bristol is a type of paper that is created with multiple plies - it's very sturdy and a great multipurpose art paper for a variety of media. Bristol comes in a smooth finish (great for marker and ink blending and light applications of wet media) and a vellum finish which is slightly textured or toothy. The vellum finish works best for dry media like pencils, pastels or charcoal.
February 3, 2021
Q: Tiffani asks: "What are some ways to create a marbled background?"
A: There are lots of different ways to create marbled effects! Check out these tutorials for techniques using a variety of supplies you may already have. In addition, there are marbling paints that create stunning effects - they're floated on water, as in some of the techniques below.
Alcohol Marker Marbling
MISTI Marbling
Watercolor Marble
Marker Marbling
Mixative Marbling
Nail Polish Marbling
Alcohol Marker Marbling
MISTI Marbling
Watercolor Marble
Marker Marbling
Mixative Marbling
Nail Polish Marbling
