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I was just wondering how much you all use colored stamp pads. I have a ton of them, but rarely use any of them! I mostly stamp with black or brown and color in the image. Now that I've been going more and more digital, I'm wondering if I should even hang onto them anymore. I know they look good with the solid stamps, but fess up, how often do you use colored ink pads?
I rarely use solid colours anymore. I'm more into digital and line images to colour with my copics and/or pencil crayons. Although, I did do a card using my brayer the other day and used my blue and greed stamp pads.
Oh wow! I use my colored ink pads every time I sit down to stamp. My black ink pads, well, I probably use them every third time I stamp. When I first started stamping (about 16 years ago, yikes!) I was really into images that I stamped in black and then colored in. Now I do that some of the time, but I really enjoy stamping with various colors and creating my own DSP or stamping with the solid image stamps and doing rock and roll, direct-to-paper and other techniques. I also like to use the ink pads for coloring/dying ribbons.
I do know that back when I started I didn't have inks that matched my cardstock, and that was very frustrating to me. Not being able to find reinkers was also a pain. Having plenty of matching ink and cardstock opened up whole new ways to stamp that I've found very rewarding.
Even if you aren't using your ink pads, you might want to hang on to them. Your stamping style and interests could change over time, and re-buying all those pads can get pricey fast. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing people probably don't recoup too much money selling used ink pads. Who knows? You might someday see something here on SCS that lights a fire under you and makes you want to get out those colors!
I use colored inks every day -- I love solid images that "stamp and go." Coloring is not my thing so I could not make a card without all my lovely inks.
Mary Beth
I'm guessing the answer to this question is going to depend a lot on what kind of stamper you are. Although I do stamp and colour images (for which I'm most likely to use black or dark brown ink) I do lots of other stuff too and can't imagine being without my coloured inks - especially the dye based ones (both Adirondack and Distress)!
I use them a lot for sponging (both edges and through reverse masks to make focal points of colour, especially on one layer cards - like this) and stamping onto patterned paper is fun. I added this card to my gallery yesterday where I used Distress inks to add extra elements to the paper in colours that blended in with what was already there - makes the paper totally your own but wouldn't be doable if you only had a black ink pad to hand!
Unless you're really tight on storage space and you're convinced that your stamping style won't change, I'd vote that you hang on to your coloured pads, I bet you'll find yourself reaching for them some time in the future and providing you keep them tightly sealed, they'll still be perfectly usable!
I'm big into digital, but I love using my color ink pads to distress my edges on images. It's also great for stamping and creating your own backgrounds.
Try taking them out and having them really close to your work area and make an effort to use them, if you just aren't feeling it then swap/sell them
I will first say I am not into digital much.
I use my colored ink pads alot, mostly my Chalk and Distress inks for edging, distressing, sponging and using them as a watercolor meduim with my stamps. I also use my Black & Brown alot, well every time I stamp. I could never give up my colored ink pads but I do try to limit them now to distress and chalk for the most part when buying.
I use them all the time too. I also mainly use black for outline images, but usually I'll layer the coloured outline image on background cardstock. I'll use the coloured ink pads to make my own decorative paper. I almost never use store-bought decorative paper. Too painful to cut into. I guess if I had no problems using decorative paper, I'd never use my coloured ink pads.
Even though I recently discovered and fell in love with digital stamps and Copic markers, I use my colored inks all the time. I am hoping to add more to my collection.
I agree with a prior post, everyone's creating is different, we keep what we use most.
I too use my colored inks all the time--I match the ink to the paper I am using. I do use black or something neutral like that when using Copics or pencils.
I use my color stamp pads every time I stamp. Black or brown for outlines and then squish the top part of the colored ink pad and use the ink on the lid with my Aquabrush (or a few drops from the coordinating reinkers). I don't think I've ever looked at digital. Doesn't seem like a pure form of stamping, but that's just my opinion. Watercolor pencils are not my thing and I haven't got the hang of copics.
I rarely use solid colours anymore. I'm more into digital and line images to colour with my copics and/or pencil crayons. Although, I did do a card using my brayer the other day and used my blue and greed stamp pads.
i do more this way too with the digis but i do use my coloured stamps for the sentiments and distressing...
oh and i have a lot.. all the adrodinak (spelling??) pallete, momento and a few other brands.
When I first started stamping I was buying all kinds in all colors. The only stamp pad I have never/probably will never is stampin up. Anyway....... I had about 100 colored stamp pads, but inevitably I would stamp my images in black or brown then color in. Then I started re-thinking my budget. I loved the idea of having lots of colors for all the reasons everybody stated above - so I now stock up on alot of those little cats eye, dew drop size pads. Perfect for distressing edges, and using for outline stamping. But now when one of my big pads dry out, chances are I won't replace it. Unless its one of my memento black,brown,blue or green - or a stazon.
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I just purchased the new Core Colors from SU. Wow, talk about beautiful color. The Cherry Cobbler is stunning. I stamped some swirls, a greeting and had an elegant one layer card in minutes.
It felt good to get rid of colors I have had and loved for years. Opening a new stamp pad, in a new color was just what I needed to get excited about stamping again.
So yes, I love a fresh new colored stamp pad!
I didn't use much colored ink--beyond brown and navy--when I first started because I used Versamark on SU cardstock. It made great backgrounds and worked with the few colored embossing powders I had. Once I switched to pre-made card bases with white cores, like Memory Box and A Muse, my Versamark trick didn't work as well. I have a handful of full size colors, but most are spots, dew drops, and cat eyes, which don't take up much space in my craft room or my budget.
If you aren't using your full size pads much, I say sell/trade some of them, keeping just your favorite colors in case you get the itch. Then if, in another year, you haven't used the ones you kept, get rid of those too. You can always get small ink pads for a couple dollars if you find you need some again.
I use my colored inks daily. I use black a lot, but I love my colored inks. I use them for stamping, tone on tone stamping, sponging, water coloring, brayered back grounds, distressing. I use them so much, I guess that's why I have a ton of them and almost all the reinkers, too. Anyone who's been to my gallery can tell I love color, lol.
I definitely have gone through phases where I never touched my other ink pads, but now I use ALL of them! I use memento, close to my heart, and distress inks! They all have a different purpose for me. When I was submitting to publications, I realized that some rarely accepted anything copic colored, but preferred different stamping techniques, so it forced me to get out those colored ink pads and try some new/fun techniques!
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colored ink pads
