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Search the archive, three years of Inklings.
Ask the Artist
Our Artist in Residence, Dina Kowal, answers your questions
March 30, 2016
Q: Joanne wants to know: "I really appreciated the tutorial on colouring texture paste and would love to try it but I don't have a re-inker in the colours I want to use. I was wondering if I could use alcohol ink instead."
A: Alcohol ink will work fine - just be sure to mix it in right away, because it dries very quickly. You can also use other water soluble mediums, such as acrylic paint, Gelatos, ink blocks, or watercolors. If you'd like to match a specific ink but don't have the reinker, just take the pad and swipe it on your palette before adding the texture paste.
March 23, 2016
Q: Nancy wants to know: " I had made two cards and hung them on my wall and after about 3 months, I noticed the color fading and the front panels begin to curl. I had used dye ink and a bit of white pigment ink, top quality products that have been recommended by a lot of the top Card Divas. Is there a sealant of some sort to spray to extend the freshness of the cards or do you have any tips that can help retain the colors?"
A: Unfortunately most craft supplies are not created with lightfastness in mind, and dye based inks aren't very color stable - they do tend to fade over time. If you want to display cards, choose an area that's not affected by sunlight. Some custom framers have UV protection glass - that might give a little more longevity if you wanted to go that route. When choosing inks, look for archival or fade-resistant options.
March 16, 2016
Q: amjPeace wants to know: "I want to make the Kraft Bag Gift Card but I don't have a bag. Can I make my own?"
A: Absolutely! I made my own bag out of lightweight paper, about the weight of newsprint. I cut the paper to 10 3/4" x 7 1/2", and folded at 2 3/4" and 7 1/2". I adhered the paper at the center overlap, and folded the bottom up. I just used a tiny scallop border die to decorate the top, then continued with the tutorial.
March 9, 2016
Q: Robin wants to know: "What is the best paper to use for acrylic paint that won't warp? I would like to paint card fronts, but if the painting warps, I'm afraid the entire card will be warped and not lay flat."
A: I have done several acrylic paintings on Canva-Paper, which is a canvas-textured paper. Heavier watercolor or mixed media paper should also work. Matboard is a nice base for painting too, and not too thick to mail. To avoid warping, glue the painted card onto the card base and then leave the card to dry completely under a heavy book so everything dries flat.
March 2, 2016
Q: mars wants to know: "how do you make clouds on a card? I don't have a die to use."
A: There are a few different techniques I use, depending on my medium and cardstock. When I'm watercoloring I just fill in the blue spaces, giving clouds their outlines with the edge of my painting (bumpy tops and flat bottoms with a few horizontal streaks to break up the contrast a little). For sponging, I use a scalloped circle punch as my mask, turning it slightly each time as I sponge up over the edge. On darker paper, I would use the negative area of the punch, and sponge white ink inward, or use this technique for creating finger-painted clouds.
