Technique Tuesday - Direct-To-Paper Inking Technique

Sometimes I will distress my cardstock or even decorative scrapbook papers using ink directly on the paper.  Here are some ways to do this:

• Peaks and valleys:  Crumple your paper, then smooth it out (sanding is optional). Skim the paper with an ink pad, applying ink color to the peaks.  Do not press too hard, you just want to skim along the tops.
• Light coverage:  Put the ink pad face down on your paper and lightly tap it to apply color.
• Heavy coverage:  Put the ink pad face down on your paper and skim it across the paper, pressing the ink pad firmly down as you go.
• Edging:  Hold the paper in one hand and ink pad in the other hand.  Run the ink along the edge of the paper.  This is especially effective with a metallic pigment pad, like gold or silver.

I rubbed this scalloped edge directly with an ink pad to highlight the scallop.

• Sweeping:  Tap the bristles of teh stippling brush onto the ink pad.  Hold the brush at an angle and sweep it across the paper to color.
• Tapping:  Tap the bristles of a stippling brush onto the ink pad. Hold the brush perpendicular to the paper and gently tap it onto the paper.
• Masking:  Tear a scrap paper the length of your card or page and lay it over your card or page where you want an inked edge.  Run an ink pad along the torn edge of the scrap paper and onto the card or page, creating an inked torn-look.
• Emboss designs on your card with white or clear embossing powder.  Apply pigment ink directly to the paper by rubbing on two or three complimentary colors randomly.  Rub gently with a tissue to wipe ink off of embossed areas.  The embossing will act as a resist.

Hope you enjoyed some of these direct-to-paper inking techniques.  Come back next week for more techniques, and stop by frequently for updates to the blog.  I will be posting later this week to show a wedding shower invitation.  Check back soon.