ATC Madness

I have been making ATC like crazy lately, and I love love love to collect them!

Here are some pictures of what I have been working with lately. I have a bad habit of forgetting to take pictures of the cards once I am done and they are ready to send. So, most of these are still in various stages of completeness.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

Inktense On Fabric!

I tried a few different ways of using Inktense on fabric. After reading on the internet that this was possible I had to see for myself. It has taken me awhile and there is no excuse for that but my laziness after I get home from work. 

I found a scrap of white cotton fabric and hemmed the edges. Lucky for me I sew and paint so I had scraps in my bin! I drew onto the fabric (dry) with the pencils and used a paint brush to wet the fabric. One of the samples I painted fabric medium over the color while it was still wet. I then let these set for a day and a half. That was the hardest part! WAITING! 

I used my clothes iron to heat set two of the three samples. Next step was the wash. Threw them in with some other dark clothes that needed to be washed. I wasnt entirely sure how this would come out! I can be such a dummy sometimes, and I forgot to take a "before" picture... BUT I do have the other!!!!

Inktense are the BEST pencil EVER!

Mushroom Goddess before water

After water

I love Inktense pencils. I started with the primary colors and then bought a few more. And a few more, until I nearly have them all. So I have decided to post a blog boasting about the wonderful properties of these pencils.

First, the bright INTENSE color that awakens with just a touch of water is amazing. I have a Koi waterbrush that I use for blending. You could use a paintbrush or spritzer to wake up the paint but I prefer the waterbrush simply because I don't have to sit next to a glass of water and dipping the bristles in continually. A little water can go a long way. I like my color to stay on super thick so I use less water than I could. 

Watercolor or mixed media paper has been my favorite application for this pencil. Using Micron pens to outline the drawing (I know what my next blog can be about now lol) because they are permanent when dry. 

I still have yet to test this rumor I hear that Inktense can be used on fabric. I have seen videos from Derwent but I am lazy and need to watch them. I plan to run an experiment and see into the overall longevity of the stain etc soon here in the future. Until then I will just have to talk about the best pencils ever!!!

Seriously, even when coloring with these the ink feels nice over the paper. Kinda slick and nice. Not like scratching charcoal over paper or anything but smooth like warm butter on toast. This makes me happy. The smoother ones just glide on so that means that the layering is pretty easy; which makes blending a breeze. 

I keep my shavings and sprinkle them into a wet background and WALA you have an instant cool looking patterns. Derwent has a shaver/cup system made to grate their Inktense blocks into a cup. You can create a wash with the shavings or sprinkle for a faux texture look. Freaking AMAZING line of products I say. 

I heart Inktense!  

Derwent Graphitone Water Soluble Colored Pencil

I have a thing for pencils. Yes I do. And if they're water soluble its even better! Graphitint pencils are water soluble tinted graphite. I have the line of Inktense pencils as well and use the graphitint for my more muted end of the color pallet. I chose just a few for my purposes and played around with them on Strathmore Mixed Media Cards, outlined with Micron pens and glazed with FW Acrylic Ink.  

Before water.  

After a hit from my bladder brush.

This is a closeup after I painted the acrylic ink over the top of my pencil drawing. I have the shimmering series, which are a kind of interference color, so they are translucent and shiny. In fact its hard to see that they're there until you see it from just the right angle. It looks amazing! Whats nice about the artists cards is that they come with envelopes so sending them out in the mail is a breeze.