Group of Cardmakers - Direct to Paper Inking

Hi everybody.  This month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers uses ink added to card straight from the pad and gives a much stronger effect than using a blending tool or brush to apply the colour.  You can of course add one or more colours over the whole of a background or make different patterns according to the way you pounce or drag the ink.  I opted for making a landscape type background to accompany a die cut heron die which is being used for the first time.  It is a silhouette but I decided to add some colour using a set of Lyra Pencils, and for the background I used some white gesso over the background and then added several colours of Distress Ink i.e. Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint, and also a set of foliage stamps from Art Journey called Grasses...unfortunately they are no longer in business.

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Allsorts Challenge - No 850 Anything Goes.  (Congratulations to them on their 17th Birthday).

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Die Cut Divas Challenge - May '26 Celebrations (mine is Birthday).

Using a pencil I marked where I wanted the horizon and the river bank on the left, and I started with the lighter colour of blue rubbing the pad fairly lightly to start off with over the sky and then leaving a gap for the background green rubbed a bit more in the foreground leaving the green area on the left, and then continued the blue right to the bottom.  I then added in the green on the horizon and the bank on the left, and to finish I used the stamps with the Peeled Paint to added some texture to the bank and also to added the foreground foliage and I finished by adding the heron right at the front and used a Black Micron pen to add the birds in the sky and Archival Black ink for the sentiment and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I left the sky quite light and patchy to look like clouds and I used the ink pads on their edges a lot to keep the ink more or less where I wanted it.  

The coating of white gesso on the card was something I read recently, not sure where, but it did say that it makes the ink easier to move about and I did use my fingers to rub the ink to additionally smooth it out.  The only thing was that it took a long time to dry even with a heat tool and did tend to rub off a bit but seems OK now.  I tried to use Versafine Clair Nocturne to stamp the sentiment which started to bleed and smudge a bit so I switched to the Archival which worked much better...obviously something to do with it reacting to the gesso I presume, and luckily I did use my stamp positioner so I could go over it otherwise I would have had to make a sentiment plate to cover it.  Overall I was pleased that I managed to achieve a reasonable finished result although it does look quite fuzzy and has a loose look but I like the contrast it gives to the pencil coloured heron. 

I made this second card which is more the way you would expect to see it done, using a Spellbinders 3D embossing folder called Amaryllis Garden and inked with Adirondack inks in Pink Sherbert and Cranberry which I hardly ever use so thought it would be good to get them out. 

I am entering the following challenges with the above card:

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Embellishments.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - May '26 Anything Goes/Mood Board.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 85 Anything Goes (Congratulations on your 7th Birthday).

I cut the card to fit a 6" square card and inked it with the Pink Sherbert ink and embossed it and then ran the Cranberry ink pad across the raised areas to bring out the pretty flowers.  I think maybe a lighter red would have looked better as having to go over the embossing quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.  I finished it with a birthday sentiment which I cut from white card twice and then inked the letters in the Pink Sherbert to add over the shadow layer.  Maybe a lighter red would have been better, as having to go over it quite a few times has made it a bit dark and dense.

There are lots of other ways to use this direct to paper technique and over at the blog you will find a video and the other ladies have made some brilliant cards showing different ways to use it, and if you do create something there is a Linky which you can use so we can all enjoy seeing what you make.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.