I had forever been confused about which inks to use for what purpose in my paper crafts. A walk in the craft aisle would leave me confused, and I am sure every newbie feels the same way. All these inks come in various brands, sizes and shapes, and it is easy to get lost.
After a lot of trials, errors and research, I wanted to share my understanding with all of you in the hope that it may help clarify at least one question you have in your mind. These are some categories I can roughly distinguish the inks in.
Dye ink - These are all purpose classic inks, and can be used for basic scrapbooking purposes. Most of these are permanent inks so they dry quickly and are easy to work with. The color on the ink pad differs from the one on paper but these give crisp images when stamped especially Archival and Memento ink pads. I can usually add backgrounds over these - paint with water colours, pencils or paints, and it does not cause any bleed. I use other ink pads for making backgrounds.
Pigment ink - Pigment inks are vibrant in intensity but are slower drying inks. You can use a heat tool to set the inks as these take awhile to dry normally. Since these are slower drying inks, they are great for embossing, though I prefer embossing with embossing inks. Also, these aren't the best when used on glossy surfaces.
Embossing ink - These are clear ink pads that are used to stamp an image via the method of heat-embossing. I love embossing. These offer so much versatility - can be used in all kinds of projects! I use them when making explosion boxes, cards, and even travel journals!
Distress ink - Distress inks are my absolute favorite inks. These are easily blend-able so you can create amazing effects with them. You get an a huge color range and I love the vintage-y feel they give to projects - by blending, smudging or even spritzing with water! (I am still growing my distress ink collection!) I have quite a few of these inks in sprays as well that I absolutely looove using!
Chalk ink - These give a soft chalk-like look and can be used for stamping. (But I don't like the look of it for crisp images). I generally use it to create backgrounds, but frankly prefer dye and pigment inks over these.
Are you a beginner or an expert, and which are your favorite inks to work with?
After a lot of trials, errors and research, I wanted to share my understanding with all of you in the hope that it may help clarify at least one question you have in your mind. These are some categories I can roughly distinguish the inks in.
Dye ink - These are all purpose classic inks, and can be used for basic scrapbooking purposes. Most of these are permanent inks so they dry quickly and are easy to work with. The color on the ink pad differs from the one on paper but these give crisp images when stamped especially Archival and Memento ink pads. I can usually add backgrounds over these - paint with water colours, pencils or paints, and it does not cause any bleed. I use other ink pads for making backgrounds.
Pigment ink - Pigment inks are vibrant in intensity but are slower drying inks. You can use a heat tool to set the inks as these take awhile to dry normally. Since these are slower drying inks, they are great for embossing, though I prefer embossing with embossing inks. Also, these aren't the best when used on glossy surfaces.
Embossing ink - These are clear ink pads that are used to stamp an image via the method of heat-embossing. I love embossing. These offer so much versatility - can be used in all kinds of projects! I use them when making explosion boxes, cards, and even travel journals!
Distress ink - Distress inks are my absolute favorite inks. These are easily blend-able so you can create amazing effects with them. You get an a huge color range and I love the vintage-y feel they give to projects - by blending, smudging or even spritzing with water! (I am still growing my distress ink collection!) I have quite a few of these inks in sprays as well that I absolutely looove using!
Chalk ink - These give a soft chalk-like look and can be used for stamping. (But I don't like the look of it for crisp images). I generally use it to create backgrounds, but frankly prefer dye and pigment inks over these.
Are you a beginner or an expert, and which are your favorite inks to work with?
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