Colouring with Inks and Lutradur...

Colouring with Ink.

The world of inks still confuses me at time.  There are so  many different kinds, brands and characteristics of each. Water based, pigment, acrylic, archival, dye based, acrylic ink, India ink, alcohol inks, distress inks, embossable inks etc.  I rubber stamped years ago and own a collection of various stamps. I have collected some ink pads. I also have some alcohol inks. I have some embossing powder. So how to use all these things and what different looks can we get with them?

First thing you need to consider are the properties of the inks.  Are they waterproof or not? Can your ink be used for embossing? Is your ink archival or does it matter? And what is your ink manufactured for?

These questions make a difference. As the product used may create a difference in your project. Or you may not worry about it too much and just experiment with it. Check the labels of your inks. Check the manufacturer’s web sites for information regarding their products. I get so much information from the web sites of manufacturers. They often have tutorials, projects and more. Another place to find information is the online art, craft and fabric stores. If they have it there is usually an explanation of the inks uses.

“Dye ink… saturates the spun fibres… acrylic inks which are made of pigments, behave like paints….” (Acrylic paints stays more on top of the fabric and you see less of the lacy structure. )  Leslie Riley.  

So pull out your inks….

Ink pads, refills, sprays, and alcohol inks and play. I am sure you may have different products than myself. So please let me know what you have and if you have tried it on Lutradur.

Here is what happened with the inks that I applied to the fabric. 

Pinta Alcohol Ink applied to dry Lutradur

Pinta Alcohol Ink applied to Lutradur that was damp. 

Pinta Ink applied to damp Lutradur with blending solution added to the ink. 

All samples were the exact same ink. You can see that different methods get different results.

Then I used some stamping ink ....

This first picture is the the two types of ink on just plain untreated lutradur. 

This picture is the same inks but the Lutradur was treated with a coating of soft matte medium. 

The image of the stamp is clearer on the matte medium treated Lutradur but you lose some of the lacy look of the fabric. 

Untreated Lutradur

Matte Medium treated lutradur

Same Staz On permanent black ink. The second image treated with the matte medium is crisper but once again you can see that the lacyness of the fabric is lost somewhat. How much matte medium you apply does make an effect of how much of the lacyness is hidden. 

And finally today

This is a picture of a piece of Lutradur painted with metallic paint. Stamped on with Staz On permanent ink with Pearl Ex powder added and then a "Lacing" technique that we will play with in the up coming month. 

Stamping with inks on Lutradur can be really versatile to use in Mix Media projects and Art Journals. 

What is your experience with inks? 

Jo 

thesewinggeek

Please check out my friend Elle. She agreed to play along this month with me. She has done her first post over at the coop (as she calls her blog) She is a talented lady! ellendacoop.blogspot.ca