Klimt ATC - I love Versafine & Distress inks, plus gel pens are neat!

I like to use Distress inks to color the background of an image. Previously I posted about spraying color using the reinkers, but here I've used a Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink pad direct to paper. By wiping the pad across the surface you get a random blotchy pattern. Then i lightly sprayed it with water, or you can rub it with a damp paper towel to blend it a little. That way you tint the remaining white paper.



I've been hooked on using Versafine as my rubber stamping ink for a while. The black is really dark black and it provides great detail without being too wet/liquidy like some ink pads. It also has the benefit of being waterproof, so you can use water based markers/other inks or paints over it without fear of smearing. (Here I used Versafine black for the Gustav Klimt art stamp and satin red for the spiral background.)



And for my love of all things sparkly I bought some gelly roll pens. The sparkly gold and red are my favorites (I think these are called stardust colors, they are not the same as the metallic gel pens. These are like dense glitter instead of thick color.) They add a beautiful glimmer when light hits your paper at an angle. I also used a white gel pen to make the image really pop. I've been seeing a lot of this technique while browsing stamping blogs and I'm glad I finally gave it a try. Using a white pen for highlights really adds a dimensional look to your stamp art :)