Tim Holtz Distress Ink Markers



I spent all Wednesday morning doing laundry, ironing and reorganizing our closet.  What better way to celebrate than with some new art supplies ?    I've been wanting to try the new Distress Ink markers, so made an emergency trip to my local craft store.   The makers are available in all the Distress Ink colors - I bought Bundled Sage, Chipped Sapphire, and Scattered Straw.  I love the beachy combination of blues and greens.

Like Distress Inks, the markers are water- based and blend without bleeding.  Check out the Tim's tutorial here.  (I need  want that water pen he uses!)  The markers have two tips -  a flexible  brush  and a fine point .  You can use them to color stamped  images or color directly onto the stamp and then stamp the image.



I started out by coloring stamped images.  I stamped these butterflies with archival ink (no running when wet) and  colored the butterflies, then used a fine paintbrush dipped in water to blend the colors.  It's amazing that the colors blend yet stay clear - no muddying!

Then I tried coloring directly onto the stamp,using all three colors.  The stamp looks pretty dry by the time you finish, but a good deep breath blown onto the stamp is enough moisture to revive the inks.

 Love these simple summer tags.  The colors are just gorgeous!  I feel like I'm doing cheater watercolor painting.

I rubbed the edges of the tags with coordinating Distress Inks and added stamped ocean-inspired words.

The coordinating tie was made by swiping Distress Ink pads (Lettuce and Broken China)  onto a craft sheet, spritzing the ink with water and  mopping it up with  the twill tape. 

I then used the same inked stamps to make a second image - another hot breath rejuvenated the marker inks for a second, softer image. 

I found some background papers I'd made  to use as mats on these quick and easy cards.

These markers are a great way to add color and change up the look of stamped images.  Pretty sure I need more colors!