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Links to products mentioned below are on our main Adirondack page Adirondack Ink Pads - These inks are water based DYE INK designed to stamp on smooth porous surfaces. This will allow you to use this ink for many stamping projects. Basic Stamping, Brayering, and Watercolor are just a few techniques achieved from this ink. Brayer on glossy paper for the best effect, but be sure to blend those colors! Water coloring with the Adirondacks is one of my favorite techniques, simply squeeze the lid of the pad to transfer ink to the inside of the lid to use as a watercolor palette. Using a waterbrush or wet paintbrush, pick up the ink and paint on to your paper. The harmony of colors will also lend itself to stamping images overlapping one another to create a wonderful collaged look. Adirondack Inkers - To be honest I am not a fan of re-inking stamp pads, I have just never been satisfied with the outcome. I DO however, love to use Adirondack inkers for other things. Also a water based DYE INK, these inkers can be used to watercolor, create backgrounds, and my favorite....batik! Simply drop a few colors onto an artist palette or slick surface and pick up the color with a waterbrush or wet paintbrush to watercolor a background or image. For batik I mix about 50 drops of ink into a 2oz. spray bottle of water. I also like to drip the inkers onto acetate or glossy paper to create colorful backgrounds too. Adirondack Embossing Powders - Embossing powders are embossing powders right? Well not really. The Adirondack powders are quite different and unique in the fact that they are not enamel powders like others. Adirondack powders are white resin coated in color. So what does that mean? Well it means that you can mix the colors and when you heat them, the colors will remain separate. If you stamp into the powders, the resin will break-down so the colors will shift revealing the white inside. I love to layer and mix these powders - oh the fun you will have. Adirondack Markers - I am so happy with the newest addition to the Adirondack line - markers. These are a water based PIGMENT INK - yes pigment. But don't get confused because this is not glycerin based ink like pigment pads, it is water based. This will allow you to color and write on slick surfaces such as glossy paper, vellum, acetate, dominoes, mica, and more. The pigment ink also works on fabric and is permanent and washable if heat set with an iron. The versatility of these markers can achieve the blends of Adirondack colors other "permanent" markers cannot. The colors are true to the ink pads and are archival and acid free. Although brayering and resist have been around for a long time, not everyone has mastered the technique and color options for this process - until now. Ranger has developed two types of inks that will work as a resist - yes two! The first is of course "Resist Ink" - this is a clear resist and will work on glossy paper in conjunction with Adirondacks or water based dye ink. Your stamped image will remain the same color as the paper color you started with (I always use white glossy for resisting technique). The second is "Archival Ink" - this is a permanent, waterproof, non-smearing ink used for scrap booking as well as anytime you need a permanent ink. It works great on glossy paper and comes in a wonderful color palette as Ranger is known for. The unique thing about resisting with Archival is that your stamped image appears in the color you stamped it in no matter what color of ink(s) you brayer over the top - "Archival Ink" will resist the colors, other permanent inks will not. Starting with white glossy cardstock, stamp image(s) with color of Archival Ink. Next apply Resist Ink onto spatter brush or toothbrush and spatter onto cardstock over stamped image. Next you need to HEAT SET THE INKS - this is the most forgotten step, but the most important! Then it's on with the colors. Taking a Ranger mini-brayer and your Adirondack Ink Pads, begin by picking up your lightest color first, I like to start with butterscotch, and brayer them onto the paper in a random order. (Note: Do not brayer in a straight line for this technique) Continue to brayer Adirondack colors until your paper is covered and you like the look. Be careful not to use too many colors on top of each other or they will look muddy. The final step is to wipe off the card. YES! When you resist inks, the resist holds the brayered ink on the surface and you need to wipe it off with a soft cloth or paper towel to remove the excess ink. That's it! What a beautiful colored image you created using "Resist", "Archival", and Adirondack inks. Experiment with different colors of Adirondacks for completely unique backgrounds (earth tones, blues/purples, reds). Cut your design to fit card and layer on coordinating colors of cardstock. The unique design of this ink will allow you to use these makers on so many surfaces - vellum being my favorite. It is permanent, non-smearing, yet it will allow you to blend the colors before it dries. I like to stamp on the vellum, emboss it, and then color the back side for a soft muted Adirondack color. Stamp image with clear embossing ink onto vellum. Emboss with black embossing powder - Do not overheat or you will warp the vellum. Turn vellum over and color backside starting with the lightest colors of Adirondack Markers first. Add another color over the top of the first color and blend with your finger or a nib (I prefer to use my finger). Continue to color design and mix colors. If you don't like to color, simply wait a second for it to dry and color over the top and it will remove the underneath color - very cool. When you are finished coloring your design, mount the vellum to glossy white cardstock. I always use glossy white stock underneath the vellum because it acts as a light box to brighten the colors. Set corners with eyelets if desired. Then layer design on coordinating colors of cardstock. Try this on glossy paper and acetate - you'll love the results. You can still use these on regular cardstock; they are archival and will not smear. Like I said before I just love to use the Adirondack inkers for anything other than re-inking my stamp pads - weird right? Just wait, you'll be hooked soon. I use this technique on manila cardstock (like manila file folders - same thing) because the paper has a bit of a coating on it that will allow the colors to blend. Be sure when you are water coloring on paper you need to use a type of paper that will allow the colors to blend. Then we will create a resist with clear embossing ink and powder. We will use the inkers as a watercolor by putting them on a palette and using a paintbrush and lots of water. To complete the look we will iron out the embossing powder to achieve the look of a bleached image. This is a great technique. Stamp your image(s) on manila stock using clear embossing ink. Repeat until desired look is achieved. Cover images with clear embossing powder and heat to emboss - do not overheat! I like to leave a little excess powder around my images for a speckled look. Next using a paintbrush and water add colors to your project by washing Adirondack dyes across your stamped images. The embossing powder is acting as our resist now. (Note: do not over-saturate the paper with water or dye or it will bleed underneath your stamped images). Continue to add and blend colors until you like it - I leave some of the manila stock exposed. Then using 2 sheets of plain newsprint, place the wet paper in between the sheets. Iron the newsprint using a dry iron on high heat setting. Iron until you can see your stamped image through the newsprint (this is lifting the embossing powder out of the manila stock). Cut your design to fit and layer on coordinating colors of cardstock. I like to mount my design on black foam core and embellish. I love the versatility of the Adirondack powders. You can add so many colors and still achieve a speckled look. I layer the powders and continue to build it up, and then I stamp into the hot powder. The colors will shift exposing the white resin underneath - instant highlights. It is also great to smear the hot powders across the non-stick craft sheet for a faux stone look. The possibilities are endless with these powders. Starting with a puzzle piece or mat board, ink up the surface with clear embossing ink. Working on the Ranger non-stick Craft Sheet, apply Adirondack powders at random using a pinch at a time with your fingers. Heat the powders with the Heat-It Craft tool (this is the one from Ranger that keeps the powders from blowing all around). Once the powders are melted continue to add more colors and build up a few layers. Once finished, turn off heat gun and stamp into the HOT powders with an inked stamp. I prefer to use the Archival Ink to stamp with so my image will show up. ©May 2004 Main Adirondack Page HERE |