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Can anyone recommend what are the best colours in Ranger Distress Inks to use for a rainbow? It is quite difficult to try and figure out just by looking at the ink pad lid colour online. I thought that there must be someone out there who has used DIs for a rainbow-effect that could advise me before I spend $$ on colours that don't give what I am looking for.
I've never done a rainbow with them but trying to think about "pure" tones, I would probably say:
Red - Barn Door (or Fired Brick for a slightly deeper tone)
Orange - Spiced Marmalade
Yellow - Mustard Seed
Green - Mowed Lawn
Blue - Salty Ocean
Indigo - tricky but probably Chipped Sapphire
Violet - tricky again but probably Seedless Preserves
What are you intending to do - e.g. stamp or sponge?
Joanne is right, the indigo and violet are tricky. I've used Shabby Shutters because to my eye Mowed Lawn is too strong. If my memory is right I have indeed used Chipped Sapphire for Indigo, but I perhaps sponged over it slightly with a purple.
And I think I use Dusty Concord for my Violet.
I see I did use Mowed Lawn on this one ~ CCEE1410 Colour and Sparkle, but because of the stamp I used it with I had to compromise on indigo and violet and just have one.
This one has Shabby Shutters for the green:WT470 Rainbow Garden
If you wanted a pink in there even though not necessarily correct I would use worn lipstick for more sedate pink or picked rasberry for vibrancy. Barn door for red, spiced marmalade for orange, lemonade for yellow, mowed lawn the green, salty ocean the blue, seedless preserve a dark purple or shaded lilac for soft colour. But then Ireally like colours that hit you in the eye certainly not a soft sedate rainbow, more a pow.
Jocelyn (and fellow Aussies), my local craft shop sells TH Distress ink for the outrageous price of $13.50. I now buy almost everything from craftonline.com.au the TH distress inks are all $6.50 free post for orders over $50. Another great site is thescrapbookstore.com.au
__________________ Susie
Please don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here.
Last edited by susie australia; 07-27-2014 at 02:24 AM..
Reason: typo
Thanks ladies for all your suggestions - and thanks Sabrina for the links to your cards: they are gorgeous!!
I was intending to do a few of things:
1. Swipe the ink onto an acrylic block, spray with water and then lay my watercolour paper on top to (hopefully!) get a nice background
2. Stamp a background stamp with Versamark ink and heat emboss then paint watered down inks over the top
3. Experiment with using a stencil and painting watered down inks. Also colouring embossing paste with the Distress Inks (which I saw Jennifer McGuire do in a video the other day) and use them through the stencil. I am starting my journey with mixed media (wish me luck - I'm scared!). I already have the Wendy Vechi Embossing Paste and some stencils.
4. Stamp a rainbow of flowers with my silhouette flower stamps
5. I have had a MFT rainbow die sitting in my stash for ages so should get it out and play.
I just LOVE rainbows - they make me happy : I even bought some variegated rainbow coloured yarn the other day so I can knit a rainbow scarf!
Thanks Susie for the names of the stores I can buy my DIs from. I had noticed how greatly the prices vary which is why I just didn't want to order away hoping I got the colours I wanted.
Have fun with your mixed media. Instead of using a craft mat I use Al Foil (dirt cheap at Aldi). I pat the ink pads at random on the foil, spritz with water then swish my card stock around, add another squirt of water to get any remaining ink and repeat the process. Off to bed now. Night ladies.
__________________ Susie
Please don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here.
If I'm right, that has both Shabby Shutters (the foliage) and Mowed Lawn (the green bird) so it's a great way to compare the green shades! Cute card Sabrina!
I had pinned this video from Jennifer Macguire where she does a rainbow thing with the new colors of distress markers - but the stamp pads should match colorwise:
Unfortunately, she doesn't list the colors she used, so you have to watch the video and catch them as she says them (and sometimes she says the names **realfast**, but it should help with your quest
I won't be too helpful with making a rainbow since I haven't actually made one but I play with Distress inks and water all the time. I find if the colour on the pad isn't just quite right, I press similiar shades of the same colour add water and mix them together. Basically, you will make your own shade. When I think of a rainbow, I think of the colours blending into each other. That is certainly something you can achieve easily with Distress inks. Guess I wouldn't be saving you money with my suggestion...may get the small mini Distress pads...they are cheaper and I have heard many people rave about them.
Thanks for that info on the distress ink pads for Australia. I have found all the shops sell all the ink pads at an unbelievable mark up so its good to have an alternative. I originally bought my Distress Inks from overseas cause they were so expensive here. I cant believe how long these ink pads last. Of course I have ended up buying all the new colours here and paid the bigger price. Might need to look for the minis next as they would be great for traveling. I love love love blending colours, bright colours, water colours. Hardly use my other inks other than the blacks for stamping.
Thanks so much for posting this. What a great website. I was colouring the other day with distress inks and an aqua brush, I referred to the technique as water-colouring. My friend said water colouring is acrylic paints and water brush. Is that right?
__________________ Susie
Please don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here.
I am not sure what the purists would say. I think watercolouring is whatever you want it to be - and I personally would call what you were doing was watercolouring because you are adding water to colour and painting. And whatever medium you use I don't think matters.
When I used to do Folk Art painting lessons at a Community Centre (now commonly called Decorative painting in Australia but tole painting in the USA), I rang up a place about doing some watercolour lessons and when they asked me what experience I had, I said that I had been doing Folk Art lessons for 10 years, they said: "That's not art. What sort of ART experience do you have?" I said that I had used acrylic paints watered down and used them as watercolours and all I heard was this exasperated sigh and the same statement: "Folk art is NOT art!" I felt as small as a flea :oops:and just said "don't worry: I'll try somewhere else...." - which I never did because I felt like I was too stupid!
Now that I am older, I just immerse myself in my creative clutter and I don't care what is technically "art" as I think that labelling something just stifles creativity. I just go with the flow and I am so glad that I started cardmaking because it has opened up a beautiful world of possibilities as the genre changes and develops. I still get excited when I see my blank canvas (my card blank) and play with my stash - although I am sure the purists wouldn't call my cardstock a blank canvas!
Susie: just enjoy and experiment and watercolour to your heart's delight and while you are creating your artworks, just say to yourself: "Yay me - I'm watercolouring!"
Last edited by JoBear2; 07-28-2014 at 12:12 AM..
Reason: Added another line
My friend said water colouring is acrylic paints and water brush. Is that right?
Technically no - watercolouring is using watercolour paints! Acrylic paints have different properties, even when you add water. But you can achieve a watercolour "look" with all kinds of media and both your inks and acrylic paints would be in there. I'd say your inks are closer to actual watercolours as the're transparent but whatever makes you happy is good!
As for mini ink pads providing a cheaper option - watch out for the fact they only come packaged in kits of four pads. If you happen to be able to get the colours you want in a couple of kits then it may be cheaper but if you want one or two colours in a kit and end up buying four or five kits to get the six or seven colours you want then it's probably saved you nothing (although you do have lots of "unplanned" colours to play with ;))
I rang up a place about doing some watercolour lessons and when they asked me what experience I had, I said that I had been doing Folk Art lessons for 10 years, they said: "That's not art. What sort of ART experience do you have?"
...providing a perfect example of how not to treat a potential customer! It's a shame you didn't feel able to ask elsewhere but walking away from such rude and negative behaviour is the perfect response. They were probably just trying to figure out what level class would be most appropriate so all they had to say was something like "OK, the techniques are very different so I think you'd be best in with the beginners" not act like some kind of self-appointed art police! So glad to hear you developed the confidence to just go with the flow later in life and get joy from doing your own thing - that's what it's all about, after all!
Suggestions for Distress Ink rainbow colours
