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I see these beautiful cards in the gallery and the sponging on them is just perfect. I just don't know how to make mine look like that. Mine turn out uneven and blotchy. Is there any help for me or should I just give up on sponging?
My suggestion is to dab a little bit of the color off on a scratch piece of paper until you think it is a similar intensity as what you are using on your project. Hope this helps and I'm sure others will have good tips for you.
I use a very fine sponge, instead of the sea sponges that are so common. I am not sure where they came from, but they are similar to the foam that is in a chair cushion. It seems to give a nice even effect that looks like airbrushing almost. To do the edges, I dab it on the ink pad, then scrape it along the edge of my cardstock.
My sponges seem to take and apply the ink more evenly if I wash them in soap and water before using them for the first time. Perhaps they have a manufacturing residue on them, similar to the mold releaser that sometimes causes problems with stamps?
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The sponges I've found that give me the most consistent coverage are make-up sponges sold in drugstores by the bag. Lots of times I stamp off first on scrap and then hit the card with the sponge so the color won't be so intense.
__________________ Debbie
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Just an example from one of the talented people on this site and the look I'm trying to achieve would be found on a card by Anna Wight/SweetMissDaisy - the bird from A Touch of Nature. How is that look achieved? Do you pounce? Rub? Drag? And with what type of sponge?
Ahh, OK. Well I am sure Anna will tell us, but by the looks of hers, I *think* she pulls from the edge of the card in to the center. That would be my guess and I could be very wrong
First of all, WOWWEEEEE!! That's my card!!!
Hi Gals!
Thanks for the heads-up Trudee!
Yes, Trudee is right. I use a sponge (either a makeup sponge, sea sponge, or dauber -- whatever is within reach), ink it up lightly, and then pull the color from the edge of the card towards the center. Sometimes, like on this little birdy card, I pull almost all the way across from all 4 sides. This give it the lighter inked look in the center because there just isn't as much ink left on the sponge by the time it gets that far across the paper.
Art is intended to provoke an emotion from a total stranger. If you�ve succeeded in this, consider yourself an artist. Paper Shanks Blog. Love me or hate me, you are still talking about me
Hmm... let me see if I can explain... I have my stamped layer on a larger piece of scrap paper, both laying flat on the table. With ink on my sponge, I put the sponge down on the scrap paper, about 1/2 to 1 inch from the stamped project layer. Then swiftly I drag the sponge (without lifting it at all) onto the layer I want inked.
As I drag across the project layer, I gradually press lighter and lighter until I am finally totally off of the project. And, I do it all over again, all the way around the stamped layer. Or, as many places as I want inked.
It will really do a number on your sponges, since the edge of the paper catches on the sponge and pretty much just tears it up after a while. But, you should be able to do a fair number of cards with one sponge, depending on how heavy handed you are with your dragging.
Hmm... let me see if I can explain... I have my stamped layer on a larger piece of scrap paper, both laying flat on the table. With ink on my sponge, I put the sponge down on the scrap paper, about 1/2 to 1 inch from the stamped project layer. Then swiftly I drag the sponge (without lifting it at all) onto the layer I want inked.
As I drag across the project layer, I gradually press lighter and lighter until I am finally totally off of the project. And, I do it all over again, all the way around the stamped layer. Or, as many places as I want inked.
It will really do a number on your sponges, since the edge of the paper catches on the sponge and pretty much just tears it up after a while. But, you should be able to do a fair number of cards with one sponge, depending on how heavy handed you are with your dragging.
Did this help? or no...??
Yep I get it now! I am soooo going to make this work today!
Art is intended to provoke an emotion from a total stranger. If you�ve succeeded in this, consider yourself an artist. Paper Shanks Blog. Love me or hate me, you are still talking about me
Trudee, I was going to comment on the pretty new avatar too! It's great to put faces with names! I'm glad too that this question was posted & appreciate the "private" lesson we all got from Sweetmissdaisy! Thanks Anna! I had recently found that I liked the look with daubers better than sponges but only have a few; I'll have to dig out the makeup sponges from the BACK of the closet instead of buying more daubers; They're more economical & just about the same texture; thanks for all the tips ladies !
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be extra careful with the makeup sponges until you get the feel for them. they can put down a lot of ink rapidly if you're not paying attention! ...and, I think they soak up more ink then other sponges (like the daubers) since they're so much more dense. Which makes me wonder if more of my ink is being left in the sponges than anywhere else.
have fun with it ... can't wait to see what shows up in the gallery all inky!
Thanks for the detailed instructions, Anna. I tried it out and it worked!! Now, I won't say my creations will ever approach your works of art, but I can aspire to them now that I know how to sponge! Thanks again for your help.
Anna's a great teacher.;) Besides sharing her awesome skills visually in her art she's always ready to share tips. Thanks, Anna - I've always loved your sponging effect. Mine normally turns out quite uneven so I'll try your method.
Glad I decided to read this thread. Not only did I too learn how to soften the sponging look, but also got to see Anna's beautiful card! It really is very pretty. Now I will have to look into that set again!:razz:
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I tend to use browns the most often. But, I also like doing tone on tone inking too. For example, the background paper for this card was Apricot. I used coral and pretty in pink to ink the edges. If you use a slightly darker ink than your paper, you'll get this kind of look.
I am sponging challenged!
