Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Which paper do you use with Distress inks? The paper i have has been giving w fits trying to blend on it. I have some regular and some oxides. I see Tim Holtz has a specialty stamping paper that is recommended. But i wouldn't mind a more affordable option that works well. Any suggestions or ideas?
Forgot to mention, i do have the blending tool with the little round sponges, and a few blending brushes. It worked well with some pink cardstock, so i think the paper is the problem. It went on smooth as butter on the pink cardstock, but not on the white brands i ha ie. Recollections, Georgia Pacific, Neenah.
I actually use Neenah solar white. ( nearly for every single thing)
but, if I am adding water sometimes I use Mixed Media sheets from strathmore that comes in pads at Micheals or if I am heat embossing something and then you know adding it and or water on that. ( the neenah will pill if you get enough water on it, it will work for faux water coloring but, the line between too much water and did it work is really hard so, if I know going in that I am going to get it wet I just use the thicker paper)
and they frequently put it on sale there buy one get one buy one the seconds cheaper type things.
I use Strathmore Bristol (from Michael's) for blending with distress inks. Don't have any oxides so can't say how that works. I love the smooth surface of the Bristol.
I have used the Neenah Solar White and the Strathmore Bristol. With the Strathmore, you can get a Michaels with a coupon which seems more affordable than the Neenah. Also, Bristol has vellum and smooth surface. Definitely the smooth is best!! It seems a bit smoother than the Neenah, but could be my imagination.
I have a hard time blending the regular Distress Oxides on any cardstock LOL, but the Oxides are a dream on the right cardstock.
Forgot to mention, i do have the blending tool with the little round sponges, and a few blending brushes. It worked well with some pink cardstock, so i think the paper is the problem. It went on smooth as butter on the pink cardstock, but not on the white brands i ha ie. Recollections, Georgia Pacific, Neenah.
Which Neenah - Classic Crest or Exact Index? Exact Index is sold in office supply stores and is a lower quality. The Neenah that many card makers show in videos is from the Classic Crest line - a higher quality. I use it a lot for Distress Oxides and regular Distress, not that I use regular Distress much any more. I sometimes use other heavier papers if using a lot of water.
(Pet peeve - videos that don’t indicate the Neenah being used is Classic Crest. I’ve run into people who purchased Neenah from Office Depot, etc., and are unhappy with it, which makes sense.)
The one that says 110C ( 110# cover sheet) once in a while I will buy a pack of 80# to use as liners on the inside but, always always pay attention to the finish. ( if you get the "eggshell" it is not smooth at all.
Good reminder about weight. I use 110 for the card itself, and either 80 or 110 for layering. For blending, always 110. As a simple layer or for die cuts, sometimes 80.
Thank you for your responses. I looked and I did find some drawing paper I could use it on. The Neenah one I have is the lower one. It did not work well on my watercolor paper either. I couldn't get the Distress Oxides to blend on any of them. I don't want to buy expensive paper just to use these inks so I'll just use my drawing paper as it will be good enough for my purposes. I also have other mediums I can color with that don't require such specific paper that I can find in a regular store.
Thank you all so much!
Neenah Classic Crest 110 pound is about 17 cents a sheet if a 250 sheet ream is purchased on Amazon for $42.00, with free shipping if a Prime member.
It can be used for card bases, regular stamping, blending, etc., so is a high quality general use paper. I’d be glad to send you 25-30 sheets to see if you like it. (Just message me.) If you do, maybe down the road a ream could even be split with someone.
The one that says 110C ( 110# cover sheet) once in a while I will buy a pack of 80# to use as liners on the inside but, always always pay attention to the finish. ( if you get the "eggshell" it is not smooth at all.
hth, (and yes, I do buy it direct from them)
This is my staple white. I consider it 'a must'. I order a full ream at a time, so it lasts a while.
And ditto on earlier mentions of Strathmore Bristol, plus watercolor papers for watery applications.
An important thing to remember with the Ranger ink applicators is to start your circling approach on the mat/table covering ... before it ever touches the card stock. This prevents those hard color marks that are a beast to blend out. ;)
Thank you for all the helpful advice! I am going to practice some more when I get a chance later. I went ahead and ordered a few reinkers to freshen up a few of my inkpads. I've just fallen in love with some of the backgrounds they are making with the Lavinia stamps. I'm not really into fairies and such, but I love the idea of creating pretty backgrounds.
This video had a really gorgeous one; maybe a little brighter than I prefer, but beautiful.
They also have some pretty backgrounds they made using distress inks and a brayer. I'll have to drag my brayer out. lol...
I've used my Oxides on Hammermill color copy digital cover stock with good success (alcohol markers, too), but it's only 80 lb, so I always layer it on something else. If you're looking for it, it's the one with the frog on the packaging. I'd provide a link, but I'm at work and cybersecurity won't let me...
Hi Sue, I found the 80lb Hammerhill with the frog on Amazon. I may have to try that out later too! Thank you so much for sharing that!
I also played around with a few cubes of some older hybrid inks last night, and noticed that they blended great too! Makes me wonder how some of the hybrids perform for blending. Some of the pigment inks worked o.k.. too. So I can use them along with the distress ones I have, and gives me more colors.
Didn't get a chance to play with them yet today. I had to try to catch up on some cleaning. BOO!! lol...
I checked with a fave card maker, Scott of cardcutups.com and he said he uses Neenah Classic Crest - but does use the 80 pound, which of course is cheaper. He pointed out that using enough ink - aka lots - is key too.
I have that too, and will do a little blending on it to see how it does. The Neenah will be popped into the mail to you Saturday at the latest, probably before, and will add some 80.
Oxides are my desert island inks; they blend if wet, and layer without mixing/blending if dryish or dry. You can also completely cover a color you don’t like - so versatile. And your card does not look splotchy - it looks wonderful!
Aww! Thank you for your compliment! You just made my day!!!!
Thank you in advance for the paper also! That is so kind!
I am learning a lot from all of you. Been checking out your cards, and they are all wonderful!!! I love seeing everyone's different styles of card making!
Last edited by hoptownracer1; 06-18-2019 at 07:19 AM..
Whew! I feel a little relieved! I went and played with my distress inks again, and I did better with them today. The drawing paper didn't work so well; it is too thin. But the Colorbok and Georgia Pacific did o.k.. I made a couple of smudges on the card front, but was able to camoflauge them. I like the foundation make-up brushes much better than the round blending ones I have. I had a much harder time with the round ones. I knew I had used those inks in the past, so I was really baffled why I couldn't get them to work right. I don't know if I wasn't starting off the page enough before putting the brush to paper, or pressing too hard. I did find a couple of papers that didn't work well at all; I think one of them was a watercolor paper, but I have a couple brands of those. I am so relieved to know I can use my inks; guess some of it was definately operator error! :rolleyes:
I'm almost done with the card I was making; I will have to share it soon, so you can tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for helping me with this!
Bjeans, I did want to tell you that it wasn't necessary for you to send a lot of paper. I would be happy with a few sheets to try out. I don't want you to go to a lot of expense.
I can see why everyone is so tickled with the Distress Oxides now though. I colored a section with them, and it didn't look so great. Then I splashed some water droplets on it, and it looked cool! I think it will make a neat card background!
Last edited by hoptownracer1; 06-18-2019 at 10:07 PM..
So glad it worked better for you! Practice makes you know what, right? Not enough ink, not starting off the paper, too much pressure, some combo. I never got very good at blending regular Distress with round foam blenders - had to use Clarity or Tim Holtz brushes, but Oxides were like butter from the get go. And if you get a blotch with Oxides, just keep working it and adding more ink and you can smooth it out.
Some say starting off the sheet while working on a glass mat gives an even smoother blend, especially at the edges. I have the Tim glass mat and I’m not sure if that’s true for me or not. It was fine with the Ranger mat attached to a self-healing cutting mat and it’s fine now.
I have a glass mat, but it is a different brand. I used a laminated cardstock page, and it worked very well. Easy to wipe off too.
Here is the card I made. Summer Mermaid by hoptownracer1 - at Splitcoaststampers
I so appreciated the wonderful comments that were made on my other card. Made me smile!
It is so weird how some days no matter how hard you try, nothing will work right, and then on other days, everything just goes so smooth!
I have a glass mat, but it is a different brand. I used a laminated cardstock page, and it worked very well. Easy to wipe off too.
Here is the card I made. Summer Mermaid by hoptownracer1 - at Splitcoaststampers
I so appreciated the wonderful comments that were made on my other card. Made me smile!
It is so weird how some days no matter how hard you try, nothing will work right, and then on other days, everything just goes so smooth!
I was thinking about that just last night while watching baseball. The pitcher - a 3-time Cy Young winner and future hall-of-famer - played a stunning game, despite breaking his nose the day before and having a big black eye. Yet once in a while he’ll pitch a game where the ball won’t cooperate despite his practicing intensely every day, and having accurate pitches tens of thousands of times.
So if the very highest level performers [in any field] have those days, we’re entitled to them too. And to be kind to yourself when they happen.
I had to ask my hubby about the baseball player; I am not familiar with many baseball players. He just loves when I ask sport's questions. LOL!!! Especially during the middle of a game. He is an Oriole's fan.
I had to ask my hubby about the baseball player; I am not familiar with many baseball players. He just loves when I ask sport's questions. LOL!!! Especially during the middle of a game. He is an Oriole's fan.
I've used my Oxides on Hammermill color copy digital cover stock with good success (alcohol markers, too), but it's only 80 lb, so I always layer it on something else. If you're looking for it, it's the one with the frog on the packaging. I'd provide a link, but I'm at work and cybersecurity won't let me...
Glad to hear this, as I just bought a ream of the Hammermill (with the frog on the front, ). I love the smooth surface, and it seems heavy enough to hold together. Haven't tried distress inks on it yet, but the alcohol markers seem to be working wonderfully so far.
I have a glass mat, but it is a different brand. I used a laminated cardstock page, and it worked very well. Easy to wipe off too.
Here is the card I made. Summer Mermaid by hoptownracer1 - at Splitcoaststampers
I so appreciated the wonderful comments that were made on my other card. Made me smile!
It is so weird how some days no matter how hard you try, nothing will work right, and then on other days, everything just goes so smooth!
Just checked out this adorable card and love how you used the white gel pen for highlights! That blended background is so pretty. Your laminated cardstock "mat" is one that I'm going to copy, since I don't have a teflon mat at all. I've been using an old plastic placemat that's falling apart.
Karen
Looks like it's not showing yet but I'll hop on over to check it out later because now I'm intrigued! I always try to save projects, even if I don't like the first go-around. Backgrounds can often be prettied up with stencils, spray mists, more inking etc. I can't bear to toss something if I put time into it!
I know it's been a while since the beginning of this thread, but I wanted to speak to bristol paper. While it is a good surface (smooth, not vellum) for Distress ink blending, I find that getting saturated colors can sometimes be a challenge with that. Bristol feels like it has a coating, which might be why it holds up to some moisture. So the inks seem to sit on the surface, rather than sinking in to the paper fibers. I notice it especially with Oxides--they just "float" on top of the paper, and so the blending tool just kind of pushes the ink around. I've never really tried the vellum finish for ink blending to see if it performs similarly. I use that just for colored pencil coloring. But the inks do blend together smoothly on the smooth-surface bristol--at least the original Distress inks. Just not as intense.
Thanks Beth! I found the paper Beth sent me works great, and also some of the paper I have also works good. I wasn't applying it correctly; that made a huge difference~
I am new to distress oxide inks and am trying to see what works best. I purchased the pricy Neenah 110# and have NOT had luck blending the colors dry. I am using the cheapo make up brushes from amazon to blend. I have had much better luck with the Canson Mixed media paper. I am also using Canson watercolor paper to make the splashy backgrounds.
Cool! I think I have some of that mixed media paper. I just can't remember where I put it! GGRRR! I am always putting things where I think I will see them easily and can't find them.
I'm really curious to see how the paper Beth sent me does with alcohol markers and stamping also!
Thanks for the info; I will have to try that one out too!
Cool! I think I have some of that mixed media paper. I just can't remember where I put it! GGRRR! I am always putting things where I think I will see them easily and can't find them.
I'm really curious to see how the paper Beth sent me does with alcohol markers and stamping also!
Thanks for the info; I will have to try that one out too!
The CS I sent (Neenah Classic Crest in Solar white, 80 and 110#) is the most popular stamping cardstock of many well known stampers/bloggers - JM, Kristina Werner, Laura Bassett, etc. It stamps beautifully. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other great stamping papers. I love Elizabeth Craft’s, one from The Paper Cut, especially in a light kraft color, etc.
Many people use Neenah Classic Crest for Copics. I will if it’s a bit of color, not that I use Copics much, but when really working CS, my fave is the one put out by Copic: X-Press It Card. It’s expensive compared to other CS, but I don’t make a card with it, just layer the image onto a CS base made from Neenah Classic Crest 110# or similar.
BTW, I really like the Canson too, though use it for other mediums and techniques, not for blending Oxides. Cheap, fairly white, and for me, much better results than with Strathmore. Must personal taste though.
I know it's been a while since the beginning of this thread, but I wanted to speak to bristol paper. While it is a good surface (smooth, not vellum) for Distress ink blending, I find that getting saturated colors can sometimes be a challenge with that. Bristol feels like it has a coating, which might be why it holds up to some moisture. So the inks seem to sit on the surface, rather than sinking in to the paper fibers. I notice it especially with Oxides--they just "float" on top of the paper, and so the blending tool just kind of pushes the ink around. I've never really tried the vellum finish for ink blending to see if it performs similarly. I use that just for colored pencil coloring. But the inks do blend together smoothly on the smooth-surface bristol--at least the original Distress inks. Just not as intense.
Just curious which brand bristol paper that you've used? The only ones I've tried are the slightly textured, and that doesn't work well with inks since the paper soaks it up rather than allowing me to blend well.
The CS I sent (Neenah Classic Crest in Solar white, 80 and 110#) is the most popular stamping cardstock of many well known stampers/bloggers - JM, Kristina Werner, Laura Bassett, etc. It stamps beautifully. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other great stamping papers. I love Elizabeth Craft’s, one from The Paper Cut, especially in a light kraft color, etc.
Many people use Neenah Classic Crest for Copics. I will if it’s a bit of color, not that I use Copics much, but when really working CS, my fave is the one put out by Copic: X-Press It Card. It’s expensive compared to other CS, but I don’t make a card with it, just layer the image onto a CS base made from Neenah Classic Crest 110# or similar.
BTW, I really like the Canson too, though use it for other mediums and techniques, not for blending Oxides. Cheap, fairly white, and for me, much better results than with Strathmore. Must personal taste though.
I've been trying out different paper types and manufacturers for several years, especially once I began using alcohol markers. The Neenah Classic Crest is a bit too pricey for me so I'm looking for alternatives. I never understood why people who use Copics don't use the cheap cardstocks until I tried it myself and discovered the problem with pilling etc. Ugh...
Just curious which brand bristol paper that you've used? The only ones I've tried are the slightly textured, and that doesn't work well with inks since the paper soaks it up rather than allowing me to blend well.
I only ever use Strathmore Bristol paper. I use the smooth surface for water-based markers & ink blending, & the vellum surface for colored pencils. I have found not all brands of bristol papers are alike. The Strathmore is available at stores like Michael's & Hobby Lobby--think coupons! :mrgreen: Hope this helps!
What paper do you use with Distress inks?
