Here is an aquapainter list of tips that I saved from someone off of an e-mail group. Thought you all might be interested in viewing it ...
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My classes just stamped the girl in the Summer by the Sea set and she turned out really nice. Used Bliss Blue for her dress, using re-inkers in plastic top. Yoyo Yellow for hat, Pos Pink for flowers and a green for the rest of it. Midge Husting
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Pearl ex- you dip the end of the aqua painter in the pearl ex and then paint the design on. To change colors you just need to wipe the end on a scrap piece of paper until it clean.
Watercolor pencils- color your image with the watercolor pencils then paint over them with the aqua painter. Wiping of the color on a scrap piece of paper in between each color. I try to go from lightest to darkest so if you don't get it all off, it may not rein your work it will blend in better with the darker color.
Hope these ideas can help you. Kim
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One thing I have discovered with mine...
the smaller brush, blue lid, seems to release less water and works better in smaller areas.
the larger brush, white lid, releases a lot more water and seems to work better in larger areas like the painting of a set like summer by the sea.
hope this helps. Teresa
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Here's a copy of the Aqua Painter tip sheet I give my customers. I hope this helps. Merrie
Aqua Painter Tips Basic Care & Use:
1. Choose paper that is of heavier quality, such as the Confetti or Naturals cardstocks (Ultrasmooth cardstock is ok if you don't plan to do a lot of blending).
2. Stamp with an ink that won't bleed (ie. Basic Black or Basic Brown) or emboss your image.
3. Fill the barrel with the liquid of your choice.
4. Squeeze the barrel lightly, though not so much that liquid drips from the brush tip.
5. Use the painter as you would a blender pen or standard paintbrush - practice first on scrap paper to get the feel for this handy tool. Unlike a blender pen you control the amount of liquid that mixes with your color choice. If your paper gets too wet; dry with a heat tool to stop colors from unintentionally bleeding together.
6. Between colors, clean your painter tip by running the brush across a paper towel or scrap paper until the brush runs clear.
7. Empty your Aqua Painter after each use and let the 2 pieces air dry before storing (this will prevent mold and bacteria from forming and possible damage to the tool). If you forget to clean up for a few days, fill the barrel with warm, slightly soapy water; shake a bit to clean the barrel then squeeze quite a bit of soapy water though the reservoir and out till the brush is clean. Rinse with clean water to remove soap and air dry.
Try these liquids in your Aqua Painter:
1. Water is great for blending and creating a soft watercolored look.
a. Pick-up ink pad color, reinkers or even marker colored on a palette to watercolor a stamped or embossed image.
b. Use to blend watercolor pencils within a stamped image.
c. Don't use directly with chalks - use a sponge to pick up some chalk and rub on scrap paper - use the painter to pick-up this "scrap" chalk.
2. Liquid Bleach is great for bleaching out areas of your embossed image. When the image is bleached out as desired use a heat tool to dry the cardstock and stop the bleach processing. Then use markers or pastels to color your image. Try this with darker cardstocks.
3. Future Floor Wax acts as a binding agent when using Pearl Ex - simply fill the reservoir with the FFW and dip the Aqua Painter in your Pearl Ex and color your embossed image as desired. This technique is particularly gorgeous on black cardstock.
Other uses:
1. Use a water filled Aqua Painter to dampen cardstock prior to distressing.
2. Reach for your water filled Aqua Painter to seal envelopes.
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Use them just like you would the blender pen... except when these run out you just refill them with water!!! I love mine. I use them at every workshop now. They are great with watercolor pencils (you use after you color with the pencils to give that more wishy-washy look to coloring) and I also Love, love, love them with the ink pad lids... shows customers how to get more "mileage" out of the colored ink pads... and they like it! You can use with refills if you are doing a lot of coloring (like for a swap) or if you want really intense colors, but for 'regular' use, I have found that if you just layer the color again from the lid ink- it does get darker & is just fine. I haven't yet tried with chalks.
Tip-
sometimes is helpful to just "paint" a layer of water on the area if you want to really blend from dark to light, then just add the color slowly to your 'dark' end... helps to eliminate a line where you would shift down the tone to lighten.
Also is very nice for adding just a little color in the background spaces to lessen the "white" around your stamped image.
Definately take them out & color with them 1st before regionals or convention, just so you get an idea of how much to squeeze (or rather how much to not squeeze) too much water squeezed down to the tip will make your color very light... not enough and it doesn't really "paint"... something you have to see when you have the painter in your hand (just like our customers!) LOL I love using it with the "In Full Bloom" set.
Enjoy them! -Susan Ruel
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I am expecially fond of putting bleach in the pen and lifting color from the paper. It has wowed guests at parties where I have shown this technique. Carol Walberg
WT21 - Everyone welcome - Ways to Use it Challenge
What do you think?
WT21 Flowers and Frogs by Crafty Julia
