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no craft question is ever stupid..we all need to start somewhere.
I use either my ink pad, like it rub the edges of the paper along it, or pastels (chalks) with either blending stumps or I have flat qtips that work too. Just try a few different things on scrap paper to get the feel of it..it sure does add that little something extra to cards
A gold or silver broadfelt tipmarker works well and saves destroying the surface of an ink pad, as some of them (ink pads) are sponge rather than felt and it will cut them up.
There are also some nifty types of markers out there with a tiny blade in them so that as you cut out an image it applies the perfect even width of silver or gold but I have yet to find where to buy them myself, although I have seen them used to good efect.
You can also use rub on metalic paste type products which you apply with your finger a bit like a lip gloss.
No question is too small for the lovely people on this site, and we all help when we can
Is what you're looking at a straight edge of solid colour Debbie or a sort of soft "halo" that's stronger colour right out at the card edge and softens as it gets further in?
If it's a solid strip of colour, it's possible you're seeing "matting" which just means sticking a piece of card or paper onto one that's the same shape but just fractionally bigger so it shows as a border all round. The gold paint markers that Dalek mentions will give a similar straight line effect but the pastels or ink are more likely to produce the soft fade effect.
No question is "stupid", BTW - there are so many techniques and products out there that none of us know everything there is to know and when you're just starting out, just getting the names of stuff straight can take some doing! Hope you're having fun with your new hobby!
I am having fun, but I don't have enough time to do it all. I have so many projects I want to do now that I've found this forum!! I want to do one of those explosion boxes for my Mom -- I thought I could put her & Dad's pic in the middle and all of her kids and grandkids on the rest of the panels. When looking at the gallery of these, that's when I noticed the edges of the cardstock were outlined (the fade effect) and I liked that but wasn't sure how to do it. I did try a Sharpie marker, but I just did the very edge and it didn't look the same.
Can't wait to try all the techniques recommended to me.
When looking at the gallery of these, that's when I noticed the edges of the cardstock were outlined (the fade effect) and I liked that but wasn't sure how to do it.
You might find it easiest to get the effect by using a sponge rather than going direct to paper with the ink pad. You can use a cheap bathroom or carwash sponge, it doesn't need to be anything fancy. Cut a chunk of sponge off and pinch it up in your fingers so it forms a rounded pad, dab it onto your ink pad and then swirl it onto your paper, pulling the ink in from the edge. It tends to work best if you have your project on a piece of scrap paper and start the movement of the sponge by placing off the project for the first contact and keeping it moving. I'll see if I can see a decent video demo and post a link if I can - it's probably easier to watch than figure out from a description!
In general, dye ink is better than pigment (craft) ink for doing edges.
OK, I can't find exactly what I wanted but this video of Tim Holtz demoing some Distress ink techniques shows him using a blending tool in exactly the motion I was trying to describe (about four minutes in to the clip) - you don't have to have the blending tool to do this though, I use a regular sponge, other people like the finger daubers.
I bought a cheap bag of make up sponges from Wal-Mart that I cut in half to use...the bag was more than enough for any color I would ever think of doing. I use these to sponge ink or pastels...or whatever I am putting on the edges of my paper. Plus I use them for make-up too, so they are def not a waste of money!
The effect you want will determine the type of sponge you use -- white cosmetic sponges hold quite a lot of color and so you will get a much more saturated line, while yellow craft sponges like the ones in the SU! catalog (or the clay aisle at the craft store) will leave a much softer edge that sort of fades out as you get closer to the center of the paper.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Newbies are fun! I remember when I first started out. I fell in love with the pumpkin stamp from SU's Bitty Boos Too set. I didn't want to pay the price of the whole set, so I set off to stores in all directions, searching for a pumpkin that was similar. I now have over 300 SU "sets", not to mention the thousand other brands of individual and set stamps. And ALL that stuff you "need" to make cards. LOL But it's a blast!
Need advice -- edges of cardstock
