Blending Stumps and OMS
 

Alright, so I bought the Koh-i-noor pencils, because I loved the tutorial by Gina K. But what now?! I don't have a blending stump or OMS. Blending stumps don't look like it will be to hard to come by (I thought I had one at home, but it turned out I didn't have one from drawing class from college). OMS, only slightly more difficult, but I can get online. Once I get it, how do I use it? I read how Gina said to sand down the stump and dip it in the OMS, but how often do I use the OMS? between colors? or more just occassionally? Any suggestions or thoughts?

Are there other things I can use for blending? Or brands of good blending stumps? or OMS? hopefully not too expensive though.

You can get OMS at Michael's w/ a coupon! I use the Mona Lisa brand which has her picture on the front. Its label says Paint Thinner, which is what OMS does. Under contents on back of the bottle it says - 100% OMS. It is in the artist dept. This bottle will last a really long time.
Gina K sells the Creative Mark brand of stumps. This is what I use. They work really well and are sold in different internet stores. Also, a member here, stamps&cars aka Ann Clack does a stump share about 2x a year. Lots of SCSers have bought from her. She buys in bulk and passes the savings on to us. She is a real sweet lady and a joy to buy from. You can PM her to see when she plans to have another one. Its possible she has some left from the last go-around!
I took her advice and use 1 stump per color. They last much longer because I'm not sanding the residue color pigment off in order to change color.
You will pick up a teensy bit of OMS on your stump often. You can tell by looking that the stump is getting dry. The color won't move using a dry stump.
I have Prismacolor Colored Pencils and love them. Gamsol Magic is my fav. coloring technique. That Gina could talk a turkey into jumpin' in the frying pan. ;) Now, I want to try the Koh-i-noor too!
I hope this has been some help! May God bless, Sandi

Sorry, I forgot to add that the stumps that Michael's has don't move the color very well.
Also, I use Georgia Pacific cardstock from Wal-Mart and Sam's. If you've never bought it, be sure you get the cs and not the paper. They make both.
I use either Versafine black or brown ink pad to stamp my images. This does not bleed. The Versafine in both colors are at Michaels too.
Some SCSers are using baby oil instead of OMS. Some are using Goo Gone. I have not tried these. I keep thinking they're gonna leave my stumps in a mess, lol. I sure wouldn't use either on my scrapbook pages. You may want to do a search in the forums on those 2 to read about it. HTH! Sandi

Great info from Sandi there, there are also lots of threads on the technique (try looking for Prismacolor pencils) out there already and a tutorial in the Resources section (here).

Just to add - you can hear it and feel it too! As the OMS evaporates, the stump starts to squeak a tiny bit and 'catch' on the surface of the paper.

I've joined in on stamps&cars stump shares and Sandi's right again - Ann was a pleasure to deal with and really helpful on shipping etc (I'm across the Atlantic so it can get a bit more complicated!).

um stupid question I know... but, what does OMS exactly stand for?

No question is stupid :cool:

Odorless Mineral Spirit - it's what fine artists use to thin oil paint so you'd usually find it with art supplies rather than really 'crafty' ones, IYSWIM.

Popular brands of OMS would be things like Gamsol or Mona Lisa (or here in the UK, Sansodor). Using the term OMS is just more generic than using a brand name.

HTH!

I know there is a lot already written about the blending stumps especially about which ones work better. I have a lot of both kinds and it doesn't seem to make a difference. What makes a difference is if I put down enough colored pencil so the OMS can melt the wax.

I also sand frequently as when there is too much wax on the stump it doesn't blend as well. If you are having problems, look at the tip of the stump, is the wax coated on the stump real shinny, then sand the stump, dip into the OMS, and blend. I know when to sand because its too smooth a feeling.

I love those Koh I Nor pencils. I wish they had more colors. I have those 24 and I think 86 Prismacolor pencils and I personally think the Koh I Nor spread much nicer, more vibrant. I actually have to remember how much farther and better they spread compared to prismacolor. Due to the number of colors I predominantly use the Prismas and a few Koh I Nor when I do an image. I have to lay down a thicker, heaver Prisma line than I do Koh I Nor for the same effect. Don't get me wrong, I love my prismas, too. I've become quite addicted to pencil and OMS coloring. My gallery pics all probably say Prismacolor pencils but there are usually a couple of Koh I Nor colors scattered in, too.

I use little Tortillions and Q-tips for blending - I had a box of some extra firm tipped q-tip type swabs that work really well, similar to what Sue Nelson uses here.. I need to try stumps but it seems I can't remember to order those when I'm shopping online for supplies or they don't have them. I can't find them locally. What I have works quite well anyway.

Sorry a bit wordy, but just wanted to say.. I've only been stamping, cardmaking, coloring for maybe 4 months and I'm loving it and I think my coloring is coming along fabulously for a newbie. Try it.. you are going to love it. I've not tried the baby oil or goo gone. I first used some OMS from the local hardware, while waiting for my Gina K OMS to arrive. It worked just fine.

HTH

Thank you so much for the helpful comments! Thank you Cindy for the helpful website link. What is great is that I have Goo Gone and q-tips, so I can play today and when I have time I can get a little more serious and buy the OMS and blending stumps! Hopefully I can find a little time to play!

If you have a chance to get some Beckett Expression cover stock, it's even smoother than the Georgia Pacific, and it's like blending butter on the surface of the paper. I get mine through Marcos Paper in Dayton, Ohio, but I know it's available other places.