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Search the archive, three years of Inklings.
Ask the Artist
Our Artist in Residence, Dina Kowal, answers your questions
February 1, 2017
Q: Christine asks: "Is there a way to sharpen punches and corner rounders?"
A: Our dear Kittie, who does a lot of punching for her scene cards, recommends punching into aluminum foil and wax paper every 10-15 punches to keep the punches sharp and lubricated. Also, try punching through fine grit sandpaper to help sharpen the edges.
January 25, 2017
Q: Carol wants to know: "What is the best way to get ink from my pad onto a paintbrush? That is to say how do I paint with ink from an inkpad?"
A: There are two methods I've used. If the lid of the inkpad has a little give to it, you can squeeze the pad while closed to get some ink into the lid. Otherwise, I just tap the corner of the ink pad onto an acrylic block or craft sheet to get some ink down. Use a wet brush or waterbrush to lift the ink, and paint just like you would with reinkers or watercolors.
January 18, 2017
Q: Margaret asks: "Do you have any tips for using a glue gun? I recently completed a Christmas craft project that required using a glue gun. What a mess! Not only does it dry too fast I had strings of glue all over the place. Can you help?"
A: A friend of mine recommends using silicone finger guards - they'll protect your fingers and also allow you to press into the glue without sticking to it... I think they would also help with controlling the stringy nature of the glue. I've also read that a quick blast with a hair dryer or heat gun will shrink up those pesky strings.
January 11, 2017
Q: Louise wants to know: "I have been storing my rubber and clear stamps on stamp storage panels in binders. I have around 300 stamps. Is this okay?"
A: I used this system for years and never had any problems - it's space saving and very practical. Something I learned early was to store the binders horizontally... if they're upright, the weight of the stamps can cause the panels to sag and curve slightly at the bottoms, which can affect the stamps lower down on the panels.
January 4, 2017
Q: Sue asks: "What do you use to "shade" the background of an image you just colored with Prismacolor and Gamsol?"
A: If I'm not going to incorporate the image into a little scene, I'll use a coordinating pencil color around the image. If the image is more vintage, I might use yellowy browns to shade... if it's a more contemporary or happy image, I tend toward lighter blues or a color in the image that I want to highlight. Fill in around the image and blend out using the Gamsol to soften the edges. Be sure to give the image a base shadow to ground it if it's something that has weight... otherwise it will appear to be floating. I usually use a dark brown or grey for the shadow, in an elongated oval shape. Chalks are great for backgrounds too, but require a fixative so they don't smudge.
