An Amazing and Easy Technique to Create Transparency with Ink Blending
by Lydia Evans January 27, 2021
Hello, Altenew friends. I think you're going to love this post! As I was creating the steps to arrive at these cards, I was getting more and more excited to share them with you!
This post has been edited to add a video at the end as so many were asking for that. Enjoy!
Beyond the beguiling rainbow of visual cotton candy is the fun way to combine the simple shapes of the Versatile Vases 2 Stamp & Die & Mask Stencil Bundle (and 1) in a way that accentuates their “transparency” and the unconventional coloring of the flowers!
Part 1: Stamping and Masking the Vases
To begin, I stamped each of the vases in the recently released Versatile Vases 2 Stamp Set onto masking paper and then cut them out, taking care to stamp each vase with enough room around it as to provide both a mask and a stencil. Altenew has mask/stencil sets to go with the Vase stamps, but I didn't have them at hand so I used the masking paper, but it isn't strictly necessary.
Then, I hand cut each vase, keeping the positive shape of the vase intact, as well as the negative part. I set the negative (outside portion) of each masked vase aside while I created arrangements with the masks.
After that, I first stamped with Obsidian Pigment Ink the images of the vases I wanted to appear in “front” on my finished design. I used the masks while they were still affixed to my cardstock to help me position the stamps, then removed all three (as in the above example) masks and stamped the two opposite pink and blue vases.
I then replaced the masks for the two stamped images, and going from memory (or a snapshot on my phone as the case may be…) I positioned the “behind” vase on the cardstock. Using a MISTI for this technique is a good idea because it makes the next “double-stamp” technique much easier and less likely to fail.
Part 2: Inking Up the Vases
Moving on to the 2nd card, but continuing with the description of how I did the vases….I inked up the middle vase stamp and closed the MISTI door, then opened it, removed the masks from the two outside vases, and quickly stamped again while the residual ink on the stamp remained wet and stamp-able.
The result is a fainter outline of the receding vase seen though the vases in front.
The next step is to add color to the vases. I positioned the “stencil” part of the first vase on the left, around the outside of the stamped shape, and ink blended color onto the vase. Then, I removed the stencil from the first vase and placed the second one around the middle vase and blended a different color onto that vase overlapping color onto the first vase and altering the color as a result. I tried to apply ink more heavily at the bottom of the vases and around the perimeter of the shape, leaving a light “highlight” in the middle of the vase. The Altenew Blending Tools work so well for beautiful, even color coverage!
I repeated that step with the third vase, overlapping the second vase, and achieving another unique shade as a result of blending one color over another. In the case of the 4-vase card below, I did introduce ink colors specific to the overlap shade just to emphasize that color – for example, the orange, green, and indigo colors “between” the vases. You can repeat this step with as many vases as you can fit onto your canvas, and I have four vases on the next card. (I think a framed piece with a row of all the vases in mixed colors and sizes would be SO cool! Note to self….).
When I had finished arranging and inking these three card panels, I set them aside and moved on to the flowers.
Part 3: Adding the Flowers
For the flowers, I began by stamping many of the blooms and leaves from the Poppy Garden stamp set and the Flower Garden stamp set, onto smooth cardstock that works well with Watercolor Brush Markers. I chose that paper because it allows the watercolor pigment to blend and flow before drying and absorbing much better than plain white cardstock but still also matching the stamped cardstock it is to be paired with.
Mimicking the watercolor painting I did on the florals in this post, I tried to use a rainbow of colors, even though it meant every petal was a different color! I realize there are no flowers in real life that actually look like these ones, but I feel like the world is a poorer place for it.
Once all my flowers and leaves were painted and dried, I cut them out. There are die sets for both the Poppy Garden and Flower Garden stamps, but I don't have them and my scissors needed some exercise. With a whole array of brightly colored blooms in front of me, I arranged a few to adorn some of the vases, and adhered them in place. The Poppy Garden set does have a stem you can use to stamp but I thought it was just as quick to draw it in with a marker and use a Frayed Leaf Alcohol Marker to color it in.
Final Touches
The “thank you for everything” sentiment on the first card is from the Versatile Vases 2 Stamp Set, the “hello” greeting is from the Versatile Vases 1 Stamp Set and the “I have been thinking of you” sentiment is from the Poppy Garden Stamp Set and is stamped on black cardstock with embossing ink and heat set with white embossing powder.
For the vases, I used combinations of Coral Berry, Orange Cream, Warm Sunshine, Green Field, Turquoise, Persian Blue and Hydrangea inks. For the flowers, it was a combination of Ultramarine, Lagoon, Grass Field, Hydrangea, Warm Sunshine, Fuchsia, Aqualicious, and Lime.
Video
Watch a video tutorial sharing this technique below or on our YouTube channel.
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!
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