Create the Moving Ink Background
Tape a piece of mixed media cardstock to a board on all four sides. Mist the surface with clean water and allow it to soak in. This “pre-wets” the card so the inks glide and blend instead of soaking in instantly. On a palette or craft mat, decant a little French Mustard ink and mix in a touch of Mushroom to soften the vibrancy. In a separate area, mix Cobalt Blue Hue with a little Mushroom in the same way. Adding Mushroom to each colour helps them harmonise and prevents them looking too bright or clashing.
Prop the board to a slight angle. Lightly mist the card again so the top surface is freshly damp – this encourages the inks to “move”. With a very soft, loaded brush, sweep the French Mustard/Mushroom mix into areas of the card, allowing it to flow and follow the water. Rinse the brush, then add the Cobalt Blue Hue/Mushroom mix, letting the colours drift into each other naturally. Leave some white or very light patches – this negative space adds a soft, cloudy feel and gives the stamped image somewhere to “breathe”. Avoid overworking; the beauty of this background comes from letting the inks bloom, fuse and soften on their own. Lay the board flat and allow it to dry completely (air drying gives the nicest soft edges).
Trim and Choose the Best Area
Once dry, look over the ink background sheet and decide which parts you like most. Trim out a panel that suits the Dance stamp composition, leaving enough space for the sentiment along one side. Offcuts can be trimmed into bookmarks, tags or extra card fronts – nothing goes to waste with this technique.
Stamping the Fairy Character
Place the trimmed ink panel in the corner of a stamping platform. Position the Dance stamp in the desired position face down and 'pick up' with the platform. Ink the stamp with Versafine Clair Nocturne and stamp. If any area looks a little light, ink again and stamp a second time – the platform will keep everything aligned perfectly. Position the “Dance like nobody’s watching” sentiment along the side and stamp with Versafine Clair, using light pressure so the script stays crisp. Allow the ink to dry thoroughly.
Bleached & Coloured Focal Image
Use a fine brush and thin bleach to paint inside the stamped lines. The black Versafine ink will not be affected but the background ink will start to lift and appear more like the original colour of the card. Allow this to dry fully so the bleach does not interfere with the inks added next.
Colour with Water-based Inks
Follow these guidelines to get the same look as Andy or use your own colour scheme. For the wings paint with Tangerine ink, then blend Firecracker Red from the base of the wings outwards while still damp. This creates the warm, glowing orange-red fade seen in the project. The dress uses Cobalt Blue Hue mixed with a touch of Mushroom to create a deeper, slightly vintage teal-blue. Paint the dress with this mix, letting the stamped image provide the detail. Use Buff ink as a gentle skin tone for arms, legs and face, keeping the brush fairly dry so the lines stay sharp. Combine Raspberry Ripple with a little Mushroom to create a muted rose-pink, then paint the shoes and central panel of the dress. Dry with a heat tool or leave to air dry.
Finishing & Mounting
Mount onto a piece of black cardstock to frame the colours and drama of the image. This piece works beautifully as a card, framed art, or part of a mixed media project.
Cosmic Shimmer
