Hi there! Today is the start of my summer break, so expect a lot of content coming soon and some fun surprises. 🙂 Today’s video shows how to use your dye ink pads as watercolors to get fun and vibrant effects. I will be comparing ink types and creating a couple cards using the ink/watercolor.

I love using my inks as watercolors because I have invested more money in inks and have way more colors than watercolors. Ink pads are a great investment/tool because you can use them for stamping, watercolor, and many more techniques on cards. You just need to find the right ink for your collection!

I only used the Altenew ink pads in today’s video because I found they gave the best results however, I tested a bunch of inks and created a chart to share how they reacted when broken down with water.

Watch the tutorial HERE in full HD!

I used ink pads from Altenew, Catherine Pooler, Studio Calico, Brutus Monroe, Hero Arts (hybrid), Hero Arts (dye), Umbrella Crafts, and Simon Says Stamp.

I found that the inks that are water based (on the left) break down better and give a smooth, vibrant color. Then the inks that are waterproof when stamping (on the right) still work very well but, when they are broken down with water they have little flakes and aren’t as smooth. I encourage you to test the inks you have and let me know how they work!

For both of the cards, I used the Paper Layering Koi Fish die which looks completely stunning when cut and added onto a card. The dies cut amazing detail that can be popped up on your card for added dimension and an awesome look!

On the first example, I watercolored the koi fish using three vibrant inks from Altenew and blended the colors together with a water brush. Then, I created a wave pattern background by smooshing the edge of my inkpad onto a blue card base which gave an awesome finishing touch.

For the second card, I used the negative watercolor cardstock that I cut my koi fish out of and watercolored it using the Wink of Stella glitter brush and the dye inks. This gives a really cool glittery effect without any mess around your work space or on your hands. I popped the card panel onto a gray card base with foam tape and added some “texture” with an inkpad. For the sentiments, I used the fun and quirky Irreverent Birthday stamp set (these sentiments make for some fun and funny cards). 🙂

I hope you enjoyed seeing the cards and learned a bit! Let me know if you would like a full tutorial and post all about different ink pads and types of ink that I recommend… Have a great day!

SUPPLIES

All of the supplies used in today’s video are linked below. I am affiliated with Ellen Hutson (EH), Simon Says Stamp (SSS), and Scrapbook.com (SB), so I do get a portion of the profit (with no extra cost to you) this is how I am able to run this blog. Affiliate links used when possible. I appreciate your support!

Hero Arts – Frame Cuts – Dies – Paper Layering Koi Fish with Frame	Hero Arts Fancy Die Paper Layering KOI FISH with Frame DI336	Hero Arts – Everyday Collection – Clear Acrylic Stamps – Irreverent Birthday Messages	Hero Arts Clear Stamps IRREVERENT BIRTHDAY MESSAGES CM143
Altenew RUBY RED Crisp Dye Ink Pad AN165	Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Ruby Red	Altenew CARAMEL TOFFEE Dye Ink Pad AN174	Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Caramel Toffee
Altenew DUSK Crisp Dye Ink Pad AN195	Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Pad, Dusk	Altenew Crisp Inks	Altenew Crisp Inks
Tim Holtz DETAILER WATER BRUSH Ranger Watercoloring TIP33080	Ranger Tim Holtz Water Brush, Detailer/Fine Brush Nib	ZIG – Memory System – Wink Of Stella – Glitter Brush Marker – Glitter Clear	ZIG Wink of Stella GLITTER CLEAR Brush Tip Marker 025320
Crafter’s Companion CLEAR OVERLAY Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens SPECNSPACLE3	Crafters Companion Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens, Clear Overlay	Tim Holtz 4.25 X 5.5 DISTRESS WATERCOLOR CARDSTOCK Ranger Ink TDA39549	Ranger Distress Watercolor Cardstock
VersaMark Ink Pad	Tsukineko Versamark EMBOSS INK PAD Watermark VM-001	Hero Arts WHITE EMBOSSING POWDER PW110 Emboss	SSS
Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# BLUE VIOLET BV13	Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# SMOKE Gray SM28	Neenah Classic Crest 110 LB SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets	Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk
Memento TUXEDO BLACK INK PAD Full Size me-900	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	ShurTech Green Frog Multisurface Masking Tape	Tombow Adhesive Craft Stamp DISPENSER & REFILL Dot Pattern Runner 62143 Permanent
Tombow Stamp Runner Dot Adhesive Runner & Refill	3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Permanent	Scotch Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape	Fiskars SPRING-ASSIST SCISSORS Micro-tip 04977
Fiskars Titanium Micro-Tip Easy Action Scissors	03441 Fiskars PREMIUM CUT LINE Paper Trimmer 12 Inches	Fiskars SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer (12″)	SSS
Inkadinkado Clear Acrylic Blocks, Small and Medium	Simon Says Stamp SMALL TEFLON BONE FOLDER Tool SSSTF	Teflon Bone Folder	Martha Stewart MINI SCORING BOARD Score Craft Tool 42-05013
Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Hero Arts ULTRA CLEAN Stamp Cleaner nk202	Hero Arts Clear Stamp Cleaner, Ultra Clean	Hero Arts DOUBLE SCRUBBER PAD Stamp Cleaner nk301
Sizzix – Tim Holtz – Alterations Collection – Vagabond 2 Die Cutting and Embossing Machine	SSS	SSS

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