Black Ink Comparison

I have been intrigued by a variety of black inks.  I personally own all of these black inks.  And no company provided these black inks. I only thought this ink comparison might be helpful to my fellow stampers.  Therefore I am sharing these with you.

Black Inks	Pros	Cons	Good for
Memento Tuxedo Black	Copic friendly, nice and dark, Works with pencil blending solution such as Gamsol	Not waterproof	Image stamping for Copic coloring, sentiments
Versafine Onyx Black	Crisp dark ink, good for embossing, good for sentiments on unfinished card stock	Not Copic safe even when heat embossed, can smudge with pencil blending solution, takes longer to dry because it is a pigment ink, not good on glossy or card stock with a slick finish.	Perfect for heat embossing with clear or detail black embossing powder, sentiment stamping on plain card stock, good for water coloring.
Stazon Jet Black	Good for slick surfaces such as acetate and glossy card stock, waterproof, works with pencil blending solution	Not Copic safe as both are solvent inks.	Stamping on acetate, plastic, glass, and other nonporous surfaces, and for watercoloring
Ranger Archival Jet Black	Waterproof, permanent	Not Copic safe, can smudge with pencil blending solution	Stamping images for watercoloring, sentiments
Distress Ink  Black Soot	Good ink for techniques, good for distressing and ink blending	Not Copic safe, can smudge with pencil blending solution, not waterproof, not good for sentiments	Good for ink techniques
Gina K Black Amalgam	Good dark black ink, works with Copic markers, watercoloring, and works with Gamsol	Should be heat set first before coloring	Good all round ink for multi-purpose stamping
Brillance Graphite Black	works on vellum, mica, acetate, photo papers, sculpey clay, shrink plastic, and regular card stock	It is a hybrid and not good for watercoloring or Copics	Works well on nonporous surfaces
Hero Arts Intense Black	Crisp black ink, Copic safe, good for watercoloring, acid free, use with gamsol, and permanent	Slightly “less black” than some other black inks	Good for image stamping and for sentiments and greetings

 Have a great day and get inky. 

Pelican Flap Card

I used three stamps for this card:  Ropes, Pelican, and Smooth Sailing.  I used
Copic markers to color the image and the ropes. I created the flap to close the card but it didn't want to stay flat.  So I added a dragon fly brad and a circle paper clip to hold the flap in place until it is opened.

This is the inside of the  card. And below is a close up of the circle paper clip and the brad.

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 Make sure your day is stampalicious -- and get inky!

Angled Hydrangeas

I saw this technique on Pinterest somewhere.  I thought it was cool and wanted to try it.

I decided to use it with the stamp Hydrangeas.  The image was watercolored.

To get this look is not hard at all.  Each layer was one half inch smaller than the previous layer.  Then I angled the layers and used temporary adhesive to hold them in place.  Once all of the layers were in place, I stamped the Hydrangeas using a stamping platform similar to the MISTI.   That way, I was sure to be able to get the image nice and clear on every single layer.

Then I watercolored all of the layers.  After that was dry, then I added the purple layer to each of the watercolored layers. I added shimmer to the flowers with Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua pens.   I trimmed off the extra parts that hung over the edge before adhering it to the final purple layer, and adhered to the green layer.  If you were making a square card, the last trimming may not necessary. 

Did you know the reason that hydrangeas in the northeast have blue and not  pink flowers?  This is especially true on Cape Cod.  The soil has so much salt water (which is acidic) and that causes the flowers to be blue.  And if you use an acidic fertilizer on your hydrangeas  - even in the middle of the country! - you will get blue flowers as well. 

 Now save yourself some money on your order when you use TJ10Judy as you check out.

Have a wonderful stampalicious day and get inky!

Dream and Love

I used Row and Dream without Fear to create this card.I watercolored the water, and sponged sunrise in the sky. Both stamps were heat embossed with detail black embossing powder.

Remember you can get 10% off your entire order when you plug in the code TJ10Judy as you check out.

 Have a stampalicious day and get inky!

Life is a Journey

I have been using some older backgrounds that I created years ago.  And this card has one of them.  The background panel was created with the Antiqued Glimmers technique from the Technique Junkie Newsletter from December 2009/January 2010.  

The Pelican stamp was colored with Nuvo Embellishment Mouse which I used as watercolors.  I added some lines for details here and there with a fine point black pen.  Life Is a Journey stamp is from the set Enjoy the Ride which has 6 stamps in it.

Do you like saving money?   You can do that by using my personal code TJ10Judy when you check out.

Have a stampalicious day, and get inky!

Sailing Away

This poor sail boat is caught out in a storm that is about to hit.  Sailing Panel depicts this very well.   The verse is Get Well Soon.  I used a scrap of card stock from the background.

The background was created with two different A Colorful Life Stencils.  The stencils were sprayed with two different shades of blue Shimmering Bliss Sprays.

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Have a stampalicious day, and get inky!

Love Without Limits

Summer Bouquet and Dream Without Fear are paired together to create this card.   I used Shimmering Bliss Sprays as watercolors and painted the flowers.  And boy, do the flowers just shimmer and shine!  The verse was heat embossed on yellow vellum and adhered with one of my Xyron machines.  

The background paper was created with DSP and sprayed with Distress Oxide sprays.

Saving money is always good.  Save 10% using the code TJ10Judy when you check out.

Have a stampalicous day, and get inky!

You're in My Prayers

I used Sailing Panel  and You are in My Prayers to create this card. I used Copic markers to color the sail boat.  I used a Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua pen on the water to make it shine.

The focal image was then placed on a sheet of black glossy card stock created with Opalite Smoosh technique.  This background piece was in my stash.

Please remember to save yourself some money and use TJ10Judy to get 10% off your total order.  Put the code in the box when you check out.

Have a stampalicious day and get inky!

Wishing You~~~

I used  one A Colorful Life Stencils to create the background for this card.  I sprayed Shimmering Bliss Sprays pver the stencil. After that dried, I stamped Anchors Background in a darker blue ink. 

Then I very carefully inked up only the ship in  black ink on the Learning to Sail stamp.  The verse  on that stamp is great but I just wanted the ship for my card.   I colored it with my Copic markers, and then highlighted it with the Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pen.

Smooth Sailing was stamped on a scrap of card stock and layered, and then adhered in the sponged sky.  

Please remember you can SAVE 10% by using my personal discount code - TJ10Judy when you check out.

Have a stampalisicous day, and get inky!

Voice of the Sea

I used this Pelican stamp and the verse is from Seahorses-set of 6.  I watercolored the image.  I heat embossed the verse with detail black embossing powder.  The background for all is a piece of  glossy black card stock on which I used Opalite Smoosh technique. 

I added some broken up sea glass as an embellishment.

Get some savings by using my discount code TJ10Judy. That will give a 10% discount when you check out.

Have a stampalicious day and get inky!

Be Strong!

This great stamp  Strong, Brave, and Humble is part of the Technique Junkies Stamps new release for July.   The focal image is colored with my Copic markers.  

The background was created with the Opalite Smoosh technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter.

Please remember that all of the new releases for Technique Junkies stamps are on sale for 15% off -- there is an automatic discount when you check out through July 8.   And this is the last day to get this discount! 

And you can stack the savings by using my personal code TJ10Judy and get another 10% off. What a deal!

Have a stampalicious day and get inky!

Dream Without Fear

 I used the beautiful stamps Vintage Daisy Collage   and Dream Without Fear to create this card.  I colored the image with Nuvo Glitter markers.  The verse was stamped  with a dark black ink. 

Be sure to shop all of the newly released Technique Junkies Stamps for July.   You get an automatic discount through July 8 when you check out.

Then stack the savings and get another 10% off when you use the code TJ10Judy.  

Have a stampalicious day, and get inky!

Smooth Sailing

I decided to make this card an almost monochomatic card. The Ropes were stamped with brown pigment ink on brown card stock. They were heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I used the  Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pens to bring them into view.  

The new Sailing Panel Technique Junkies Stamp was stamp in brown Memento ink and water colored with shades of blue. I used the Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pens  to add shimmer to the sails.  The verse Smooth Sailing was stamped with dark brown pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I use the Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pens to add shimmer and interest to the verse panel.

Don't forget that all of the new Technique Junkies Stamps are all sale for an automatic 15% off.

And you can tack on an additional 10% off by using my personal code - TJ10Judy. 

Have a terrific day getting inky.

YIPPEE!! New Stamps for July!

I love new stamp releases!  It is always exciting to see what is new!  I often get ideas just from seeing the stamps.  But it is so great to actually see how people have used the new stamps.  And that is exactly the purpose of this blog post -- and all of the blog posts from the Technique Junkies Stamps Design Team. You can see all of the new Technique Junkies Stamps here.   Then click on through the Design Team's blog posts and see what wonderful creations are in store you today!

You begin seeing all of the new stamps in use by going to the Technique Junkies Blog . As always the new stamps will be on sale for an automatic discount of 15% off through July 8.

This lovely card was created with Technique Junkies Stamps Summer Bouquet.  I colored the flowers with Watercolors and painted the center of the flowers with Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pens.  These are wonderful and have glitter and shine than other similar pens. The bottom on the background was created with a variation of the Circle Strips Technique. 

This card features the new TJ stamp Strong, Humble, and Brave.   Such a great challenge for all of us!

I used my Copic markers on the focal image. I added highlights here and there with the Kaiser Glitter Gel pens. For this card I used the Opalite Smoosh Technique from the Technique Junkie Newsletter to create the background.   

My last card uses two new Technique Junkies Stamps: Ropes and Pelican, and an older stamp from the TJ set of 6 - By the Sea.  The verse was heat embossed with detail black embossing power.

Copic markers were used to color the pelican and the water. I sponged the sky with a home made cloud template.  And I used a water brush to pull the dye based ink in the stamped ropes to add just enough color to the ropes so the ropes would still visually be in the background. 

Be sure to visit every blog of the Design Team which is listed here for your benefit.

Technique Junkies Blog - Start here, please.

Beth Norman-Roberts

Ceal Pritchett

Giovana Smith

Holly Brown

Janelle Stollfus

Janine Tinklenberg

Jeanne Streiff

Jessie Banks

Judy Jackson - You are here!

Kia Gibson - Go here next.

Lee Ann Barrett

Lynda Pleckan

Pat Huntoon

Ro Donner

Stephanie Severin

Don't forget the newly released Technique Junkies

July stamps are 15% off through July 8.

And if you use my code  TJ10Judy you will get another 10% off!   😻  So go shopping, friends!

Have a wonderful day -- and make some time to get inky!!