Last week, I was in charge of posting the "Question of the Day" on the Label Tulip board.  One of the questions I asked was as follows:

Joined: 25 Sep 2008
Posts: 574
Location: NYC

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:41 am    Post subject: QOTD: 2/13/09 Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post

I'm all about the inky fingers. So, I thought we could talk brands. Share your favorite brand of:

1. Paint

2. Stamping Ink

3. Other (dye, spray ink, etc.)

and why it's your pick!

Lots of really interesting responses!  And I wanted to share my own personal list here.  Now, keep in mind that I am a collector of colorants, so I am only listing the stuff I regularly (like on a weekly basis) use.

PAINT

  • Making Memories: It's easy to find, comes in lots of colors and the drying time on paper is pretty darn quick.
  • Winsor&Newton: I have a set of tube watercolors by Winsor&Newton that I adore!  Though, I have been using the Koi watercolors from Sakura a lot recently.
  • Claudine Hellmuth Studio: I was fairly resistant to the Claudine paints at first.  I'll admit it.  I love the Making Memories paints, so I saw no point in switching over.  But, I love that they come in jars (just dip your brush, no need for a palette) and the quality really is excellent.  The consistency is also really nice – somewhere between fluid acrylics and traditional acrylics.
  • Golden: Golden is my "go to" for gesso these days, though I will admit that my first jar of gesso was Pro Art (which is much thicker than the Golden gesso) and sometimes I miss it.

STAMPING INK

  • Ranger Distress Inks: It will be no surprise to anyone to learn that I love Ranger's line of distress inks.  They sit on my desk and I use them almost every single time I sit down to scrapbook.  They're dye-based, reactive with water, and have an open drying time so you can emboss with them!
  • Ink It Up!: Don't stone me!  These $1 ink pads (yes, yes, probably not archival and you get what you pay for) are awesome for distressing and getting messy and directly rubbing on icky surfaces.  At $1, they're easy to abuse!
  • StazOn by Tsukineko: Love the jet black.  Use it for all my non-porous needs.  I know that some people use it on paper, but I don't like to.

OTHER (DYE, SPRAY INK, etc.)

This is the hardest category for me, because I have some stuff that I use "sometimes."  In an effort to be thorough, here is most of it….

  • GlimmerMist by Tattered Angels: I love the soft colors and the lovely shine.
  • Walnut Ink TintZ: Easy applicator bottles and a huge range of colors make it extremely easy to use.
  • Adirondack Color Wash: Love the intense colors and the fact that they're permanent on fabric!
  • Ranger Distress Ink Re-inkers mixed with Perfect Pearls: I love that I can custom make my own colors of glimmery spray!  I just wish I kept better track of what I had mixed together so that I could reproduce what I like!
  • Ranger Alcohol Inks: I love being able to cover non-porous surfaces that normally reject paint and other collorants.  Great range of colors and they last forever!  Excellent value.

How about you?  Is there a product you love that I missed?  Please let me know, I'm always looking for another way to get inky fingers!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a mixed-media artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops, her online classroom www.balzerdesigns.com, and through monthly membership at www.MyArtPractice.com.

16 thoughts on “Inky Fingers

  • Lot’s of my favorites in this List- I would love to try out the Claudine Paint- as soon as I find them in the states- they are not in Germany so far I know yet. I love also Amsterdam paint- I love the body of the paints- they need to dry a long time though – so that sometimes is a minus. When working on minialbums i love the Ranger Dabber paints- love the colors and the applicator.
    My all time favorite for paints though is making own with pigments – there is something about this that makes me happy.
    Inks- Ranger Archival Ink – my everday ink 🙂
    I’m with you on the dies and sprays.
    OK -nough said- LOL – I’m babbling along 😉

    Reply
  • Lot’s of my favorites in this List- I would love to try out the Claudine Paint- as soon as I find them in the states- they are not in Germany so far I know yet. I love also Amsterdam paint- I love the body of the paints- they need to dry a long time though – so that sometimes is a minus. When working on minialbums i love the Ranger Dabber paints- love the colors and the applicator.
    My all time favorite for paints though is making own with pigments – there is something about this that makes me happy.
    Inks- Ranger Archival Ink – my everday ink 🙂
    I’m with you on the dies and sprays.
    OK -nough said- LOL – I’m babbling along 😉

    Reply
  • Lot’s of my favorites in this List- I would love to try out the Claudine Paint- as soon as I find them in the states- they are not in Germany so far I know yet. I love also Amsterdam paint- I love the body of the paints- they need to dry a long time though – so that sometimes is a minus. When working on minialbums i love the Ranger Dabber paints- love the colors and the applicator.
    My all time favorite for paints though is making own with pigments – there is something about this that makes me happy.
    Inks- Ranger Archival Ink – my everday ink 🙂
    I’m with you on the dies and sprays.
    OK -nough said- LOL – I’m babbling along 😉

    Reply
  • Lot’s of my favorites in this List- I would love to try out the Claudine Paint- as soon as I find them in the states- they are not in Germany so far I know yet. I love also Amsterdam paint- I love the body of the paints- they need to dry a long time though – so that sometimes is a minus. When working on minialbums i love the Ranger Dabber paints- love the colors and the applicator.
    My all time favorite for paints though is making own with pigments – there is something about this that makes me happy.
    Inks- Ranger Archival Ink – my everday ink 🙂
    I’m with you on the dies and sprays.
    OK -nough said- LOL – I’m babbling along 😉

    Reply
  • I guess great minds think alike that would be my list if I wrote it lol

    Reply
  • I guess great minds think alike that would be my list if I wrote it lol

    Reply
  • I guess great minds think alike that would be my list if I wrote it lol

    Reply
  • I guess great minds think alike that would be my list if I wrote it lol

    Reply
  • Oh, fantastic links! Thanks! For acrylic paint I’m partial to Liquitex just because my dad uses it and it’s what I started with. For scrapping though I prefer MM…

    Reply
  • Oh, fantastic links! Thanks! For acrylic paint I’m partial to Liquitex just because my dad uses it and it’s what I started with. For scrapping though I prefer MM…

    Reply
  • Oh, fantastic links! Thanks! For acrylic paint I’m partial to Liquitex just because my dad uses it and it’s what I started with. For scrapping though I prefer MM…

    Reply
  • Oh, fantastic links! Thanks! For acrylic paint I’m partial to Liquitex just because my dad uses it and it’s what I started with. For scrapping though I prefer MM…

    Reply
  • Wow what a great post! Thank you so much for all the wonderful info!!

    Reply
  • Wow what a great post! Thank you so much for all the wonderful info!!

    Reply
  • Wow what a great post! Thank you so much for all the wonderful info!!

    Reply
  • Wow what a great post! Thank you so much for all the wonderful info!!

    Reply

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