PEP tangles - my Zentangle Inspired Art blog

Thursday 8 September 2011

MCC Colouring 101 Wk 4 - White Inkpads, Tooth & Pencils

After my previous post I sensed my own need to make a structured comparison of the white inkpads that I own in relation to using either the oil-based Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils or the wax-based Derwent Coloursoft pencils. Knowing how my own materials behave with one another is becoming more important to me as I realise that some of my failures & hence hesitancy in using certain styles of images has come about because I've not had sufficient knowledge to pay attention to the combination of cardstock/paper, inkpad & colouring medium suitable for that particular stamp. Add my own slight stature to the mixture - small hands & short height - & a particular project can become very frustrating not to mention time consuming.

I have now developed my own strategies for stamping. I stamp onto a hard surface - my favourite is a glass mat - & I always stand up. If the stamp is large, I place the glass mat onto a firm floor & whilst stamping use my knee (with the full force of my 7 stone weight behind it) on the stamp in order to get enough pressure. This works for me.

stamped onto smooth cardstock

stamped onto cardstock with a little tooth

I deliberately chose a stamp where there was a silhouetted area for colouring onto as well as some intricate detail - as you can see in the smooth cardstock example the butterfly's body & antennae are very finely detailed & quite separate (most apparent on the Adirondack, Brilliance & ColorBox Pigment stamped images) from the wings. I selected two pieces of black cardstock from my stash, one smooth & the other with some tooth.

At the end of the day it will depend upon personal preference (the photos are clickable for enlarging to enable a personal choice) & whether a matt or pearlescent effect is desirable. My wn favourite is the Adirondack inkpad on smooth cardstock & colouring with the Polychromos pencils.

The following is a summary of my findings:
  • Amongst the inkpads the Adirondack & Brilliance stamped with the best definition on the smoother cardstock although they also performed well with the rougher cardstock.
  • The Polychromos blended & layered the best on the smooth cardstock but also very well on the less smooth. The Coloursoft definitely gave a better finish on the rougher texture as it was difficult to achieve a smooth even blend when layering onto the smoother cardstock & there was some binding with increased layering.
  • Overall detail is easier to achieve with the Polychromos as they maintain their sharpened point very well & leave little debris whereas the Coloursoft need to be used more carefully so as not to smudge any of the pigment from their dusty debris into the cardstock. The Coloursoft also need sharpening more frequently.
  1. With Polychromos - use Adirondack or Brilliance inkpad on either cardstock.
  2. With Coloursoft - use Adirondack or Brilliance inkpad on the rougher cardstock.
  3. With Adirondack inkpad - use either pencil & select cardstock accordingly.
  4. With Brilliance inkpad - use either pencil & select cardstock accordingly.
  5. With smooth cardstock - use Adirondack or Brilliance inkpad with Polychromos.
  6. With rougher cardstock - use Adirondack or Brilliance inkpad with either pencil.
Recipe
Stamp Chocolate Baroque UDLSP0154 Butterfly Blush.
Inks Adirondack - Pigment Snow Cap, Brilliance - Brilliance Moonlight White, ColorBox Pigment - ColorBox Pigment Frost White, Chalk - ColorBox Chalk Alabaster, StazOn - StazOn Cotton White. 
Colouring Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils & Derwent Coloursoft pencils.
Cardstock Smooth & not so smooth from stash.

22 comments:

Aquarius said...

Well Paula these are certainly throrough tests and thanks so much for sharing your results and your thoughts - very helpful. Incidentally I discovered that the Stampin Up white pigment pad gives a good coverage onto dark card more or less on a par with the Adirondack snow cap. I had to smile when a read about the kneeling on large stamps - very resourcefull!!

jackiescrafts said...

Wow Paula you have been very thorough with your research into this, thanks for sharing. It's really interesting to see the difference that using the different ink pads makes. I was very limited when I did this piece of work as I only have one white ink pad which was whispers white but I'm going to have to get some others. I think I need to do Glenda's stamping course when she does it next which I think is in December as I'm sure I will learn loads. I've never had any stamping lessons just what I've learnt myself, I wish now I'd signed up for the September course but it's a busy month for me and i didn't think i could give the course the time it needed to get the most from it. Oh well next time.....

Jackie x

GinaA said...

Hard to choose between them all, and I know that photo' s don't show something as it is in the 'flesh' but I like the look of the brilliance, must be the magpie in me. I only have one white inkpad and have not had any good results with it. I may just invest in more.

Thanks so much for the information Paula, you always post a great blog.

Miranda said...

Hi Paula, thanks for sharing this and I totally agree with you, Adirondack Snowcap is the best! I bought 2 pads at the same time because I use this technique a lot and better one in reserve.....For as the pencils I have to try that myself because I have coloursoft, Karisma and some Prismacolours and a few Polychromos......Great to see your trials on paper! colourful greetz, Miranda

Unknown said...

wonderful insights....and showed so nicely with the butterflies!! looks like a pretty group of butterflies brought you all the info:):) love it!! xo

Elaine said...

Fabulous and educational Paula.
So they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder..my personal favourite is the butterfly on the smooth card stamped with the chalk ink. I love the softness and delicateness of the stamped image with the chalk in..so pretty.

Love Elaine xx

Annie said...

you are collecting a mass of information Paula, over the years I forget what tips I've seen and picked up so perhaps I should have written things down! As to the stamping, at double your weight I don't have a problem getting 'behind' a stamp!
enjoy the rest of your weekend.
hugs, annie x

xxxtglxxx said...

Ooh, I like the Staz on :) But amazing how different they all look eh?

Really useful comparisons, and very well presented. :)

Have a great week Paula, I have my 3rd set of family staying within the last month, so its been a bit hectic here, but just one more week of chaos! :)

hugs

xxalisonxx

Wendy Ramlakhan said...

I picked my favorite and then read that that was your favorite too!! :) You are like a crafting mad scientist!! (I mean this as a compliment) You research it all out so thoroughly. I think a craft magazine should hire you to do product testing!! :)

Marja's Stamp Addiction en Marja's Creativity said...

Hi Paula, my favorite is Adirondack. Thank you for all this information and let seeing us the differences.
Lovely greet
Marja

Claire said...

Excellent research again Paula, I must have missed this when you posted it. I haven't been impressed with stazon and believe it or not I still haven't managed to get hold of the snowcap inkpad.
Claire xx
PS How many themeplates?? I don't know how many I've collected but I think we definitely have a chocolate baroque addiction lol xx

brenda said...

Very interestinf research Paula, really good of you to share.

I am very much an Adirondack girl, but I do love brilliance for use on sihouette stamps and it is great for using as a colouring medium. And of course not forgetting good old TH distress inks.

Just had a little brows down your recent psots and the seahorse is amaging, the depth of colour is wonderful.

B x

Autumn said...

This is fantastic Paula and your coloring of everything on this page is just wonderful!! I really like the sail boat on the black cardstock, so pretty! You are going to be colorer extrodanair when you are done! Keep up the awesome work!
xxAutumn

Elizabeth Allan said...

Paula I enjoy reading about your technical color research. I agree, knowing how your products work with one another is a great advantage when starting a project.

Alina said...

your blog is just awesome, Paula, I could spend hours here!!
I'd like to thank you for all your lovely comments, I'm honoured!
hugs, Alina

craftimamma said...

Hi Paula,

I've just spent an age reading back through your blog posts and I've enjoyed every single minute. As a student you are definitely to be commended on your diligence and you obviously gained a great deal from taking Glenda's colouring course. Your results are beautiful and I keep going back to have another look at some of my favourite pieces - the 'tsunami' is one and the dragon is another but they are all lovely.

I'm in the middle of the Back to Basics one and although I've been stamping for 4 years I'm thoroughly enjoying doing all the groundwork that I never even thought about doing before, having just dived in with both feet and consequently made lots of mistakes. I'm also going to do the more advanced one at the end of October. I hope Glenda revisits the colouring one in the new year as I know I won't have time to fit it in before then.

Can I just say what a lovely surprise it was to meet you at the book shop yesterday as I had no idea you lived in that beautiful area. It really made my day and I can vouch for the fact that you are definitely a very petite lady so there is no wonder you have difficulty handling and applying weight to stamps especially the larger ones. Not a task I have any trouble with myself, lol, although I do usually stand up to apply pressure to a stamp.

I'll definitely be back to visit you again Paula.

Hugs
Lesley Xx

Giò said...

I also love to stamp stand up!! All your work of study and testing is really helpful!!!
Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
Huge hugs, Giò

Giò said...

... I almost forgot to thank you with all my heart for your lovely comment full of kindness, affection and encouragement. Thanks thanks thanks my dear bogger friend ^:^
Hugs, Giò

xxxtglxxx said...

Just popped by to say Hi Paula :) and I hope all is ok. Thanks so much for your lovely comments! :)

hugs

xxalisonxx

Jilly said...

I saved your blog for my future reference. And I sure to make it on this Christmas, Never try to create card in single colour. Wonderful texture with a fabulous dimensional element, also.
printed calculators

brenda said...

You research is so impressive Paula and always so intersting to read.

Like you I always stand up to stamp, but often wondered about a glass mat as with my dexterity issues it just might help improve the image - some days too many make their way to the bin because of uneaven pressure.

Have a good weekend.

B x

Lorraine said...

omg im so sorry paula i can't see how i managed to miss this post i think you are turning into a real pro where colouring techniques are concerned these butterflies look so beautiful huni xx