Mixing ink types ~ which don’t play well together?

Thanks for taking that time pinklady !


And I just watched a video where she stamped an amalgam ink over dye inks. The only difference I could think of is that they were both Gina K inks, but I’m not sure why that would react differently than other dye inks.


Yes, and I tried at least half a dozen times. I was using Obsidian! It was new and I haven’t tried it for anything else, I will test it with a sentiment and outline because that’s the only thing I can see myself using black ink for.


I didn’t realize they needed to be dry, how long do you usually wait? I’m a really slow crafter and I was using tape rather than a sticky mat, and stenciling in other colors before I tried adding the second layer. I’m going to play around and see the difference between time to dry and not so I learn how that works. Yes, I was using a stencil, I’m pretty much lifting her “Yay” card here. and I was using new foamy ink blending brushes that I’m pretty sure were pea recommended. I just checked it against the sample card I stamped, and the other 3 cards I did and I realized what probably happened. I think I probably got a little bit of orange from the top of the stencil on it. So, it’s not muddy, just not as vibrant as I was hoping. 


I noticed that, I did one panel the night before and the next morning when I went in there to look at it and admire my work I was shocked! At first I attributed it to using cheaper cardstock, Neenah Exact Index 100# so then I tried it on Neenah Classic 100# and it seemed to hold on to the depth of color a little better, but it still faded some. 



Mostly for ink blending, sentiments, and very few outlines to use with copics. I just fell down the layered stencil rabbit hole, and I’ve enjoyed the blended backgrounds JM makes, so that’s my focus. I resisted that technique because I didn’t have many inks but layered stencils made me jump! My last couple of purchases I grabbed dye ink minis from different brands to test like Altenew, Pinkfresh, Gina K, Concord and 9th, and threw in some Archival Distressed ink because out of all my old inks they held up the best next to some pigment inks. The next time I get an order from ACOT I have a Catherine Pooler mini coming with it. I think I’m ruling Taylored Expressions out simply because they’re harder to come by. There is a quad stencil I want to try and if I do I’ll add an ink at that time just so I can compare.

While making my swatches I thought Gina K went down smoother and more completely with the first stamp…by a LOT. And I think Concord & 9th did fairly well on the first stamp too but IIRC it’s a foam pad and I don’t want to have to do a lot of re-inking.  But I do want the lighter/darker combos. I tried doing that with one ink, and on my first sample panel it went well, but by the time I got to my 4th the dark ink showed through even after wiping the brush off on cardstock. I only had 5 brushes (trying before I invest too much) so I didn’t have one for light/dark. That’s going to have to change. I just ordered a bundle of Altenew’s different blending brushes so I can see which type of brush I like best. Then if there are comparable cheaper versions of my favorite available I’ll get those so each color family can have 2 brushes. When they come in I will try making lighter/dark samples to see if that’s enough for me or if I really want the quad color sets by Pinkfresh. I keep seeing JM mention how nicely the distress inks blend, is there a reason to get those instead of a regular dye ink? I don’t do the mixed media, water spritzing thing. But they are readily available and have tons of colors. 

Thanks pinklady, I have the iso alcohol, and probably a spray bottle. I have been using the dry cloth only so I’ll do that next time I play. The set comes with brushes with bristles like you’re so I can see which I prefer. And I added the detail brushes to my cart regardless!