DIY Banner with Distress Oxide Inks
It’s no secret that I’m an art supply junkie and WATERCOLOR is my jam! So… I’m always looking for ways to use art supplies to create watercolor effects. I have a ton of inks, ink refills and inky art supply things. Maybe more than one should. NAH, I love them all. ? It’s what inspired me to create this DIY Banner with Distress Oxide Inks.
Distress Inks are really fun to papercraft and create with. I’ve been a huge fan for years and yes…. I own them all. When the Distress Oxide Inks came out, I kinda “needed” them but wasn’t really sure why. Can you relate? HA! So, I got down to playing with them and watching some super fabby tutorials over on Jennifer McGuire’s site and I knew… I could bend them to my will and use them as a possible watercolor ink. ‘
So, here’s a little DIY Banner using the Distress Oxide Inks you may want to give a try for yourself.
Step 1: Painted some bloomy blooms on watercolor paper with a waterbrush and ink oxides. I opened up the inks and just rubbed them down on the glass to create a palette.
Step 2: Holy Smokes look at the density of color. Ink oxides are super easy to layer and are quite opaque when dry. So the more you layer the denser the color gets. The key in between application is to wet the work with a mister of water. When you dry it with a heat tool…it oxidizes and lights up ?
Step 3: Then, I took some banner dies from My Favorite Things and ran it through the die cutter. Yep, I cut the original art. Nope, I didn’t scan it first. Yep, it’s going to be okay. It’s all good. I can paint another one if I want to do it again. I also added in a bit of detail with a white Uniball Signo gel pen and some Nuvo Drops.
Step 4: Aren’t these little banners cute? I popped a few eyelets in and SHAMPOW!
Step 5: Threaded them up with a bit of hemp twine to finish them off.
Step 6: Hung it in the window of my studio. Quick decor that makes me happy. AND, I got to spend a little time exploring pushing distress inks to create watercolor effects. In total the project took about an hour and it was a total Craft MY Joy hour!
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8 Responses
Hi Lisa, your watercolor piece with Distress Oxide inks is gorgeous! At first I was surprised that you die cut it, because it was so beautiful, but t hen I saw the banner pieces and saw how they captured and highlighted many of the flowers and really loved the end result! And I must admit to being an art supply junkie too, having to periodically sell or donate the old/unused to make way for the new/better thing…
Hi Stef! Thanks so much for stopping by. It was a lot of fun to create. Hmmmm… I guess I should do that to make way for the new… but it seems like all I do is keep adding on. HA!
WOWZERS! Gorgeous painting and banner!
Awww! Thank you so much! I’m grateful you stopped by to visit. Love the Unicorn Valentine on your blog! Thanks for sharing.
I love this banner!!! So pretty!!! I am totally an art supply junkie as well!!!! I went crazy with my watercolor collection this Christmas !!! 🙂 I am obsessed with buying anything art supply related lol can’t help it!
Hi Christa! Thanks for stopping by. I’m so grateful you did. I can’t wait to see what you create with your new watercolors. Art supply junkies UNITE! 🙂
So inspiring!! You really made the Distress Oxides shine! I love how you cut your fantastic works of art and turn them into something else. What a beautiful banner! I should give my Distress Oxides a chance again as I wasn’t impressed with them initially. I only have two that I received via monthly kits so I figured I’d try them first before investing in them. It took me a long time to understand how Distress inks work and how to achieve the look I want so I know my learning curve with the Oxides will be a long one! LOL
Hi Christy! Thank you for the kind words. I’m so grateful you stopped by. Give them a chance. They really react when you mist them with water. They make a great pigment ink and are very vibrant as a stand alone ink for stamping. But, the shampow magic happens when you mist them and get them wet, then heat set. Once you’ve heat set, you can layer more on top. I really like to mash them down on glass or a craft mat and use them like a watercolor like I did here. Whatever you decide, just craft your joy and have fun with it! That’s what it’s all about. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help!