Background technique with versamark and inks

This is a technique that I may have invented! I can't be sure that no-one else has already done it but I haven't seen it anywhere. It came about when I wanted to create some backgrounds to use with my stampscapes stamps. I've seen some beauties done with distress inks and alcohol inks but despite having enough stash to keep a small craft shop in business for several months, I don't have either in my stash so I decided to have a play around and see what I could come up with and the result was this:

Click on the pictures to enlarge

1. Using a brayer, cover a piece of glossy or semi glossy card evenly with versamark ink.

2. Add the ink colours of your choice. I've found that dye inks or chalk inks work best for this technique.

3. When you have all the colours you want for your project you can use a sponge to move and blend the colours to get the effect you want. The versamark keeps the ink workable for quite a while on these types of card so you will then need to leave it to dry or use a heat tool to dry it off before stamping on it.

4. At this point you can add more colour if you wish in specific places.

The card I made using this image can be seen on my main blog and I hope this suggestion will help you make more use of what's already in your stash.
Ann x

I've been having another play with this technique - this time I used black glossy card and opalite inks. The irridescence in real life is beautiful but very difficult to capture in a photo so I'm posting more than one to give you a better chance! It's worth playing with though because the effects are stunning.The following pictures show the same thing but this time the colours were mixed together more and then covered with one layer of clear embossing powder and heat embossed. You coould go on to do as many layers of ep as you want to and it will get smoother each time so it just depends on the look you want. Give it a go and have fun!