2017 Topic12: Hybrid Inks {Intro and Challenge}

 2017 Topic 12: Hybrid inks

Shirley Bee

Well hello everyone, Darcy here to introduce another new topic, this time we are are entering the exciting world of hybrid inks. These are relatively new to the market but are becoming increasingly popular as more information and techniques are discovered.

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 11: Books Challenge...

The winner is: Chris  from pearshapedcrafting

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

There are several hybrid brands on the market, this evening we will look at just a few, exploring their properties and what can be achieved. 

First up we have Nuvo Hybrid inks from Tonic Studios, their hybrid qualities are in the composition of the ink. They are a hard felt pad containing permanent pigment ink. These inks are very fast drying, so not really for creating backgrounds, however very useful for colouring edges. They are not too opaque so can be layered. 

These inks do not react to water so they are ideal for stamping images that are to be coloured with watercolour paints, water soluble pencils, distress inks etc. The inks do not smudge, meaning you cam also use these inks alongside alcohol pens such as Copics and Promarkers. This is their key feature, an ink that doesn't bleed, and you don't need to heat set either. Of course, you can use cut 'n' dry foam to create soft backgrounds with your blending tool too, this will produce permanent backgrounds, and is a nice idea through stencils.

Available in 6 kind of soft country-colours that all work well together, it's a solid versatile ink that gives a nice sharp image, and the black is a really good black too, plus a yummy grey ...everyone loves grey ink these days!  So our summary is a good all-rounder ink if you are new to stamping. 

Here the image has been stamped with black nuvo ink and then coloured with alcohol markers. 

Lou Sims

Here Paula has used one of her favourite techniques of combining water based inks with the nuvo inks stamped over the top. 

Paula Pascual

They can be used on multiple surfaces, not just paper, however surfaces such as vellum, acetate and fabric do need to be heat set. There are 6 colours (black, brown, grey, green, red, purple-ish blue available plus a clear ink that can be used for embossing. 

Next we have the Palette Hybrid inks from Stewart Superior, these are described as the ultimate all purpose ink pad that comes in fine art colours. The main plus point to these inks, is that they work on all surfaces. This eliminates the confusion over which ink pad to use and also cuts down the expense of separate inks for each surface. 

These inks also dry quickly on paper but must be heat set on glossy surfaces and fabrics. There is a huge selection of colours( including metallic)  plus a clear pad for embossing. These inks too can be used with watercolour, meaning you can colour in all your stamped images. 

Katie Renz

Here the Palette ink has been used on a ceramic plant pot. 

Bluediamond

Another hybrid ink is from My Favourite Things, these too are fast drying, waterproof, can be used with alcohol markers and can be used on many surfaces with some needed to be heat set to become permanent. 

Look at this wonderful scruffy pooch, stamped in MFT hybrid ink and then coloured with Copics and coloured pencils. 

Jane

This lovely summery card has been created using MFT hybrid inks for the outlines, then the colour was added using Peerless watercolour paints. 

Kay Miller

The above inks all work in the same way, but it is useful to know there are options if you cannot find one specific brand. Now let's have a look at the latest inks from Ranger. 

Distress Oxides

These inks are a completely different type of 'hybrid' (as you know, hybrid means a mix of 2 or more feature'. Oxides are (like all distress products) water reactive, so no surprises there, but this is a pigment AND dye ink fusion. (the original distress inks are dye inks). So the Oxide inks do everything you can do with the original distress plus MORE.

When sprayed with water the ink produces an oxidised effect (which kind of means they go chalky-lookig and a bit matte). The oxide inks are perfect to create really interesting backgrounds. The inks kind of puddle up when blobs of water are flicked onto the surface, then as you dry those puddles you get cool defined watermarks as they dry, as well as the chalky-oxide look. It's all depends on how much ink and how much water you apply. 

The other massive difference with these is that the pigment ink in them is super creamy. You can blend with your fingers or a tool, apply through stencils super easily, you can layer ink over ink (with FULL opacity) so if you hate what you have made you can obliterate and layer so very easily. Pigment inks also are slow-dry, so you can emboss these too, and you will get a sharp image, so great for quotes, and feature image stamping. 

Finally, as the opacity is massive, you can also use these onto DARK card stock, craft card, black card, coloured card...so you are NOT restricted in oyur starting point. Also we find they are awesome with infusions, and over Fresco chalk paint! 

Distress Oxide inks are now (Aug 2017) available in 24 colours. 

There are many many techniques to be had with these, so we recommend you start with 3 colours, light, mid tone and dark, and build from there. There is nothing like this out there, so have a go!

Here is Tim Holtz showing the new colours with a couple of short demos at the end of the video. 

Here Alison has created a wonderful landscape background using these inks. 

Alison Bomber

A stunning tag now showing just how well the oxides work on a dark background. 

Jan

Next a really fresh and clean card using oxides to create a blended background and then topped with white embossing powder. 

Lin 

Another great introduction video, this time from Jennifer McGuire, this video was made before the second release of colours, in this video she also shows the difference between Distress inks and Oxides. 

These cards employ the glazed resist technique, adding the glaze through a stencil first and then adding ink. 

Cheiron Brandon

The super vibrant colours of oxides really make these hearts pop off the front of this card. 

Jenn

In stark contrast these cards were made from a watered down masterboard, the colours are much more delicate and do in fact look just like watercolour paint washes. Very delicate and beautiful. 

Brenda Brown 

A final video, again from Jennifer McGuire, here she makes galaxy backgrounds. 

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

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