Calling All Damsels in Distress

I remember when Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink released their new product, Distress Markers. Oh, how I loved what they could do when the ink is activated by water! I HAD to have them so I ordered the entire set online. I couldn’t wait until they arrived and when they did I started playing with them right away.

At the time I was a serious paper crafter and I made cards all the time. I used Distress Markers in my cardmaking for a while. I only knew one or two techniques and soon enough the next great product caught my attention and the Distress Markers sat in the bin for years.

When Distress Oxide Inks were introduced I felt the same excitement as I did when the Distress Markers were new. I HAD to have them! And just like the markers, I ordered the whole set online. When they arrived, I started playing. These hybrid pigment and dye inks were different from any other inks I knew of. Like all Tim Holtz Distress products, they react to water. But the blend of inks allows for layer after layer of ink without mixing the colors and making mud. The trick is that the layers need to dry before adding another layer. They were revolutionary!

Unlike the time I bought the markers, this time was different because I was spending most of my days in my new studio playing as a full-time artist. I scoured the internet for techniques to use these new Distress Oxide Inks. There are so many! All of this research made me want to work with all the Distress products so now I have LOTS of Distress Inks and other things “Distress”.

Here are just a few samples I’ve made using a variety of techniques:

This first sample uses Distress Ink over white heat embossed resist.

This next sample uses Distress Oxide Ink over white heat embossed resist. The Distress Ink tends to be more vibrant. The downside is that the ink will continue to react to water unless it is sealed. The Distress Oxide Ink looks softer or even chalky, but it doesn’t feel chalky to the touch and more importantly, it does not react once it is dry.

I made these cards using Distress Inks and 2-Step Stamping. I added splatters and shimmer mist too.

Here is another 2-Step Stamping example but this time using Distress Oxide Inks on craft cardstock. I added some shimmer pen which you can see in the closeup.

Last year I got this beautiful stamp and I used it to make 2 Anniversary cards. I used Distress Oxide Inks on both. The first card is just a simple splash of color under the stamped image. For the second card I heat embossed the stamped image with gold and used a paintbrush and painted with the ink. You can tell I like the splatter!

And of course I had to try the Distress Oxide Inks on Zentangle tiles so here are a few Zentangle tiles that I created using the inks. The tiles take the inks beautifully!

I hope this inspires you to add Distress products to your art. Do you have more techniques to share? I’d love to hear about your experiences with Ranger Distress products! Please leave a reply and share!

Til next time. Be You and Be Happy!