VIDEO | How to Achieve Soft & Smooth Ink Blending with Pinkfresh Studio

Hello there, I am delighted to be over on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube Channel today, sharing a card using soft and smooth ink blending for both the focal point and the background. This gives the card a light and airy feel. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by stamping the image from the Pinkfresh Studio Butterflies in Bloom Stamp onto white cardstock using Pinkfresh Studio Detail Black Hybrid Ink. I then placed the Pinkfresh Studio Butterflies in Bloom Stencils on top, one by one, to add ink blending using inks and blending brushes. 

• Stencils 1 & 2 use Ocean Breeze and Mermaid Cove Ink for the flower petals with a 1/2" Blending Brush.
• Stencil 3 uses Lemon Whip Ink using a 1/2" Blending Brush, as well as Sweet Mustard & Marigold Inks, for the flower centres and small flowers using a 1/4" Blending Brush.
• Stencil 4 uses Grassy Knoll Ink for the leaves using a 1/2" Blending Brush.

Tips for ink blending with stencils:

• Start with your brush on the stencil material, the brush will then glide nicely from the stencil to the image (on the cardstock) and you will get a smooth blend.
• Place the brush initially where you want the darker areas to be. When there is less ink on the brush, move towards the areas that you want lighter. 
• If you are going for a soft look, leave some white space on images.
• Work in layers. Start with a light application of ink and then add more pressure the darker you want the area with the second layer. 

The image was then die cut out using the Pinkfresh Studio Butterflies in Bloom Die. 

For the background, I took a panel of white cardstock and temporarily adhered it to scrap paper. I then added ink blending in the top right hand corner with Pinkfresh Studio Mermaid Cove Ink, and Pinkfresh Studio Grassy Knoll Ink in the bottom left corner, with Pinkfresh Studio 1" Blending Brushes. 

Tips for ink blending smooth backgrounds: 

• Use big brushes! The Pinkfresh Studio 1" Blending Brushes have a large brush head. The bristles are also really soft and not dense. This helps with smooth and soft ink blending. 
• Dab off excess ink from the brush before bringing to the cardstock. This helps not to get harsh lines in the ink blending. 
• Start the ink blending off the side of the cardstock and work the brush onto the cardstock. 
• Find a surface that works for you! For this type of ink blending, I prefer to either use paper or a slick surface like a non-stick craft sheet. I love ink blending die cuts on a sticky mat but for this type of technique, I find that my blending brush does not glide nicely over it. 

The panel was adhered to a US A2 sized card base with tape runner adhesive and the image adhered on top with thin foam tape. I stamped a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Darling District Stamp onto white cardstock and die cut it out using the coordinating die. It was adhered to the card with a combination of Pinkfresh Studio Clear Craft Glue and foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Pinkfresh Studio Iridescent Dew Drops. 

VIDEO:

Here is the video showing how I made the card:

If you are viewing this blog post via email subscription, you can watch the video HERE on YouTube. 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

This was a little bit of a different blog post for me today. Please let me know if this is something that you found useful and I will try and do more in this style. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!