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pbp908 wrote:Couldn't help myself, but I didn't go Tawanda on them. I nicely told them to substitute and maybe they'd learn something about the supplies that they already have.

I was only able to watch the intro video here at work. Unfortunately my boss came back from lunch.

What?? No Tawanda??! I copied the videos onto my laptop before leaving for work this morning, so I could watch them @ lunch.... I want to be home coloring!! Unfortunately, this is the week that I have meetings scheduled @ 6:30pm both Monday and Tuesday night. *sigh* And I HAVE to attend as I take the minutes.

I can't wait to get started! I couldn't afford to have all of his "stuff" so I know I'll be substituting quite a bit, but from what you ladies have uploaded so far, it's fabulous!

Play with what you have..... youll discover new things about hte products you had on hand that you didn't know before. I have A LOT of Tim & Ranger stuff, but I fell in love with all things Ranger when I started stamping in 1997-1998 and they have stayed my favorite company through the years. I know several people taking the classes are posting samples done with CTMH inks, SU inks, Tsukineko, Clearsnap, children's marker sets.... the more you play with what you have the more you will use your stash.

Monica wrote:the more you play with what you have the more you will used your stash.

Well said Monica!

I have tons of supplies, not all Ranger products...so it'll be fun to experiment with what I do have.

I pulled out a Zig marker, a Galaxy marker and a Slick Writer. As you can imagine, the Slick Writer did not blend. It soaked right into the tag immediately. I tried scribbling it on my craft mat to use a water brush and it didn't transfer. The Galaxy marker worked better with the water brush. I used the Galaxy marker on dry watercolor paper - it was difficult to blend but it did blend a little. Better results if I used it on wet watercolor paper.
The Zig worked very similar to Distress but the color was not as translucent as Distress on a tag. Better results with watercolor paper. The interesting thing about the Zig was even though it was a red marker - the dried color on the tag and the watercolor paper is a pretty pink.

I enjoyed blending the colors on my craft mat and then allowing the color to gradate out to the marker color (you have to see the video).

My favorite by far is marker to stamp. I love the look - even the 3rd stamping where I used a spritz of water to get a watercolor effect.

Very fun experiementing. Looking forward to getting my specialty stamping paper!

Here are my experiments for the day. I used my 12+ year old Marvy Le Plume markers because they worked better than my recently purchased Pitt Pens. It was very easy to pick up the color from the craft mat with the water brush which was my favorite of the techniques. Wetting the paper first didn't work as well with the markers as I thought it would but blending with just the markers on the dry watercolor paper worked better than I thought.

Coloring the stamp worked just as well as it did in the 1990s when we did it. I really liked the first one where I drew the color up the stem and petals with the water brush. Have I mentioned how much I love working with the water brush?

I guess I won't be reading the forums anymore. I'm getting enough of stupid on another group I belong to-not this one. I did notice today that he said what color markers he was using. I hope he isn't catering to the 'stupid' crowd.

Gorgeous Marianne!

I'm finding the same about my pitt markers, I finally own every Fat Brush they make... They seem to be good for coloring stamped images and shading, but my Tombows are great for watercoloring techniques like this. Thinking probably because Tombows are water based, and the Pitts are alcohol? Now off to get more Tombows!

Hm. I have a huge collection of Primacolor (?) markers my daughter used as an Interior Designer. I'm going to have to check them out to see how they work. Anyone else experimented with them yet?

I liked Tim's suggestion to use the fine point of a marker to outline a stenciled design. I have a few of Julie Balzer's stencils that I really love and now I have an excuse to buy a few more. Hey - I have to use this new knowledge - right?

I love seeing everyones process through these.

pamcook wrote:Hm. I have a huge collection of Primacolor (?) markers my daughter used as an Interior Designer. I'm going to have to check them out to see how they work. Anyone else experimented with them yet?

I liked Tim's suggestion to use the fine point of a marker to outline a stenciled design. I have a few of Julie Balzer's stencils that I really love and now I have an excuse to buy a few more. Hey - I have to use this new knowledge - right?

Yikes, that brings back memories, Pam! I hated working with those markers, very unforgiving. Of course, it would have helped if they had given us lessons like Tim has about the properties of the markers. Are they solvent based? I seem to remember the smell. They might be dried up anyway then you could get rid of them. Let us know what you can do with them!

I would bet that they are solvent based. A couple have dried up (I'm going to test the ink refresher on them to see what happens. There are just so many wonderful colors - I keep thinking I'll use them somehow.

I tried the marker techniques with my SU markers, and my findings were pretty much exactly what Marianne said. They say on them they're a water-based dye marker; I doubt the techniques would work with any solvent-based markers. I don't colour anything in enough to covet the Distress markers (other than Picket Fence which I've ordered); however I've discovered I LOVE the various techniques with the Distress Stains and will no doubt be expanding my collection.

Great idea to try the Refresher on your markers Pam - let us know if it works.

pamcook wrote:I would bet that they are solvent based. A couple have dried up (I'm going to test the ink refresher on them to see what happens. There are just so many wonderful colors - I keep thinking I'll use them somehow.

I wonder if you tried alcohol, blending solution or that odorless spirits if you could revive them or at least pick up color off of them. If it works you could put the solvent in a water brush and use them. I'd opt for the odorless stuff so you wouldn't have the smell.
There might be a few of those markers at the other house, maybe I'll take my odorless spirits with me and try it this afternoon.

I don't own any Distress Markers, but I had a go with my Stampin Up markers and got more or less the expected results. Colouring in images is probably my least-favourite technique anyway, so I won't be buying Distress Markers anytime soon. I probably chose too dark a colour for the 3rd tag, but it's got a kind of cool, vintage-y look to it.
Additional lesson learned today: glue stick glue also reactivates distress ink - I got some glue from the tag on top on my heron image, and when I cleaned it off it removed the colour, as well. Guess I should know that now, huh?

very pretty tags everyone