The Scrapbooking Technique of Painting With Ink
Scrapbooking is a way to creatively express and preserve memories. Each page is both a stand-alone piece of personal art and an element of a larger art project encompassed by the cover-to-cover book. Using certain types of ink to produce painted effects provides scrapbook creators with inspiration and multiple options for letting their creativity show.
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Effects
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Types of ink that lend themselves to use in painted designs are any brand of water-soluble spray-ink and alcohol-based Adirondack ink. Spray ink can be used to lightly cover existing page elements or to create a splash of color on a blank page. Dampening a paint brush and lightly rubbing it over spray ink creates a watery effect. Additionally, you may put cut-outs of letters or shapes on the page and then spray on ink. When you remove the cut-outs, the letters and images will appear white surrounded by color. Coating crinkled tissue paper into a ball and then applying that to a blank page creates the effect of texture and is visually engaging. You may also dip paint brushes in Adirondack ink and use it to paint designs on the page and to write words.
Inspiration
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Any of the techniques for applying spray or Adirondack ink can be used to place a color field on a page. The color field is a splash of color that appears before any additional elements are added. Some scrapbook creators plan the color fields and already know which words, pictures and decorations they will add next. However, others take more of an intuitive approach to scrapbooking and find the blank page intimidating. In this case, adding a color field gets the artists interacting with the page and often provides needed inspiration that guides the rest of the page's design.
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Continuity
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One effect of spray ink is the glossiness it adds when lightly applied to painted pages. After completing a scrapbook, adding spray ink to the pages will create a subtle shimmer that is uniform throughout. If a scrapbook showcases diverse subject matter and page designs, then using spray ink can create a sense of artistic continuity which helps unite the work into a cohesive piece of art.
Considerations
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When working with ink, be sure you are using card-stock paper that will absorb the ink without losing shape and stability. Most scrapbooks available for sale contain card-stock pages. However, some scrapbook artists opt to decorate binders and fill them with paper of their choosing. In this case, paper that is too thin to absorb high quantities of ink without sagging or tearing should be avoided. Likewise, take precautions to insure the ink goes where you want on the page, but avoid panicking if you make a mistake. Scrapbooks are evolving works of art, and unexpected ink effects may inspire innovative page designs.
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References
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