With shabby chic being all the rage these days, walnut ink is a product that has grown more popular in the scrapbooking world. Not only is it easy to use, but it yields excellent results for weathering and aging paper. Walnut ink is just what it sounds like: ink made from old, dried-up walnuts. It’s offered by several companies and comes in crystal form. Learning to use this versatile product is as simple as just adding water.
When it comes to mixing a walnut ink solution, a little goes a long way. Once mixed, it will last for six months in liquid form, therefore it’s best to mix it in a container that can be tightly sealed for storage. Small jars, such a clean baby food jars, work great for just that. To start, most companies recommend mixing 1 teaspoon of walnut ink for every ½ cup of water. Achieving lighter shades is as simple as adding more water to the solution. If you have several jars, it’s easy to mark them as "Dark," "Medium" and "Light" for use later on.
Because it’s so simple to use, it’s also simple to experiment with. Walnut ink can be used with a variety of paint brushes, calligraphy nibs and in plastic bags. Just grab some newspaper to protect your work surface and go nuts!
Walnut Ink Techniques:
Dip anything in the ink and press to the paper to make an interesting background. This example uses a film canister. This technique works great for making a faux coffee cup stain.
Apply a dark and heavy wash over the entire piece of paper using a paintbrush. Drip water directly onto the paper while the ink is still wet. This will wash out various areas of the paper for a dramatic effect.
To add a little color to the effect, break up a tiny sliver of chalk onto the paper and brush around, leaving tiny chunks. Spray the chalk with water, which will cause the chalk to bleed. Then lightly wash over the top with a stipple brush. Shake, splatter or spray some ink into the wet paper.
Brush a dark and heavy wash of ink over the entire surface of the paper. Sprinkle rock salt or coarse salt randomly onto the paper. When completely dry, brush off the salt.
Crumple up the cardstock and then open it and flatten it out. Load a stipple brush with ink and paint the ink across the paper. The ink will be darker in the folded areas.
From high above the cardstock, squirt ink from a needle nose bottle onto the paper. The further away the bottle is held from the paper, the larger the drips.
Dip a crumpled up paper towel into the ink and pat the entire paper with the paper towel.
Using a spray bottle, spray the paper with ink.
Fold or bend paper and then dip and fully immerse the paper in ink. This works great with a plastic bag.
Spray or splatter the paper with ink and let it dry a bit. Using a paintbrush, lightly wash water over the entire piece of paper to stain.
