The colorless, odorless blender has 2 fine brush tips that will blend your colors, chalks, stamp pads, colored pencils or water based markers. Blender pens can be used to create special colors and color effects. Flower pedals can be blended for that variegated look. It creates wonderful shadows and richness and it enables you to blend several hues together, giving more variation with color.
I've researched the Internet looking for different techniques to try with my blender pens, what I discovered are that they work on everything I've wanted them for!! I've found a few tips I thought you might be interested in and my friend Eileen Hochstein created a list of techniques you can use your blender pens for and has graciously allowed me to share them with you all too.
Blending Techniques on Embossed Images:
1. With the tip of your water-based markers, lay a hint of color on the actual embossed line of an image. This color is now sitting on the surface of the embossed line. The embossed lines serve as a palette, making it easier to move the color, thus eliminating a hard line created by the marker. Working in a circular motion and in small areas, use the Blender pen to pull out the marker color into the open area of the design. When this process is completed a light application of color will appear on the image. To prevent the color from appearing too washed out, continue to add more color using the marker and the blender until the desired depth of the color is achieved.
2. Start with lighter colors and then gradually add darker colors.
3. Limit the colors to be used. Three basic colors differing in intensity, plus variations in value, will give life and interest to a stamped image.
Helpful Blending Tips:
1. Place several short strokes of water based marker color onto a white glass bowl or Styrofoam plastic plate/palette. Using the blender pen, pick up the color and apply it to the stamped image.
2. When working an intense color, to lighten that color, touch the tip of the marker to the tip of the blender. By touching the tip of the blender with the tip of the marker, the marker color that has transferred to the blender tip will be lighter in value.
3. Apply the blender to the stamped image first working in small areas at a time. This preps the area and allows one to apply various marker colors to blend directly onto the card.
4. Before changing colors, wipe the blender clean on a scrap piece of paper. Or you can put some blender pen refill on a folded piece of kitchen paper and put your tip on this, you will then be wiping tip with the same formula that is inside the pen. It will clean it and keep it moist at the same time. Be careful not to pick up too much color. If there is too much, simply wipe the blender tip on a scrap piece of paper before coloring the image.
5. For a realistic blended look, layer color on top of color.
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Blender Pen & Watercolor Pencils
The blender pen is perfect for blending watercolor pencils, eliminating the need for water & a paintbrush. The colors intensify & blend smoothly. The paper does not buckle from being over-moistened. Take each color you are going to use & make a palette by scribbling a little color on a separate piece of paper with all the colors, then take the blender pen & pick up the color & apply to the image.
Blender Pen & Chalk
Blend & moisten chalk colors with the blender pen to intensify colors & work the chalk into the surface of the paper. You can apply a little to an area you are coloring or use an applicator & take the blender pen tip to it to pick up the color, and then apply to image. It will not need spray fixative to remain in place, the blender pen sets the chalk. There is a sample of this in the chalks article in this edition of rubberstampingideas.
Blender Pen & Ink Pads
Stamp an image using a waterbased dye pad. Use the blender pen to lightly stroke the outline color into the inside areas. This will result in an image with several tones of the same color.
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Blender Pen & Markers
1. Stamp an image by coloring the rubber die of the stamp with waterbased markers. Pull color form the outline to the center areas by stroking with the blender pen.
2. Use a blender pen to apply marker ink, which has been scribbled onto a palette, blending colors just like you would blend watercolor paints with a brush.
3. Use a blender pen to soften the stroke marks left behind when you Blender Pen have colored an area with markers. & Watercolor Paints Dip the blender pen directly into the watercolor paint palette & pick up the color. Start coloring your image.
Here is the recipe for the blender pen refill I mentioned earlier.
Blender Pen Re-Fill Solution Recipe - For 1 ounce bottle fill
1/3 Glycerin
2/3 Distilled water
1/4-teaspoon alcohol
Place above ingredients in a dropper bottle. Carefully remove either end of your marker with pliers and a light twisting motion. Add a few drops of the liquid to the marker. (More is not better here. Too much liquid will result in a runny mess) Replace the tip. Lay marker on its side overnight.
Don't be afraid to use your blender pens with your pigment stamp pads. I've been in a rose flower state of mind these days (as opposed to lighthouses, who'd of guessed?). I've been playing with my rose flowers and my pigment inks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoying creating them!!!
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I hope if nothing else I've been able to encourage you to get those blender pens out again. Sometimes the simplest of techniques are the forgotten ones! There are so many ways to enjoy our stamps, enjoy them all!
Rubber hugs,
Dawn Heath
