Here you will find answers to the questions most frequently asked.

How do you not get the hard lines from the brayer edge?

I start my brayering at the very top of the card-stock, meaning most of the roller is off of the card stock and on my scrap paper and with each roll of the brayer I move a bit more down the card-stock so I am rolling over my lines.  I ink the roller about 4 times for each color.  I also, brayer, brayer and brayer some more to work the ink into the card-stock in between inkings.  The more ink you get on the card stock the better the ink will blend together and your lines will disappear.  

How do you get your brayered colors to blend so well together to get that gradual variation?

I use a lot of ink.  The more ink you get on your card stock the better the colors will blend together. 

What kind of brayer do you use?

I use a Speedball Brayer.  The Speedball brayer comes with a creamed colored rubber roller.  My roller is now black from ink stains. 

Do you have two brayers, one for light colors and one for dark colors?

No, I just have one brayer.

How do you clean your brayer?

I clean my brayer with a Stampin’ Scrub pad.  I spray one side of the pad with Stampin’ Mist cleaner and roll my brayer on it and then roll it on the dry side of the pad.  I then roll it on a piece of scrap paper to make sure it is cleaned throughly.

Do you clean your brayer in between colors?

I will clean my brayer if I go from one color family to another, but for example I go from light blue to dark blue I don’t.

Sometimes you use Stampin’ Up ink and sometimes you use Adirondack ink, is there any reason why you use one or the other?

My choice of ink only has to do with color, no other reason.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration comes to me from various things, but mostly from art I have seen.  I love looking at art!    I keep a computer file of thumb nail sized pictures of art that inspires me.  I’ll then use a layout  or use the color combo that most attracted me to the art work to begin with.

What kind of sponges to you use?

Here is a link to a post that tells all about the sponges I use:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/04/23/tool-time-sponges/

Where can I get a reverse image stamp?

I did not purchase my stamp from this company, but here is a source to get one:

http://www.stampamania.com/catalog/p59/p59.html

Why do you use Palette Noir Black ink sometimes, instead of Stampin’ Up Basic Black ink?

I’ve found that Palette Noir Black ink is a good ink to use if you are going to use a solvent based medium to color your stamped image with, such as, Prismacolor Markers or Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless paint thinner.  The Palette ink will not smear as much other inks.

I use Stampin’ Up ink if I’m going to color with water based mediums, such as, Stampin’ Up markers.

Where can I purchase the Palette Noir Black pad?

Here is one source:  http://www.eclecticpaperie.com/stsupahy.html

Why do you use Prismacolor markers instead of COPIC?

First of all, I am no expert on markers.  This is just my preference. 

If I were creating works of art that I wanted to last 100 years I would maybe pay the price for the COPIC markers, but since I am making greeting cards I prefer to purchase the Prismacolor markers instead.  They are both solvent based markers and the Prismacolor are much, much cheaper.  Granted they are not refillable and you can’t replace the nib on them, but they are half the price and if I use a marker enough to empty it or ruin the nib, they are at a price I am comfortable paying for a replacement.  I’m also quite happy with the range of colors I can get with the Prismacolor markers. 

If you would like to see a video demonstration with the Prismacolor markers here is the link to the Prismacolor website:

http://www.prismacolor.com/sanford/consumer/prismacolor/mystudio/prodDemo.jhtml

Here is a link to a post I did regarding how I organize my Prismacolors:  http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/02/26/a-small-glimpse-into-my-world/

How long does it take you to create a card?

I spend 2.5 hours creating, photographing and posting a card and tutorial to my blog.  My morning starts at 4:00 a.m. and I try to post by 6:30 a.m. when I have to get ready to go to my full time job.