(click on the pics to enbiggan)
I don't typically work with paint--mostly ink. But I'm finding the Ranger Distress Paints to be very intriguing. To alleviate any confusion, especially for those not already very familiar with the Ranger Distress line, please note that Distress Crackle Paints are a different type of paint but these are all part of the same Ranger "Distress" line. Distress Paints come in 24 hues of the main "Distress" color palette/range.
As I mention in the video, these are unlike any other acrylic paints I've ever worked with. They are very fluid--they actually flow and glide across the paper surface very differently from normal acrylic paints.
The first time you open and use the paint, depress the dauber end against your work surface just firmly enough until you hear a little "crack/pop" noise; you can gently squeeze the bottle to get the paint flowing out but avoid squeezing too hard or paint could literally gush out. This is not a pleasant situation to contend with. Ask me how I know... *chuckle*
I used my favorite bristol for this project because its heavy weight can withstand paint AND water fairly well, but if you're not adding a lot of water/diluting the paint, try whatever card stock you have on hand and see if you like the results.
On this project I was attempting to use the paint to create a water-color effect and they work quite nicely for this, but it's important to note a few things:
- It's fairly fast drying and once dry, it is permanent; it cannot be reactivated and manipulated with water or other wet mediums when it has dried so you may need to work more quickly than you are accustomed to with true watercolors
- It will even dry on plastic, metal (removal from such surfaces may require some fairly aggressive scraping/rubbing with a tool of some sort) and fabric
- The teflon craft sheet makes a great temporary palette and work surface; you can apply puddles of the paint, water it down, spray it, etc. and then easily clean it off with a baby wipe after you're finished with your project
- Keep a bowl of water handy for cleaning your brushes as needed while you work
- Distress Paints will clean off your skin easily with a baby wipe; aggressive scrubbing/scraping may be required to remove it from your nails, however
- At full strength, these paints are fairly opaque, however they can be diluted with water for "wash" effects; just remember that even when it's diluted, once it has dried, what you get will be permanent
- This paint leaves very little, if any, detectable texture; you'll find your paper does NOT stiffen or crack when this paint is applied!!! This totally increased the cool factor for me personally! ;)
In the video I also mention that I later used the paint to watercolor just a little over the top of a stamped greeting (which you see in the finished card pictured above); I stamped with Versafine but in hindsight, any time I'm going to color with any kind of water-based medium over the top of an ink, I prefer to stamp with a bleed-proof ink such as Archival, Staz-On, or even heat-set Brilliance.
You can view the video here or over on YouTube. Thanks for watching and for subscribing to our channel! Be sure to switch to 720p for the best quality viewing, too! If you're not sure how to do that, click on the play button then hover your mouse over the lower right area of the screen until you see a little "gear" icon pop up; this will give you the option to choose the quality.
Happy Mundane!
•••••••••••••••
SUPPLIES:
