Surprise! A new Distress product. Distress Paint is the latest line of inky goodness from Tim Holtz, released just weeks ago at CHA2013. Like the ink pads, stains, and markers before them, these are conveniently packaged and expertly marketed paints designed to take your stamping to the next level.
They are similar in packaging to Adirondak Paint Dabbers, but these paints have a few notable differences (besides just the fact that they’re color-matched to the rest of the Distress line). The paint itself is much more fluid than what you’ll find in Adirondak dabbers, though not nearly as fluid as Distress Stains. Like all other Distress products, these paints are reactive with water, though unlike other Distress products, they are only reactive while wet. This means that until the paint dries you can spatter and blend with water to your heart’s content, but once it’s set you it’s not going anywhere. The other Distress products will show water spots if you wet them after they dry, which is convenient for some projects, but not so much for others.
Anyway, after just a couple of uses, I’m completely in love with these. To prove it, I’m declaring this week Distress Paint Week. I’ve found that because they’re so new, the internet doesn’t have much to say about them. I’m out to change that.
So today I’ve created some quick comparison swatches. Because I know what you’re all thinking: what are they good for? I mean really, how many versions of the same ink/pigment/dye color do you need in your craft room? My answer is all of them. I know Distress products have overlapping uses, and the colors are all formulated to be about the same, each line has it’s own distinct benefits that, for a supply hoarder like me, are worth having.
First, I gathered a set of matching colors in Distress Ink, Distress Markers, Distress Stains and Distress Paints. The combo I decided on was Victorian Velvet, Fired Brick, and Spiced Marmalade. Then I made a background with each set, using what I call the default Tim Holtz technique. You know the one. You smear some color on a craft mat,
spritz with water,
and drag your paper through the puddle. It’s pretty much the first thing Tim ever does when he’s demoing a new product.
Here’s what I ended up with.
Some pretty significant differences, huh? But allow me to go into more detail…
Distress Ink: Gorgeous, vibrant color with good blending. Using the ink pads for this method does require more water for good blending, and it can be difficult to get good saturation on lighter colors. Otherwise, this is what Distress Inks were designed to do (other than stamping, obviously).
Distress Stain: Very similar results to the Distress Ink, but with much less water. The colors also tend to blend better with the stains simply because you can scatter the color on your craft mat rather than having those big square color blocks you get with the ink pads.
Distress Markers: The colors are more watered down and muted, which may just be the look you’re going for. These require about as much water as the Distress Ink, but you do have the ability to scatter your colors as much or as little as you’d like. Here I should also note that although the colors in each line are named the same, they aren’t quite perfect matches. The slight shade differences are probably most obvious in the markers.
Distress Paints: Last but not least. The paints result in a softer, creamier background with a slight matte texture. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but since the paints are semi-opaque as opposed to the transparent dyes in the other products, the paper looks more coated. I really love the softly the colors blend as well.
So there you have it. Tomorrow is Inky Linky day, so you can show me how you use these great paints. And later this week I’ll show off a couple of stamping techniques featuring my new toys! Please remember to like my Facebook page, vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs and/or follow me on Bloglovin’ to keep track of my updates!