Making Your Mark-Markers, Colored Pencils and Chalks

Rubber stamping at a basic level includes ink, embossing powder and a stamp. But markers, colored pencils and chalk allow you to expand your horizons and challenge your creativity. A variety of products are available for you to purchase on the web, but the investment can be substantial so you want to be informed before you purchase.

Markers come in a variety of styles and a myriad number of colors. Several companies manufacture different types of markers. E.K. Success is familiar to anyone who has done any scrapbooking as the company that created the Zig Memory System. This includes four types of markers, a scroll/brush, a fine tip/chisel, a writer, (bullet tip and fine tip) and a calligraphy pen with two sizes of tips. The pens are great for writing sentiments and adding accents and come in lots of colors. They are available at Wal-mart, Michaels and some scrapbook stores. You can see them at E.K.'s site at http://www.e.k.success.com. For coloring stamps, you will probably prefer to use either the Tombow or Marvy markers. At http://www.poshimpressions.com you can see the Marvy Brush Art Markers and the Le Plume II markers. These markers stay wet longer allowing you to color your stamped image and get it stamped before one section drys out. They come with brush tips and a fine nib. The Brush art have a little larger tip and are less expensive than the Le Plume II. You will find the colors are brighter if you use glossy paper. Check out the Victorian set...the colors are yummy. This site also features penholders to keep your investment corralled on your work table.

If you love to work on fabric, you might want to try Fabrico Markers. These vivid markers are perfect for wearables and home dec applications that require you to add color to cloth. Go to http://www.purrfection.com/pelles/fabric... for more information. When you decide which markers you are going to invest in you may also want to visit http://www.flaxart.com or http://www.dickblick.com. Both of these sites feature art supplies and include choices of sets in different sizes.

My latest love is colored pencils. I love the soft pastel look that can be achieved on flowers and nature scenes. E.K. Success has Memory Pencils that are inexpensive, but produce beautiful colors. You can also invest in Progresso Pencils or make the leap to the more expensive Lyra Rembrandt Pencils. As with anything, the more you spend the more pleased you will be with the final product. The more expensive pencils blend easier and have a greater depth of color. Check the Dick Blick site for the products. My favorite colored pencils are my set of Karat Aquarelle pencils by Staedtler. These are watercolor pencils that provide subtle beauty to my projects. My current favorite use is to stamp an image in black and use the colored pencils and a Tombow blending pen to bleed the color out softly into sections of the image. You can also color a 2 inch square onto watercolor paper and lift the color with a watercolor brush. Watercolor paper is an obvious asset to any project using watercolor because the texture of the paper helps hold the color. Visit http://www.aasimagick.com/watercolorclas... for actual video of watercolor use in stamping.

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