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Friday, May 01, 2026

Moving Ink with Air: A Mixed Media Study + Grab the May Freebie of the Month

Welcome back to the blog! Today I’m sharing my second 5x7 mixed media piece. There's something incredibly freeing about letting the medium dictate the movement of the piece, and this project was all about experimenting with fluid ink and air.



Project Details

1️⃣ The Glowing Base: I started with a warm ink wash across the entire surface. This creates a soft, luminous background that peeks through the later layers, giving the final piece an inner glow.

2️⃣ Building Faux Texture: To add visual interest before the bold elements, I used stamps from Art Marks 3. These stamps are perfect for creating "faux texture" -- patterns that look like they’ve been built up over time but are achieved with a single impression.

3️⃣ Controlled Chaos with Acrylic Ink: This is where the drama happens. I dropped black acrylic ink onto the background and used a hair dryer to guide the liquid. The air creates jagged, organic streaks and authentic ink blots that you simply can't replicate with a brush.

4️⃣ Painting with the Palette Knife To bring some balance back to the piece, I scraped white acrylic paint over specific sections using a palette knife. This not only tones down the intensity of the black ink but also adds physical dimension and a "Neo-Fauvist" feel to the layers.

5️⃣ The Anchor: For the focal point, I used the Thy Word Is a Lamp stamp. Stamping this in black ink right in the center anchors all that movement and provides a clear, powerful message to the piece.

Watch the process! šŸŽ„ I’ll be sharing the full process video for this piece over on Instagram (@stamplorations) later this morning at 10:45 AM PDT. Be sure to head over there to see how that black ink streak came to life!



May Freebie: Blooms and Flutters

To kick off May, I’ve put together a limited run of Blooms and Flutters card fronts. This is an exclusive first look at these card fronts before they officially join the rest of the card fronts next month.

Each set includes 8 card fronts (4 designs, 2 of each). I’ll be tucking a pack of these beauties in every order of $25 or more placed this month! Read more about the Freebie of the Month!



Spring Cleaning Blowout! 🧹✨

You can grab your freebie while saving big during our Spring Cleaning sale:

40% OFF all 3x5 Stamps (including the one used today!) 
15% OFF Art Marks 3 and all other stamp sizes. 
✨ Check out the latest Paper Goods, ATC, and Card Fronts subscriptions on the site.



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