Following on from our recent post regarding the sizing of seed beads and wire this one is for the paper crafters out there especially if you are into card making or scrapbooking, although ink can be used in a multitude of other ways.
GUIDE TO INK PADS
There are so many different types and brands of ink pads on the market and we often get asked which ones to use for which project, especially from new crafters who are faced with a multitude of choices and can easily choose the wrong one. Many times people have told us that they can't get on with stamping and this may be due to simply using the wrong ink. Here is a rough guide but feel free to ask questions and either myself or one of the other forum members will surely be able to help.
1. Dye based inks - These are a fast drying easy pad to start with if you want to simply stamp an image and can also be a very versatile choice for a few different techniques. If you want to shade an image in one colour these are perfect as the ink can be pulled in from the image and acts like a watercolour paint giving more depth than basic stamping without having to invest in colouring pens. The thicker the line or detail on the image, the more ink will be released when you add water using a paintbrush or water brush. They can also be used for brayering on glossy card and creating shade around a topper using a sponge or brush. Also perfect with alcohol markers.
2. Pigment inks - These are the ink pads you need to heat emboss with as they stay wetter longer and allow the embossing powder to stick to the image. They can also be used for basic stamping but are not suitable for the watercolour effect.
3. Permanent inks - These ink pads are recommended for watercolouring where you want to keep the outside line, for instance if you have stamped in black and wish to colour in with non-permanent markers or watercolour paints. They are useful when stamping on tricky surfaces other than regular card. Do not use with alcohol markers as the line will bleed and ruin your pens. Staz-on is the best ink pad for stamping on acetate and if you turn over your acetate so the ink is underneath you can then colour with permanent markers.
There are many more variations but this will get you started.
Saturday 5 April 2014
Wednesday 2 April 2014
Guide to seed beads and wire sizes
Have you ever been confused about the sizing of seed beads and wire? That is because a different sizing system is in operation in different parts of the world.
For instance in America they refer to seed beads as 11/0, 8/0 etc., the higher the number the smaller the bead. They can also be referred to as E beads or rocailles. Below is a go to guide to the most popular sizes and their conversions.
GUIDE TO SEED BEAD SIZES
Sometimes seed beads are sized in millimeters and sometimes in gauges and can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer. Here is a quick guide to the sizing of the most popular ones.
Size 11/0 - approx. 2mm - 5g would give you 580'ish beads - 80cm in length.
Size 8/0 - approx. 3mm - 5g would give you 220'ish beads - 40cm in length.
Size 6/0 - approx. 3.7mm - you would get approx. 7 beads per inch.
Larger seed beads are often referred to as E beads.
The same rule applies with wire which in America is measured by gauge, the higher the gauge the thinner the wire. The opposite to what you might imagine.
GUIDE TO WIRE SIZES
As with seed beads these can be described by gauge or in millimetres and here is a rough conversion guide.
16 gauge - 1.2mm - used for structure
18 gauge - 1.0mm - used for structure (i.e shapes or ring shanks)
20 gauge - 0.8mm - the most useful to start with, can be used for structure and to make findings.
22 gauge - 0.6mm - another very popular size with many uses including tiaras and rings.
26 gauge - 0.4mm - commonly used for wrapping such as in tiara making.
32 gauge - 0.2mm - also known as lacemakers wire, can be almost like thread with seed beads for brooches and fine work.
There are of course other in between sizes but these would be the most commonly used.
I hope you find this useful, any questions please leave a comment below or email us sales@downland-crafts.com
For instance in America they refer to seed beads as 11/0, 8/0 etc., the higher the number the smaller the bead. They can also be referred to as E beads or rocailles. Below is a go to guide to the most popular sizes and their conversions.
GUIDE TO SEED BEAD SIZES
Sometimes seed beads are sized in millimeters and sometimes in gauges and can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer. Here is a quick guide to the sizing of the most popular ones.
Size 11/0 - approx. 2mm - 5g would give you 580'ish beads - 80cm in length.
Size 8/0 - approx. 3mm - 5g would give you 220'ish beads - 40cm in length.
Size 6/0 - approx. 3.7mm - you would get approx. 7 beads per inch.
Larger seed beads are often referred to as E beads.
The same rule applies with wire which in America is measured by gauge, the higher the gauge the thinner the wire. The opposite to what you might imagine.
GUIDE TO WIRE SIZES
As with seed beads these can be described by gauge or in millimetres and here is a rough conversion guide.
16 gauge - 1.2mm - used for structure
18 gauge - 1.0mm - used for structure (i.e shapes or ring shanks)
20 gauge - 0.8mm - the most useful to start with, can be used for structure and to make findings.
22 gauge - 0.6mm - another very popular size with many uses including tiaras and rings.
26 gauge - 0.4mm - commonly used for wrapping such as in tiara making.
32 gauge - 0.2mm - also known as lacemakers wire, can be almost like thread with seed beads for brooches and fine work.
There are of course other in between sizes but these would be the most commonly used.
I hope you find this useful, any questions please leave a comment below or email us sales@downland-crafts.com
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