Using Twinkling H2O's

Twinkling H2O’s comes in dozens of colors – they are watercolor cakes embedded with mica powder to make them shimmer and glow. To use the product, simply dip a wet paintbrush into the pot, pick up some paint and go!

Paint Brushes
As with most art supplies, the tools can be as important as the medium you’ve selected. Any wet paintbrush will work – but a waterbrush is much more convenient to use. Waterbrushes have special handles that are actually receptacles for water. To add more water to your project (like when you want to lighten a color), just squeeze the handle. Or to clean the brush between colors, just squeeze until the water flows through the brush, then gently wipe the brush on a paper towel.

Priming the Paint
We like to keep a water spritzer bottle nearby. To keep the paint primed and ready to apply in vivid tones, spritz the surface of the pots every so often. You'll spend a lot less time jiggling your brush to get paint on it!

Paper/Painting Surface
With any paint, some surfaces are better than others. As you might expect, this paint works great on watercolor paper. We’ve also tested it on a very cheap smooth cardstock and it was quite acceptable. However, we used a very absorbent, matte cardstock and was not very pleased with the results. It was very hard to blend and move the color compared to the other two types of paper. The manufacturer says they’ve had successful results on canvas, rocks and eggs as well – so don’t limit yourself to paper!

Techniques
A stamped, embossed image makes it easier to stay in the lines. If you are using a detailed image, we strongly recommend that you use a brayer to apply the ink to the design to prevent over-inking (and over-embossing) and to insure even inking. Stamp with black pigment ink and emboss with black detail embossing powder. Regular embossing powder tends to make the design over-embossed and you lose too much of the detail of the design.

Shading
We usually begin with the lightest shade we intend to use – it is much easier to make a light shade darker than to make a dark shade lighter.

Bleach Technique
The bleach technique is great with Twinkling H2O’s. Here’s how it works. Stamp and emboss the design in black on a dark colored cardstock. Use a small tipped waterbrush with regular household bleach in it and “paint” the inside of the design. You may need to do several coats of bleach to get enough color out of the cardstock. Let the cardstock dry completely. Then paint with Twinkling H2O’s in the bleached areas.

Sponging Technique
Stamp and emboss a design in white on white cardstock. Select three coordinating colors of Twinkling H2O's. Put 3-4 drops of water into each pot of paint to soften the cake slightly, or spritz with spray bottle as suggested above. Wet a sponge and squeeze out all the excess water. Start with the lightest color - pick up some of the paint with the damp sponge and cover approximately 1/3 of the card, going right over the embossed images. Next, use another sponge with the next darker color. After sponging this color, you should have about 2/3 to 3/4 of the card covered with color. Finish with the darkest color, slightly overlapping the other colors.

Wash Backgrounds
Backgrounds can sometimes be challenging. If you want a quick, simple background with Twinkling H2O’s, try doing a wash. Use a large brush – the new flat waterbrush works great – with lots of water. Put some water on a palette then add a little color. Or you can put down some water on the paper, then pick up a little color on your brush and spread it around.

Direct on Rubber
Use Twinkling H2O's as the "ink" on your solid type stamps. The flat waterbrush works great for this technique. Select a stamp that is mostly solid. Dip a brush into the paint, then paint your stamp. Depending on how many colors you use and how long it takes you to cover the stamp, you may need to "huff" on it to make sure it is still wet. Then stamp on your paper/cardstock. You can get several impressions from one "inking" - to get even more out of it, spritz lightly with a spray bottle and stamp some more!

Have Fun!!
The most important thing to keep in mind when working with a new product is to have fun! Experiment with different techniques and on different surfaces – you might even create a great new technique that you can share with your friends.