.png)
Friday Top 5: Ink Blending Techniques to Try
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
If you’ve ever looked at a beautifully blended card background and thought, “I wish I could do that…” — you absolutely can.
Ink blending is one of the easiest ways to elevate your cardmaking, and the best part? You don’t need a ton of supplies to get started. Just a few ink pads, blending tools, and a little practice can completely transform your designs.
If you’re new to ink blending (or just want to try something new), here are five techniques to get you started.
1. Soft Background Blending
This is where most people begin — and for good reason.
Using a blending brush or sponge, apply ink in light layers to create a smooth, seamless background. Start with a single color and build slowly, using circular motions and a light hand.
✨ Tip: Start your blending off the edge of the paper and move inward to avoid harsh lines.
2. Layered Color Blending
Once you’re comfortable with one color, try layering two or more.
Blending colors together creates depth and dimension — think sunsets, florals, or soft rainbow backgrounds. Choose colors that transition well together and build gradually.
✨ Tip: Overlap your colors lightly where they meet to create a smooth transition.
3. Stencil Blending
This is where things start to get really fun.
Place a stencil over your cardstock and blend ink on top to create patterns and textures. You can keep it subtle with tone-on-tone colors or go bold with high contrast.
✨ Tip: Use a light grip and build color slowly to prevent ink from bleeding under the stencil.
4. Resist Techniques
Resist techniques create beautiful contrast and are surprisingly simple.
Stamp or emboss your design first, then blend ink over the top. The ink will “resist” the embossed areas, making your design pop through the color.
✨ Tip: Heat embossing works especially well for this technique.
5. Salted Ink Technique
This one is a little unexpected — and so fun to experiment with.
After applying ink to your cardstock, lightly sprinkle salt over the surface while it’s still damp. As it dries, the salt absorbs some of the moisture and pigment, creating unique, organic textures.
No two backgrounds will ever look the same.
✨ Tip: Try different grain sizes of salt to see how the texture changes — fine salt gives a subtle effect, while coarse salt creates more dramatic patterns.
💜 This Month at ScrappyShak
All month long, we’re focusing on cardmaking — from tools and techniques to simple projects you can actually finish.
If you’re just getting started, you’re in the right place.
And if you’ve been crafting for years… it’s always fun to go back to the basics.
💌 We’d love to know — what do you want to learn next?
Layouts? Techniques? Easy cards you can make in under 10 minutes?
🎨 Join Us This Saturday!
We’re talking about ink blending and we have a VERY special "salty" demo for you! It's a great way to learn something new from the comfort of your home - OR - pop in and see us - we'll be happy to show you in person!
OR
👉 Stop by ScrappyShak - we'd love to show you what we've been up to!
💜Ready to start creating?
💜 Shop these favorites at ScrappyShak: https://www.scrappyshak.com
We can’t wait to see what you create 💜
junk journaling supplies, scrapbooking tools, paper crafting ideas, ephemera packs, washi tape crafts
Comments