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The Challenge of Bleeding Spray Inks

How I dealt with the challenge of dylusions spray ink bleeding in an art journal

The play gets ugly today.  Really ugly.  The challenge of this page is that I used Dylusions spray ink on the first layer and it reactivates as soon as paint hits it PLUS it will bleed through any paint layer.  But what I thought was ugly became something I love thanks to a little help from a Gel Press printing plate!

Watch How I dealt with the challenge of dylusions spray ink bleeding on YouTube.  See how these pages began by joining the fun in the free workshop, Permission to Play.

This is part of the Let’s Play video series and this month it’s all about just starting, even if it means there might be some running or smearing of the spray ink.  The important thing for me is to just start doing something to the page.

It’s all about rediscovering the ability to play and each month I share a specific strategy that helped me recapture the freedom and fun of play. You can see more of the Let’s Play series here. Be sure to get entered in the $50 Dick Blick giveaway by leaving a comment below.

With surgical precision, those yellow lines were painted.  Okay, not surgical precision but it took all of my concentration and patience. After all staying within the lines isn’t my natural way.

How I dealt with the challenge of dylusions spray ink bleeding in an art journal

When it started to get ugly, a voice in my head was quick to point out how fabulous it was before I added the paint.  It made me cringe with how ugly it became. O.O.P.S.  What did I do?  Added another layer!

How I dealt with the challenge of dylusions spray ink bleeding in an art journal

The Gel Press printing plate turned this ugly duckling into a swan.  Now I have smatterings of color all around the page thanks to just a few minutes of play.  That bleeding spray ink created the most wonderful effect with all the other colors.

How I dealt with the challenge of dylusions spray ink bleeding in an art journal

Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!


Now you’ve seen my play, let’s see yours!  Share what you’re creating with us all in the Facebook group and be inspired by what others are creating! And be sure to leave a comment here to get entered in the monthly $50 gift certificate giveaway!

Specific ways to rediscover play by Carolyn Dube

Want to see more Let’s Play videos? You can find all the weekly posts here.

Sharing your play:   I, and a whole bunch of others, would love to see what you’re creating!  We’re sharing it in the Facebook group called A Colorful Place to Play. Why Facebook?  I’ve listened to your feedback about how and where you’d like to share your play instead of the link parties.

Monthly giveaways:  Leave comment on any (and all for more chances) of the weekly Let’s Play blog posts to be entered and one winner each month will be chosen by random.org.  Want more chances to win a $50 gift certificate to DickBlick.com?  Pin any of the images from the page or share about it on Facebook- then come back and leave a comment telling me what you did and you can have more chances to win! Giveaway closes the Sunday, December 4th at 11 pm EST and the winner will announced on the blog the following Monday.

Congrats to Ann, last month’s winner!

{ 29 comments… add one }

Leave a Comment

  • Shirley Hardee November 14, 2016, 11:22 pm

    Love your art!

  • Carla November 15, 2016, 9:53 pm

    Definitely need to get brave and try my gelli plate.

  • Elaine November 15, 2016, 10:12 pm

    Beautiful page!

  • Jeanette Jones November 16, 2016, 6:37 am

    I must get my gelli plate out and start using it. Once again you are pushing into the direction of more fun!!!
    Thank you
    Jeanette

  • Annie November 17, 2016, 4:58 am

    I like the dylusions spray bleeds through the paint. I’m going to try this!

  • Diana Hernandez November 17, 2016, 2:18 pm

    I like the stencil!

  • Theresa Sim November 17, 2016, 2:19 pm

    You don’t ever make an OOPS that doesn’t turn out incredible. I really admire your ability to see past the OOPS. : )

  • Jean Marmo November 17, 2016, 3:10 pm

    How cool to transform this!!

  • Sandy Pineault November 17, 2016, 3:24 pm

    I just love layering, the more the better. This is such a helpful video to get myself going…to dare!

  • Annette November 17, 2016, 9:01 pm

    Love watching you make layers, Carolyn!

  • Suzanne Gehring November 17, 2016, 10:56 pm

    I love the transformation! Thanks for the inspiration

  • Teresa Wheeler November 18, 2016, 12:34 am

    Love your videos. They inspire me to play and create.

  • D.Ann C November 18, 2016, 4:22 pm

    Oh I picture looking through a garden gate into the inky dark of night when I see this cool page!

  • Karen November 19, 2016, 12:56 am

    I love that an OOPS is not the end but possibly a new beginning!

  • Stacy November 19, 2016, 4:07 am

    Fun! I think I need to get me one of those small plates…. Thanks for the inspiration Carolyn….

  • Deb Dalton November 19, 2016, 8:11 am

    Carolyn, I actually like when the yellow melts into the blue causing the magnificent green. Glad you had an oops…

  • Amanda Walden November 19, 2016, 2:45 pm

    I love how you keep going through the awkward phases. I need to push myself farther like that instead of getting discouraged or afraid to make an OOPS.

  • Charity V November 19, 2016, 3:26 pm

    This is why I love my gelli plate. 🙂

  • vision November 22, 2016, 8:15 am

    It was very informative article
    Thank you for the information

  • Cyndi Cesare November 22, 2016, 10:22 am

    We just never know what we are going to end up with….that’s what makes it so good!!

  • pattisj November 27, 2016, 6:43 pm

    Even my brain felt better when you plopped the gel plate of white paint on there! LOL I have another brand of sprays that do the same thing–the gift that keeps on giving!

  • Celeste B November 28, 2016, 7:24 am

    When all else fails, keep adding layers.

  • Penny Munson November 28, 2016, 12:39 pm

    I love working with geli plates – they saved the day for you!

  • Sandra November 29, 2016, 3:13 am

    I love how you rescued that. I recently bought the small gelli plates, without any clear idea of what I was going to do with them. That has just given me the inspiration for more play. Thank you ?

  • Anita M. K. November 29, 2016, 7:59 pm

    I love the way you just keep going and don’t get discouraged. Mistakes are what you famously call OOPs! It is so helpful to see another artist keep working it until it rings with beauty!

  • Barbara December 1, 2016, 10:27 pm

    Love love love all your tutorials.

  • Sandra L. December 6, 2016, 7:56 am

    Fantastic job and how you took what you thought was ugly into a super project. Normally I never give up. I walk away and come back and most often it will fall together. Just like your fix for the Dylusion’s Sprays. I always learn something new when I come to your blog. Thanks for sharing your technique.

  • Donna March 19, 2018, 11:35 am

    Just hearing your opening music makes me smile and this video (stumbled across while wandering on Pinterest) just made me laugh out loud. The thing I love about Dylusions sprays is also the thing that annoys me about them but you came up with a great solution. I was just in the hospital for 5 days (Influenza B which zapped me within 18 hours of chemo just for a double header!) and for pick-me-ups I turned to your videos on my tablet. The music is instant cheer and there’s never a video that doesn’t leave me smiling! Thanks for sharing your energy.

    • Carolyn Dube March 20, 2018, 9:38 am

      Donna I am honored that the videos could help you get through such a brutal week. Hope your immune systems gets a bit of rest soon!