Crumpled Inking

All of the samples shown were made using the same technique. For most of these, I used a solid background paper with a high cotton content. This is usually sold as resume paper in office supply stores. The cotton makes the paper absorbent, and also gives it plenty of tooth---a rough texture that allows it to accept things like pencils, pastels and chalks easily. I keep this paper around in both white and ivory, since it's also the paper I like to use to reproduce vintage images.

Other than paper, the only material required is an ink pad. I tend to have more dye inks than pigments, so that's what I usually use. For these samples, I used (from the top) Ancient Page, Frescos, and three colors of Distress Inks, but any inks you have laying around will work.

Simply crumple a background paper into a ball. Straighten out the paper so it's roughly flat again, and then crumple it a second time. This will produce a finer texture on the paper. Flatten the paper, then lightly drag your favorite ink across the surface of the paper. Don't press down with the pad---just lightly drag it over the surface of the paper, repeating until you're satisfied with the amount of color.