Pen Comparison: Archival Ink

Reported by Cassandra Darwin

I love pens.  Always have.  Probably always will.  And after buying hundreds of different kinds I know that some are (much) better than others.  Here is a quick comparison of just a few that I happened to have handy - I tried to narrow the selection down to dark colors with pigment ink.  First I'll do a quick review of each pen, then describe a water test I conducted, and finish with summary of all the important facts.

Starting from the top of the picture:

Martha Stewart "Writing Pen" from EK Success

• Acid-free and archival pigment ink
• Available in 10 colors
• 0.5 mm fine tip for writing and drawing
• $1.99
• Easy to hold, smooth writing, and color coded on both ends of the pen.  Have not had any problems with bleeding on different paper media.

Copic "Multiliner"

• Pigment ink that is waterproof and compatible with Copic markers
• 4 nib sizes for colors and 7 nib sizes plus two brush sizes in black (0.05 black was tested)
• Available in 6 colors
• $2.95
• This is like the Rolls Royce of pigment pens.  Compatible with every medium, writes smoothly and easily.  I plan to get more sizes and may look into buying the more expensive refillable version.

Pigma "Micron" Pens from Sakura

• Pigment ink is acid free, archival, waterproof, and fade proof
• 6 nib sizes (black 0.45 and 0.5 mm sizes were tested  - although my chart below has the wrong sizes listed)
• 15 colors available
• $2.79
• This has been go-to pen for a long time.  I have even been using some of the same pens intermittently for 10+ years without any sign of drying out.  My biggest complaint is that the nib sizing numbers don't correspond with the nib size - size 08 is actually a 0.5 mm nib.

Gelly Roll Pens from Sakura

• Archival ink that is waterproof and fade resistant (not pigment ink)
• The Classic Gelly Roll (solid cap) comes in two nib sizes and 11 colors
• The five other varieties of Gelly Roll (clear and glitter caps) are avilable in 40+ colors with a variety of metallic and pearl finishes
• $1.39 - $1.69
• These are certainly the most affordable option in my comparison, and maybe even the easiest to find in stores.  But the roller ball gel ink does require steady pressure to get an even writing line.  And the Metallic Gelly Roll did not survive my water brush test (below).

Pigment Pro from American Crafts

• Acid-free archival pigment ink
• $1.99
• This pen has been discontinued, but I wanted to include it because this was my first time using it.  I'm not sure if it had been sitting at the store for too long, or what the story was.  But I pulled it out to use it for the first time and it was all dried up!

Click the image below to enlarge see writing examples for each of the pens.

I figured it would be a good idea to test with a wet paintbrush to see which pens can be used with watercolors and markers.  Below is a writing sample for each pen on watercolor paper.

Then I used the water pen to get each line of writing thoroughly wet.  All of the pigment pens passed with flying colors.  But of the Gelly Roll pens, only the Classic version resisted the water - the other metallic varieties had a little to a lot of smearing from the paintbrush. 

So what I discovered after this test, is that I really should stick to the pigment pens for my archival projects or anything that may get wet with watercolors, markers, etc.  I still like the Gelly Roll pens, but I will only use those for certain projects and everyday use.

Taking price and color/size availability into consideration, the Pigma Micron pens are the best option for me.  But if anyone wants to splurge and buy me a present, feel free to get me any combination of the Copic Multiliner sets.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have a favorite pigment pen that I didn't mention? Leave a comment and let us know!

Marvy Uchida Snow Marker

Reported by Susan Reidy

This holiday season, I'm going to make my own winter wonderland. Since I have no place to go, I'm going to use the Marchy Uchida Snow Marker to let it snow all over my projects.

I wanted this badly last year, but could never find it. When I saw it in September at Hobby Lobby, it went right into my shopping cart.

I know it says snow marker, and I did/will use it for that purpose, but there's so much more that can be done with its white puffy gloriousness. Think of the possibilities for Santa's beard, ice cream, fluffy sheep, icing, clouds (which are so hot right now), and more.

The marker is super simple to use: Give it a good a few shakes, and if it's your first use (or you haven't used it in a while), press down on the tip until the ink starts to flow. Color it on your project, in this case I used a silk flower.

Zap it with a heat gun. The marker puffs quite nicely, making for a great snow effect. Even though the ink was absorbed some into the flower, it still had a nice lift.

According to the Marvy Uchida web site, you should let the ink dry for 20 to 30 minutes before heating it to get a uniform effect. I didn't read this on the instructions that were on the packaging, so I didn't wait. I still liked the results, and to me, snow is rarely uniform.

I layered two flowers together, and used it as an accent on my December Daily.

It can be used on a variety of surfaces including paper and fabric. The water-based pigmented ink is odorless, acid free and is washable when applied to fabrics, although the delicate cycle is recommended.

Marvy Uchida says not to rub it after heating it, and to avoid ironing directly on the ink.

I wanted to try it out on some fabric, so I die-cut a tree out of some Papertrey Ink wool felt. Again, I didn't wait to let it dry; I was afraid it would absorb too much into the fabric.

It wasn't getting quite the puff I expected so I thought I should keep heating it. Bad idea, especially with wool felt. Oops...just a few scorch marks.

I tried again, being much more careful with the heat tool. I did scorch one end, but overall, I was pleased with the results.

Here they are side by side. The snow wasn't as puffy as it was on my flower, but it still looked like snow.

I was adding my tree to a card, and wanted my pink (yeah, pink) snow drifts to have a little lift. I like how I can get different results depending on how I apply the ink. It's not as puffy when I use long strokes vs. dotting it on.

Here's my finished card.

Next up, I wanted to try adding dimension to Santa's beard and his other white fluffy parts. This time, I decided to wait. Not a good idea, at least for me. I was hardly getting any puff, so I kept heating and heating. You can guess what happened. Poor Santa got scorched (must have been a hot chimney!). Also, the snow marker ink completely flattened and turned an unsightly yellowish-tan (think Miss Havisham in Great Expectations).

So for my next attempt, I didn't wait and I laid it on thick. I wanted lots of puff. Much better.

Here they are side by side.

Since my Santa was going to be coming down a tag chimney, I decided to add a little soot. I opted for chalk. The snow ink took the chalk well, and it didn't flatten the puff, but I used a light hand.

And here's my finished tag.

After playing with it some, I was curious what would happen if I added some glitter to the ink while it was wet, before heating it.

Once again, I was pleased with the results. I really, really added a lot of ink, because I wanted the glitter to stay in place.

Look how puffy it is!

I had lots of fun playing with this marker and learned a few things along the way. I personally don't like waiting for it to dry; I like the look you get when you heat immediately. Shake that sucker between every use. If you want the ink to really puff, lay it on thick.

Pros:

• Adds great puffy dimension to make snow, beards, clouds, etc.
• Easy to use.
• Works on multiple surfaces, including cardstock and fabric.
• Possible to add chalk, glitter.

Cons:

• Results vary on different surfaces.
• Don't overheat, or it will turn a nasty yellowish color and completely flatten out.

Have you used the Marvy Uchida snow marker to make your projects a winter wonderland? What's your favorite way to use it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'd like to extend a happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers.

Thanksgiving Blog Carnival

It's Carnival time!  We are looking for your Thanksgiving projects.  Think place-settings, Thanksgiving cards, centerpieces, "thankful" scrapbook layouts... anything with a Thanksgiving theme.  Just use the "Inlinkz" link below to submit your blog post, flickr photo, or image from any online gallery!

Then be sure to tell everyone you know about the carnival.  Share the link to this post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or all of the above!

We will select one random winner from all the participants to win a box of crafty goodies from Craft Critique!  The winner will be selected on Black Friday.

We can't wait to see your Thanksgiving projects!

American Girl Crafts - Mosaic Frame Kit

Reported by Maria Del Pinto

The American Girl dolls are pretty popular in my household, and we have been blessed with another opportunity to test out one of their kits.  The American Girl line of craft kits by E.K. Success can be found at local craft stores, online and other retailers.  The American Girl Craft kits vary in price, and are geared to specific ages.   This particular kit is recommended for American Girl fans ages eight and up.  The "Mosaic Frame Kit" retails for about $19.99.

The Mosaic Frame Kit comes complete with:

• A project & idea booklet
• Acrylic Frame
• 142 Patterned Shapes
• 1 Green Square Stencil
• 1 Pink Circle Stencil
• 24 Clear Plastic Bubble Stickers
• 16 Self Adhesive gems
• 3 Ribbons
• Adhesive Foam Squares

The instructions include some drawings that make it fun for the crafter to follow, without having to stop and read the whole booklet.

You really should read it, though, because the booklet offers some great tips and ideas for personalizing the projects.  There are even instructions for creating a fun scavenger hunt game to entertain the kids.

The colorful papers in the kit are actually pre-cut shapes that the kids can use to decorate their frame.

The clear bubble stickers are pretty neat and a nice finish to the pictures and/or die cuts used in the project.

The frame itself is really cute, it is made from acrylic which is safer for the kids to craft with.

Making the project is pretty easy, just choose some pictures.  My girls found it easier to hold the photo stencil to decide which pictures to use.

Or you can use the frame to see how the pictures will look.

Once the kids have picked out the pictures, then they just need to cut them out.  The pictures are pretty small, so if you are working with younger children, then I would recommend cutting the pictures out for them.  If you have one of those fun inch-sized square punches, then those will work too.  The project took about 30 minutes total to make and came out great.  Below is the frame done using just the kit supplies and our pictures.  

My oldest daughter glued some of her favorite jewelry pieces (from pieces she had broken but did not want to throw out) to her frame.  Now she can enjoy both the memories from her pictures and from the pieces of jewelry.  So the possibilities are endless with this kit.  If you are looking for a fun quick and easy craft for your American Girl fan, then this kit will not disappoint. It is super easy and a fun memory project for your own American Girl to do.  The finished project is so cute.

Tips:

• Lay everything out so you can pick your colors, shapes and photos.

• If you are using the kit for younger children, you can help avoid frustration by using either the enclosed adhesive foam squares, or use glue dots (my personal favorite).

• Your kids may want to keep adding decorations (stickers, buttons, etc.), so be prepared to have fun items on hand for them to add to their frame.

Pros:

• Easy to follow instructions.
• All the supplies you need are in the kit (except the photos and scissors).
• Easy to finish in a short time period.

Cons:

• Really geared for one child at a time. (Beside the one the manufacturer sent me, I purchased another kit so that both of my girls would be able to do one).
• Habit forming, once we started the girls wanted more to make for friends.
• Price may be an issue for some, however, I found some great deals online.  

We would love for our readers to share with us what types of crafts do their children enjoy making? Post a comment and let us know.

Disclosure

Celebrating Movember

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of mustaches on thousands of mens faces around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for mens health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

You can sponsor the growing of said facial hair of friends and family and be part of a fun event to make a difference as 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In honor of this being the month of Movember, I thought it would be a good time to introduce our readers to some of my favourite Male Crafters.

Fabrizio Martellucci


1. What do you enjoy about being creative?
I enjoy the distraction of it, I can lose myself for hours paper crafting and when I look at the clock I realise that I spent a whole afternoon crafting. It's healing for me as I would just sulk otherwise because I'm indoors all the time due to agoraphobia and other issues.

2. What is the most frustrating thing about being creative?
Not being able to create what you have brewing in your head. I might have an idea that sits there for weeks then when I'm finally ready to create, it doesn't come to fruition; I usually get totally disheartened but sometimes out of that original idea something completely different might come up and that surprises me.
3. Where do you look for inspiration?
I'm an avid blog hopper for my own linking website papermood.com as I'm always on the lookout for that 'wow' handmade greeting card, I also like to read paper crafting magazines: especially the card making ones. Funnily enough my best 'lightbulb' moments came using sketches/pagemaps I really dig how you can apply any sort of papers, embellishments and ribbons, using various layouts, which seems to have taken the guessing work, out of the equation. Sketches are real time savers. 


4. What do you love about your favourite pieces of artwork?
It's something I like to share with other crafters like myself, in a way it's a bit of a legacy on my best work (I'm really a hit and miss so I'm not proud of all my stuff lol); I always hope that someone who's sitting on the fence about paper crafting might decide to start crafting because they see my creations and that would be really cool to think that I've inspired someone else.

5. Do you find any differences being male in your creative field?
I think male crafters are still standing out like sore thumbs because there aren't that many of us. Mind you, I can see more men cardmakers popping up everywhere now than it used to be only a few years ago. I do like the attention I get being male as with my foreign name, it makes me stand out from the rest.

6. What would be your favourite words of creative wisdom to others?
Don't buy everything you see as we only use 20% we own to produce 80% of our output (using the Pareto principle here), I believe that some of us have hoarding tendencies and that can be a problem if space is at a premium in your own dwelling. My best tip is also to give your creations only to people who will appreciate them, don't spend time trying to convert the 'only shop bought' cards brigade: you're only wasting your time. :)

You can see more of Fab’s work at his site: http://www.kimtag.com/fabrizio


Aaron Morris
1. What do you enjoy about being creative?
I enjoy being able to channel the creativity that I have inside me into things that make me and the ones I love happy.

2. What is the most frustrating thing about being creative?
I always find it frustrating when I lose my mojo. I hate having the desire to be creative, but having trouble creating something that I am happy with. Sometimes, I get frustrated when I have too much inspiration, knowing that I will likely not get to everything I want to do.



3. Where do you look for inspiration?
I find inspiration all around me. In a store, in nature, looking at other layouts (both paper and digi). I mostly get inspired to create things by my family and the memories we create - when I have memories to scrap or great photos I get inspired to create.



4. What do you love about your favourite pieces of artwork?
As I've spent time scrapbooking, my style has changed. I am most happy with my style as it is now. I love layering and clustering elements, and I love adding surprising elements to my pages. I also love having layouts that I can share with my family.

5. Do you find any differences being male in your creative field?
Not usually. Some people are surprised when they "find out" about me, but people are usually great about it and love having a man that shares their hobby.

6. What would be your favourite words of creative wisdom to others?
I think I would love to remind people that there is no "wrong answer" in creativity. Often we get caught up in what is trendy and what others will like and forget that creativity is supposed to be something that is original to each individual. My best work comes from the times that I forget what I think is the "right thing" to do, and do what I feel works the best.

You can see more of Aaron’s work at his site: http://www.sirscrapalot.com/


Andy Skinner
1. What do you enjoy about being creative?
Finding out new techniques, experimenting with new mediums and loosing myself for a few hours!

2. What is the most frustrating thing about being creative?
Never being totally happy with the artwork I create. Unfortunately we are all our own worst critics.

3. Where do you look for inspiration?
In absolutely everything including my dreams! I take a camera with me wherever I go and take pictures constantly for reference.

4. What do you love about your favourite pieces of artwork?
This is different for so many pieces as I dabble in many techniques, styles and media. I think, however,  for my Steampunk and assemblage items, it is the ability to produce realistic faux metal, rust and aged effects to fool the viewer. It's so funny that my father spent most of his spare time restoring old items to make them look new, I on the other hand do the complete opposite, it's much more fun that way!
5. Do you find any differences being male in your creative field?
Not really, I do sometimes feel a little out numbered as men are definitely the minority in this field it has to be said, but I have always got on far better with women having grown up in a female- dominated house and having all daughters.

6. What would be your favourite words of creative wisdom to others?
This one is simple for me, its from Albert Einstein "Imagination is more important than knowledge"

You can see more of Andy’s work at his site: http://andyskinner.org


I hope you have enjoyed this little introduction to some awesome crafters and that you will support Movember's quest!

Real Good Toys Dollhouse kits

Reported by Marti Wills

It's that time of year again - the search is on for great holiday gifts!  As a child, I always wanted a dollhouse but never got one - I mean a "real" dollhouse, not a Fisher-Price type.  This summer my wonderful husband took me out dollhouse shopping and I purchased a kit by Real Good Toys to build the Allison Jr.  I purchased it from AC Moore and was even able to use a 40% off coupon.