I bought six little Recollections ink pads at Michaels because they were on sale for $.50 each. They say they’re pigment pads so naturally I then had to do a comparison with dye based pads and then I realized I’ve never really done a comprehensive comparison of all my different ink pad brands. Yes, I’m that kind of nerd. It’s like swatching, but with more rules.
Behold the results (for anyone that is curious about the wide world of ink pads).
I have 7 distinct ink pad brands in my stash which fall into 3 broad categories: color wheel stamp pads, sentiment stamp pads (black, bleed proof, and permanent), and regular stamp pads (which include both pigment and dye-based).
For each I made a comparison card using the same white card stock and stamps. I tested: a solid block stamp, a small solid stamp, a detailed stamp, and a word stamp. In addition I did an inkpad swipe for each and a smoosh (dabbing the inkpad on an acrylic block, spritzing it with two sprays of water, and then smooshing it onto the page). When the cards were dry I used an alcohol marker on one butterfly wing and swiped the other wing with a wet paintbrush.
I’ll use the reference cards when deciding which ink pad to use for various projects. It helps knowing which are good for details vs blocks of color vs smooshing or swiping.
Thanks for sharing your swatch journal. I started a few years ago doing a stamping journal but I did some stamps in color. I think I’ll be happier doing all of the stamps in black and coloring them in if I want to see how they look in color.
Now, I’m at the point where I’m doing a serious deep purge/destash, so I’ll have less supplies. I will start over with my color swatching and mark journaling and make complete records. I’ll make the work like crafting, putting the records into large-format junk journals designed for them. That way I’ll be more inclined to finish them and they’ll be pretty to refer to.
Can you tell that I’m writing all of this for an accounting and to hold myself to my plan? You’re a big help! Did you do your records over a long period of time or did you devote like a week or so to get them done?
Thanks! I hope you get a chance to record and swatch your materials. It really is satisfying and a great reference.
I tend to go in fits and starts. When I acquire new supplies is usually a decent motivator for organizing or swatching, but not always. I wish I was more consistent. And I’m not exactly organized so much as chaotically ordered. My watercolors are 90% swatched. My gouache only 25%. My ink pads fully swatched, my acrylic inks not swatched at all. I’m a bit of a mess. One day I dream of having everything in a neat, logical place and documented though.
Forgot to say that I love the details on your comparison reference cards. It’s those types of efforts that make crafting and arting so much easier and more fun in the long run. They’re little artworks really and pretty to look at.
I love your book of swatches! I think I’m about to embark on the Herculean task of swatching my acrylics and am going to steal your idea of keeping them in a book like this.
I’ve looked at something like that but then it breaks my brain because I’d want to perfect how I organized them before starting. With loose swatch cards I can reorganize them easily.
You’re a big help! Did you do your records over a long period of time or did you devote like a week or so to get them done?