Radiant Pearls
RPs = radiant pearls
WCs = watercolors
JC = Joseph's Coat
EP = embossing powder
PE = pearl ex
Radiant Pearls:
Radiant Pearls are transparent (like watercolors) pearlized paints, and contain emollients similar to oil paints. These properties allow for endless shading and blending techniques. Available in 126 brilliant colors (this includes the new chroma tone colors that can be used for blending) you can paint, stipple, emboss and apply directly to rubber stamps. They are wonderful for creating beautiful background papers. Non-toxic and acid free. You can emboss them for a pearlized enamel effect or let them air dry for a soft satin luminescent sheen. The pearlescent effect is created by tiny mica particles in the paint. RPs will not dry on glass/plastic/metal so you can use CDs, plastic watercolor trays, etc for your palettes. The chroma tones will dry on non-porous surfaces I believe.
RPs can be applied in many different ways. Paint brushes, cosmetic sponges, stippling brushes, fingers, etc. It depends upon the technique you wish to use.Paper:
Any type of paper can be used with the exception of glossy papers and vellums that have a plastic coating. Kromecote glossy papers will work (clay coating) as will the Glamma brand of vellum papers. The more porous the paper, the quicker the absorbtion. RPs do not dry per se, they absorb into the paper. When using a paper that is not extremely porous, use less RPs. You will notice that if you apply too much, it will just sit on the surface of the paper. A little goes a long way with RPs. You can add more color after the initial layer has dried (I will use the term dry since it's easier to keep typing than absorb!!!). Watercolor paper is a fantastic surface to work on. By nature, watercolor papers are made to handle extensive water application so the RPs will absorb quickly and you can add a heavier application is you desire. I happen to be an advocate of watercolor paper so you'll probably notice that!! Watercolor papers come in varying types and thicknesses. For basic backgrounds, a cold press, medium weight paper will do. If you want to stamp, a light cold press or hot press will be more suitable due to the smoother surface. Experiment until you find the particular paper you like. Watercolor paper is sold either in a block format, many sheets pre-cut and glued on one side to create a block, you would use it sheet by sheet but do not necessarily have to remove it from the pad. Watercolor paper is also sold by sheet. This is how I buy mine. You are able to see the texture and feel the weight. You can then cut it to size. I large size sheet (22 x 30) ranges from 3.00 - 8.00/sheet depending upon the type of paper.
Cardstocks also work well with RPs. Experiment with different colors to show off the sheen of the RPs. Perhaps make a color chart using both white and black cardstock. You will be able to see how the iridescence changes by changing the background color. I've found that the less expensive matte cardstocks work fine to since they tend to be quite absorbant, but not always good for very wet applications (like using RPs with watercolors or watercolor pencils). I buy white cardstock at the office supply store that's of a decent quality that works well too. You can even use RPs on papyrus.
Any warping that might occur can be fixed by placing the piece under heavy books or ironing with a steam iron (be careful, you don't want to burn the paper or get it too wet, you may ruin the image you've taken the time to create!!!).Brushes/Applicators:
For RPs you can use a variety of applicators and brushes. I use my watercolor brushes for my RPs. I have several small brushes for detail work. Don't spend a bundle on brushes unless you feel the need, but don't buy the really inexpensive ones either. They tend to have fly away strands of hairs that if you're not careful, can add color to a place where you don't want it and also can lose their shape more easily. Good quality synthetic watercolor brushes will work well. I use the poorer quality brushes for applying glue, gold leaf, etc.
You can also apply RPs using cosmetic sponges, a cut n' dry pad (it's like a large, uninked pad, available in felt and foam, use foam for RPs), stippling brushes, your fingers, a palette knife (although, due to their very thin consistency, a palette knife may be somewhat difficult to work with), or anything else of your choosing. Different techniques will use different types of applications.Colors:
RPs come in many different colors and can be mixed like other paint mediums. Some colors won't mix well together due to their color and you'll end up with muddy colors. If you have a color wheel, this can help with making new colors and learning about hues, tints and shades. You can also find some good information on the internet. I won't expound here as that could take pages!!! But from a small group of colors, you can expand your range of colors without the expense of buying more. Having one light color such as snowqueen or oyster shell in your mix will help when you want a lighter shade of an existing color. And remember, when painting, it helps to start with the lighter colors first and then move to the darker shades.Joseph's Coat:
For this technique, a less detailed stamp works best. To begin, select the range of colors you wish to use, stamp(s) and paper (matte works best). You will also need clear EP and a black pigment inkpad (Clearsnap's colorbox blacks work especially well). To begin, color your stamp using the RPs and a paintbrush, cosmetic sponge, stippling brush, etc. Don't put too much color on, you don't want the stamp to slip when you're stamping the image.
After the stamp is colored, stamp the image on the cardstock. Apply the clear EP and emboss. Let it cool for a second so you don't smudge the EP and then apply black ink over the whole piece of cardstock until it's coated, even the image. You don't have to wipe the ink of the embossing, but you can if you like. Now coat the paper with clear EP and heat again. You will see the black ink become semi-transparent and the colors of the image you stamped will be muted, but still, very pretty.RPs and WCs:
RPs work well with watercolors. You can make a background with watercolors and then add RPs to highlight. Also, for an image you have colored with watercolors, add RPs for highlights and interest. I like making backgrounds with watercolors and then add complimentary RPs before the paper has dried. This cuts the RPs a bit and you end up with a light sheen of iridescence on the surface of the paper. Note: If you color an image with watercolors or watercolor pencils, adding RPs for highlighting can cause bleeding. This will happen more when the watercolors are still wet. I will spray my work with a fixative before applying the RPs if I have an area I don't want to bleed after it's dried.
RPs also work well with watercolor pencils too. You can color your image and use a blender pen, waterbrush or just paintbrush and water with the watercolor pencils, or you can experiment and see how it will look using RPs to blend the colors.RPs, WCs and Pearl Ex:
When coloring your image with WCs or WC pencils, you can add both RPs and PE for highlights and added sparkle. I will add PE over the RPs and watercolors. You can add the PE to the watercolors themselves and then use RPs over the watercolors. I will add PE using a blender pen if the image has dried or just with my paintbrush if the image is still wet. If you're going a background piece, you can take a soft brush and flick PE over the paper and then use a flat, stiff brush to brush out the PE.
You can use PE over dried RPs also, this will add even more iridescence. Apply using a blending pen and then spray with fixative when finished.Stamping with RPs:
You can color a stamp with RPs using a stipple brush, paint brush or cosmetic sponge. It depends on how much blending you want to occur on the stamp itself. Use a paintbrush for more precise applications, a stipple brush or cosmetic sponge for more blended applications. Don't over do it, the colors can become muddy. When the stamp is covered to your liking, stamp. You can also spritz with water before stamping to get a more muted, watercolor effect. You can then spritz again and stamp a couple more times to get lighter images. This is pretty for making a background or to compliment a main image.RPs and bleach:
You can use RPs over bleached areas of an image to bring brightness and interest to a piece. To bleach an area, you can use q-tips to apply the bleach. When the area has become as light as you wish, color with RPs. This looks very nice on dark/black cardstock. If you have an image of a flower, bleach the petals and leaves then color with RPs. Voila, another masterpiece. Be careful, bleach is very caustic!!!RPs and cut 'n dry pads:
This is from a very good friend of mine so I won't take credit for her creativity!! Cut 'n dry you can find at stamp stores or on-line. They come in felt and foam and are like large inkpads you can cut to size. For RPs, you would want to use the foam pad. I've also used the wet palettes you can find in an art store or the art section of a craft store. The wet palettes when expanded are approx 1/4-3/8 inch thick sponges. They don't have as smooth a surface as a foam pad but will work. You keep the palette wet so the paints don't dry out before you're finished but if you wring it out well, the RPs won't dilute too much. Works really well for fabric stamping!!!
Apply the colors you wish to the foam as you would a regular inkpad. You can make designs with the colors, blotches, etc. Then ink up your stamp and off you go. Spritz with water to create a watercolor effect or when the colors start to get used up. You can wash the foam when you're finished, or just leave it, it won't dry.RPs and acetate:
For this technique, you won't be painting directly on the acetate.
Stamp an image of choice using permanent ink on the acetate. Let the image dry completely. Flip it over and add diamond glaze, or related on the back. You can add RPs, glitter, etc to the diamond glaze. Mix the colors together using a toothpick, finger, etc. Not too much or you will lose the individual colors and may end up with a muddy colored mix. Lighter colors work better since they won't overpower the image stamped on the acetate. Take a piece of white tissue paper, crumple it and spread it out. Place the tissue paper onto the diamond glaze and press. Let dry and then mount.RPs and overstamping:
Stamp an image using a very light dye ink. Let dry. Stamps with less detail work best, but detailed images can be used. Using a stipple brush, apply RPs on the image. You will go outside the lines but that is part of the technique. When you are finished, let the RPs dry completely. When dry, use a stamp positioner and darker dye or pigment ink and restamp the image over the original.RPs and paperclay/delight:
RPs can be added to paperclay or delight (made by the paperclay company, lightweight with a marshmallow consistency but not sticky). When the pieces are dry, you can highlight using RPs. Haven't tried this one yet, but I'm thinking it should work since the paperclay is "paper" based and porous as is the delight.