Making friends with Distress Paint

Just a quickie to say, keep at it!
I've been staring at these paints after tossing several attempts into the circular file and wondering if I had made an expensive paint purchase for naught!

Part of my problem is I am cheap Scotch,
thrifty, and wasn't using enough paint.
Choose colors that are contrasty(is that a word?) and put the paint on your craft sheet  the size of your paper, and a bit bigger.

Water- you have too get this just right too.
Too little and you get no blending, too much and you get mud.

It helps to lightly spritz the paper first, so the paint can move on it.

I needed a not fussy card for middle son, so I used Vintage photo, sage, weathered wood and bronze.
No glitter! and not much glitz.

I added some black soot and vintage photo ink to blend more and pull all the stamping together.

Black soot paint was dabbed onto a charm to make the tennis racquets. I pressed the paper firmly into the charm.

I was so excited that I was getting something I liked, I grabbed every piece of paper on my drawing table and ran it into the paint.

This one is pressed into and pulled off of the paint.

This one is pressed and twisted just a bit- Don't move it around too much.

Here is the back of the card so you will know why I chose that color ribbon. I used the ribbon to pick up any paint left on the craft sheet.

Now that I am beginning to know what I'm doing, I take some photo's next time of the painting process.

Happy Birthday Ray!

Comments and Questions always welcomed.