The public feedback was invaluable. We listened to what improvement they would like and reformulated until the end product on the market today was released.
In the midst of the beta test, a store in the northwest called and said her customers did not want to mix their own paint and wanted it done for them.
Of course a pre-mixed acrylic could have been made, but it got us thinking we had never seen a shimmering watercolor and certainly no normal watercolor as brilliant and rich in pigment. Not too long after Twinkling H20s were born.
I Love how they come in their own pot. I can paint till the last drop. As a kid I would always use my favorite colors quickly. The little white hole would appear on the bottom of my cake, then it would break and I would lose all the blue I had left!
How many colors do you have?
Currently there are 144 colors.
Are you developing any new colors?
Always! Watch for Fall 2006
How many sets do you have?
Twinkling H20s are available in two different size pots, large and minis.
We offer twenty two 6 piece sets, eleven sets of 12 and five 24 piece kits.
I’ve had numerous people write to me asking how to use the Twinkling H20’s; we’d love to hear it from YOU, the EXPERT!
Open them up! Our mantra at shows is USE THEM. They begin, as a hardpan cake just a few drop of water will activate them for painting.
Good watercolor paper 90-140 weight is designed for what artists call a wet on wet method. Wet the paper first with water and lay wet color on the paper. To avoid buckling and curling many folks prepare the paper by taping down the edges with masking tape.
I consider myself a rubber stamper. So naturally I can take an outline stamp emboss the image, black is my favorite color, and color in the lines. Why do I emboss the image?
The inks they have on the market are just marvelous, however I have found when anyshimmery paint is used over a dye ink line the image is muted and not crisp as the shimmer masks the dye ink lines. Embossing powder is plastic and watercolor (the vehicle being water) will resist the plastic and your image comes out clean.
When using this technique of course I could use watercolor paper. However watercolor paper is a bit more expensive and may not be convenient for my card making or scrapbooking. Good 80-weight linen is a fabulous alternative. It is not as heavy as watercolor paper for the wet on wet technique, but water flows on linen like a good watercolor paper, so it is perfect for coloring in an image.
While painting I will have the occasion to use a fine mist spray bottle to keep them moist which brings me to my favorite technique…
What is your favorite technique?
Direct To Rubber (or DTR) is the technique of applying color on the surface of a rubber stamp with a paintbrush, a sponge tip applicator or whatever tool suits the application. You can see a Direct To Rubber step by step tutorial here.
How do you get your inspiration for the art you create?
Six years ago when I began this journey I was critical of my work, as it never came out like I envisioned it in my head. Being in the limelight at tradeshows I have had no choice but to find a way to express my art. I have many mentors… Kat Runge, Peggy Budfuloski, Judi Kaufman, Carolyn Holt, & Lea Everse just to name a few out of MANY. These ladies inspired and pushed me to expand the art box in my head.
Kat taught me the most valuable lesson about happy accidents. She would literally trade pieces with a student or retrieve their work they tossed in the trash and keep working it till the student asked for it back. Peggy pushed me to explore my dimensional thinking, Judi Kaufman to not limit myself reach for the stars and try anything, Carolyn that no matter what I do there is beauty in all our work & Lea is an incredible calligrapher and rubber stamp artist and highly skilled on mounting and layering with immaculate precision.
What is your favorite color?
All of them! If you had to pick a favorite child you couldn’t and with some of the colors the labor was longer than others. I find in general there are colors that I call transitional or bridge colors that help me transition from yellow-green to purple or orange to purple.
Turquoise (blue-greens) and peach (pink-orange) tones and very good bridge colors.
For example:
A bright purple (Snapdragon) will mix into turquoise (Blue Grass) as they both share the common denominator “blue”, then blend in and olive green (Olive Vine) and the common denominator is “green” and blend in a bright yellow- lime (Key lime). Normally purple and green would make brown but the turquoise acts as the bridge.
A Bright yellow (Sunburst) will mix into and orange (Ginger peach) and then use a bridge color peach (Playful Peony) I can blend into a pink (Jasmine) and them into a purple (Snapdragon)
Purple and yellow would also make brown, but with a bridge color it works!
Tell us what your future plans are (as much as you are able) with your company?
We have more products already in development and our goal is to continue to make high quality products to inspire the creativity of our customers. Luminarte inc. welcomes your requests whether it is a color that you have mixed yourself and would like to see produced or perhaps a product you would love to see on the market.
It has been an honor sharing my journey and my wish for you with is to be inspired, to find your muse, as expression is what keeps our soul alive and well!
Leslie B. Ohnstad
President/ Inventor |
