All About Ink Blending Through Stencils – A Video Tutorial

Hi everyone! It’s Lindsay here, from Crafting While Caffeinated Blog & YouTube Channel, and I have a new video to share with you! Yes, it’s a super long one, but I promise it is FULL of information all about ink blending! Ink blending is one of those techniques that is “easy”, however it can so frustrating to learn. It takes practice and trial and error, with paper, tools, ink, etc. to learn what works best for you. In today’s tutorial I’m sharing tips and tricks to get the best results, and all the tools I personally use and what I use them for! Be sure to watch the video below for all the details.

Some supplies used in the video above were sent to me free of charge for design purposes. I only ever design for companies I can stand behind 100%!


Ink blending takes practice, first and foremost. However, there are a few things you can do to make it a bit easier for you. The first, start by blending through stencils. Breaking up the background with stencils can make the blending less intimidating, but it also helps give the illussion of a better blend by breaking up the blended area with white space!

All about ink blending through stencils - TCW Screen Grid & TCW Native Star Stencils

A few more things that are going to help you get the best blend are paper and ink choices. You want to blend on a smooth cardstock without a lot of texture or “tooth” and I would highly suggest starting with a dye ink for blending. I like the Catherine Pooler ink pads, but I started with the Mini Distress ink pads and they are much more budget friendly and work just as well! And paper wise, I use the Michael’s brand heavy weight white cardstock, but so many crafters also recommend the Bristol Smooth cardstock for ink blending. So if you’re still struggling try switching up your ink or paper and see if you get better results.

Ink blending a rainbow through the Native Star Stencil

Ok, now the big one – tools. There are SO MANY tools on the market and it’s hard to know which one is right for you. Then mix in specialty blending tools and it gets even more confusing. I’m sorry to say that there isn’t a way to know which tool is going to be right for you until you try it. This can become expensive, I get it, but in the video above I go over what ways I use each tool, what they’re good for, and how I use them! So hopefully that can help you narrow it down!

Ink Blending with blending brushes through the Screen Grid stencil - Color choices are so important!

Ink blending is such a large subject and I couldn’t even begin to cover all the tools, inks, paper, etc that so many love and use often. And so many of us have tips that we’ve picked up over the years. So if you have a favorite tool, ink, paper, etc. or a fun tip to share leave it below in the comments or in my video comments! I would love to see them!!

If you are interested in the stencils I used on my cards today, you can find them both linked down below. Until next time, happy crafting!!

Lindsay A – TCW Design Team Member


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