Time to dust off those blending brushes
Blending brushes are one of those tools that many cardmakers own… but aren’t always quite sure how to use beyond basic ink blending.
And honestly? I think a lot of people overcomplicate them.
The truth is, blending brushes are one of the easiest ways to add color, depth, and interest to your handmade cards without needing advanced coloring skills or a craft room full of supplies. If you can move your hand in a circular motion, you can use blending brushes.
In this week’s tutorial, I’m sharing four simple ways to use blending brushes to create beautiful card backgrounds, focal points, and colorful stamped images.
One of the things I love most about blending brushes is how versatile they are. You can create soft and subtle looks, bold dramatic backgrounds, watercolor effects, and even add multiple colors to detailed stamped images.
That flexibility makes them a fantastic tool for both beginner and experienced cardmakers.
A Simple S.I.P. Card with a Big Impact
The first card I shared in the tutorial is a true S.I.P. card — just stamps, ink, and paper.
Using a simple mask and a couple of ink colors, I created a soft blended circle background behind the butterflies. It is quick, easy, and doesn’t require a lot of supplies, but it still creates a beautiful focal point.
This type of card is a great reminder that you do not always need elaborate layers or complicated techniques to create something pretty. Sometimes a simple pop of blended color is enough to make a card feel special.
One of the biggest tips I can give when using blending brushes is this:
Start your brush movement off the cardstock first.
That helps prevent those harsh dark spots that can happen when too much ink hits the paper at once. Using a soft circular motion helps create a smoother blend and gives a much softer finished look.
Using Masking Techniques with Blending Brushes
Another technique I demonstrated uses torn masking paper to create a watercolor-style background with a clean white space for a sentiment.
This is one of my favorite ways to add color while still keeping the design balanced and easy to read.
By simply tearing masking paper and blending ink around it, you can create soft artistic backgrounds that look much more complicated than they really are.
The best part is that no two cards will ever look exactly alike.
That is something I really encourage people to embrace with blending brushes. There is no “perfect” way to blend. Every background will be slightly different, and honestly, that is part of the charm.
Creating Dramatic Backgrounds
Blending brushes are also wonderful for creating dramatic skies and colorful backgrounds behind die cuts.
For one of the cards in today’s tutorial, I used multiple ink colors to create a twilight sky effect behind a lighthouse die cut.
This technique is a great way to stretch your supplies because the blended background becomes part of the design itself.
Instead of relying entirely on patterned paper, you are creating your own custom background using colors already in your stash.
That is one of the reasons I love blending brushes so much. They help take the guesswork out of creating custom looks while still allowing you to experiment and be creative.
Adding Multiple Colors to Stamped Images
One of my favorite examples from today’s tutorial was using blending brushes with the outline butterfly image from the All Aflutter bundle.
The butterflies are all part of one stamped image, but by using a mask and the small blending brushes, I was able to color each butterfly a different color.
This is such a fun technique because it gives you much more control over where the color goes, especially on detailed images.
A helpful tip:
Use the smaller blending brushes when working with tiny images or small spaces. Save the larger blending brushes for bigger background areas.
That little change alone makes blending much easier and helps keep colors from accidentally blending into areas where you do not want them.
Don’t Let Your Supplies Sit Unused
I think one of the biggest struggles many cardmakers face is feeling unsure about how to use the supplies they already own.
Blending brushes can feel intimidating at first, especially if you have seen heavily blended cards online and think you need to achieve perfection.
You really do not.
Start simple.
Experiment.
Play with color.
See what happens.
Some of my favorite backgrounds happened completely by accident.
If you would like the measurements and project details for today’s cards, along with new inspiration sheets added every month, I would love to have you join the Crafty Collective Inspiration Vault.
The Vault includes downloadable inspiration sheets with both imperial and metric measurements, project details, and additional creative inspiration tied to my weekly tutorials.
And if you enjoyed today’s blending brush ideas, make sure to check your stash and pull those blending brushes back out again. They are far more versatile than many people realize.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope this tutorial inspires you to experiment, have fun, and create something beautiful.
If you need any of the Stampin’ Up! products featured in today’s tutorial, you can shop with me here: