"Aging" Decks... Anti-Bling, if you will

GadgetGirl

Before you go racing for the tea bags take a look at some Tim Holtz Distress Inks. They're Archival and Acid Free and are made for the purpose of distressing (aging) papers and cardstock etc. And they come in such colours as Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo etc.
 

strings of life

GadgetGirl said:
Before you go racing for the tea bags take a look at some Tim Holtz Distress Inks. They're Archival and Acid Free and are made for the purpose of distressing (aging) papers and cardstock etc. And they come in such colours as Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo etc.
Tim Holtz Distress inks are amazing! Funny you mentioned them and that this thread came to being now, but I plan on antiquing my Steampunk Tarot. I have some ink pads (Antique Linen and Vintage Photo) from a previous project and just thought of using them on this deck. I think it will look great. I won't tackle this until later this month when I am off from work for 1 1/2 weeks, but I'll post photos when I do.

The pads are very easy to work with and the ink stays without a finishing spray, although a finhsing spray is a safeguard. I used cotton make-up remover pads to apply and spread the ink.
 

Sar

laura_borealis said:
Graphite is the stuff in pencils. That suggestion was in the first link I posted.

A wet tea bag sounds like a good idea, thank you! Much less traumatic-sounding than actually dunking a deck in tea (though some people did that with good results).

Did you know what blend they used?

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I am a photographer working the old analoge way and when I want to make my images look old I used to soak them in the good old Twinings morning tea (in loose weight, No bag, pleae).
 

SakuraFae

laura_borealis said:
And I think I'll get a cheap poker deck to experiment on.

Definitely a good way to go!

I've gotta say, the pencil idea sounds really messy to me, and not just to do but lingering. Somehow it's making me think of reading the newspaper and having black hands afterward.
 

Laura Borealis

Sar said:
Did you know what blend they used?

The most identification anyone gave, that I remember, was "cheap tea" or "black tea". I have Lipton in the cupboard so I reckon that's what I'll use, if I go the tea route.

GadgetGirl and aurarcana, thanks for the tip on the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I found a demo video (here). Some of the methods used seem like they produce results more extreme than what I had in mind, but the one he called the blending technique looks about right (when he did it very lightly). I'll have a look for those tomorrow.

SakuraFae, I agree on the messiness of the pencil lead... I was thinking of trying brown colored pencil though, and I believe colored pencils are not graphite but rather a blend of pigments and clay and other materials. They probably vary a lot from maker to maker. But that is why a practice deck will come in handy! Though the poker deck I got (sealed in plastic wrap of course, so I couldn't inspect it beforehand) has a very strange, pebbled finish that is completely unlike any tarot card coating I've ever seen. So I'm back to the drawing board on that! :D
 

strings of life

laura_borealis said:
GadgetGirl and aurarcana, thanks for the tip on the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I found a demo video (here). Some of the methods used seem like they produce results more extreme than what I had in mind, but the one he called the blending technique looks about right (when he did it very lightly). I'll have a look for those tomorrow.
I'll do one of my Steampunk Tarot cards tomorrow and will take a photo and share it here :). I'll use Antique Linen. There are many ways to apply the ink from the pad (foam pads seem to be the norm), but I really found it easy to control the ink with a cotton pad.
 

Laura Borealis

I look forward to seeing the results! :)
 

GadgetGirl

aurarcana said:
I'll do one of my Steampunk Tarot cards tomorrow and will take a photo and share it here :). I'll use Antique Linen. There are many ways to apply the ink from the pad (foam pads seem to be the norm), but I really found it easy to control the ink with a cotton pad.


Perfect!! Antique Linen will give a lovely aged and yet soft look. ;) I think there's also "Aged Paper(?)" that would give a nice soft look too. You could also use a makeup sponge.

I can't wait to see your results too.
 

willoe

Looking forward to the results! I also love that aged, "used" look. This might be a project in my future as well!
 

emmsma

So, for those of you that have Aged your decks, what were the decks you chose to treat?

Whats a good starter deck to play with?

I'm thinking of something like the LS Classic, or Ancient Italian. Or maybe a Marseille deck. Thunder Bay Conver?