Greetings, my crafty friends! It is the end of day two here at CHA and let me tell you, we have been a busy bunch! Being a Ranger gal, every year I always enjoy going to see the Ranger Ink designer challenge. This year was no exception! The designers were challenged to use Tim Holtz’ new Distress Crayons in creative ways in conjunction with Dina Wakley’s new Media Board. Not familiar with these new products? I would highly suggest you head over to the Craft Test Dummies YouTube channel and take a look at all of the amazing video demos we have of these new products with the designers themselves.
Not a video watcher? That’s ok! Here’s how Ranger describes the new Distress Crayons:
“Distress crayons are water-reactive pigments designed and specially formulated to achieve vibrant coloring effects on porous surfaces for mixed media. The smooth water-reactive pigments are ideal for creating brilliant backgrounds, smudging, watercoloring and more!”
Pretty awesome, right? I’m hoping to get my hands on these hot little babies so I can run them through the wringer for you! So what about those new media boards by Dina Wakley? Here’s how Ranger describes them:
“Made of primed white canvas mounted to heavyweight chipboard with a smooth white backing, Media Board accepts a varitey of paints, ink and art mediums.”
There were a total of nineteen designers invited to participate in the challenge. Take a look at *almost* all of the entries (don’t forget to double-click to zoom in and inspect all the gorgeousness):
I’m sure you saw that I mentioned that almost, but don’t worry, I’m not leaving you hanging. I just forgot to include Dina Wakley’s name label in her photo, but here you can see her entry!
The aspect that I love about the Ranger Designer Challenge is that you can truly see how versatile the products are in the eyes of each and every different designer. Not one designer created a piece that looked in any way similar: I love the bright and poppy colors in Jen McGuire’s mosaic. Richelle Christensen’s blended colors mixed with Tim’s new mixed media die-cuts and idea-ology frame made me beg for her talent. Kristina Werner’s outer space piece had me, “ooh-ing and ahh-ing,” and want to play. Debbie Tlach’s and Dina Wakley’s fine art creations put me in a state of awe.
Although I described a few of the pieces above, I really can’t pick a favorite. I could stare at each one for hours trying t figure out how they accomplished such gorgeous pieces of art. The creativity shown by these designers is simply astounding. I think it goes to show that there is no limitation with a product like the Distress Crayons and it made an excellent,”challenge” for each and every one of the designers.
Alright my creative friends, do you have a favorite from the Designer’s Challenge? Can’t decide? Maybe a top three? Let me know in the comments! And again, stay tuned here at CraftTestDummies.com and our YouTube to make sure you get all of our CHA 2016 coverage!
This post and video are part of our coverage of the Craft and Hobby Mega Show (industry trade show) also known as the CHA Show 2016. It was January 7-12 in Anaheim California and we were there to get all of the new product information and demos for YOU! Please check the CHA 2016 tab for more coverage and all of the videos are on the CHA 2016 playlist on YouTube. Enjoy!
- Brand New Tim Holtz & Ranger Ink Distress Oxide Review - April 12, 2017
- Rhonna Farrer Chalkboard Wall Art Tutorial – - December 15, 2016
- Make Distress Paints into MARKERS! - March 15, 2016
- CHA 2016 – Ranger Ink Designer Challenge – - January 16, 2016
- Craft Product Comparison and Overview: Ranger Ink Paints - November 11, 2015
- Product Review: Ranger Ink – Dina Wakley Media Paints and Fine Tip Applicator - August 16, 2015
- Product Review: Dyan Reaveley Dylusions Paints From Ranger Ink - June 9, 2015
- CHA 2015 – Tim Holtz Idea-ology Booth Tour - March 18, 2015
- CHA 2015 – Heidi Swapp Booth and Minc Video - March 13, 2015
- CHA 2015 – Beadalon 3D Bracelet Jig - March 12, 2015
Thanks so much for your videos. When I heard about Distress crayons, at first i thought I wouldn’t want to get them, figuring I have the markers and ink pads. After watching your video, I’m very intrigued to try them. Thanks for always getting the info out there.
These distress crayons sound like Gelatos…. anyone that’s used both have any feedback?
Also, I like looking at your blog, but the ads for ingrown toenails are disgusting and make me not want to look at it anymore. You might want to reconsider your ad partners…..
Thanks for all the great info on CHA! It ks so exciting to hear about all the new products. I just watched the Distress Crayons video and am wondering if they are like the watercolor crayons that SU sold awhile back. They seem very similar with the exception of the pen barrel, love that concept! Wow, the art on the new media boards is amazing! I need a close up of each one! Awesome work. Off to watch that video next. Thanks so much for taking the time to shoot and post the videos!