**WARNING: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING A MANICURE-FREE ZONE. INKY FINGERS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN**
It’s no secret, I’m a Ranger-head, I even have taught some fun Ranger technique classes at local scrapbook stores. Ranger products make my crafty little heart warm with happiness. I was so excited when I saw the Adirondack Color Wash Sprays by Tim Holtz sent from Jenny! I’m slighty obsessed with Mr. Holtz’s product line and these color washes are no exception!
So, these days we have so many craft sprays out there. What exactly are Color Wash sprays?
Ranger says:
“Color Wash is an acid-free, non-toxic, water-based dye developed for use on paper, fibers, fabric and more.”
The color wash sprays come in a 2 oz. fine mist spray bottle and are available in 12 earthy and bright colors made to use on porous surfaces. (Think paper, fabric and canvas, NOT metals or plastics) There is no shimmer or sparkle to these, you get straight on fabulous color. One thing to note is that these are textile dyes, meaning they are going to be extra vibrant and full of color. You can even use them on fabrics and wash and dry them! How awesome is that? If you add water the colors will blend and become more intense.
And can I just say… these are some VIBRANT colors. I have yet to see such concentrated color like this in any other craft spray. Here’s a quick test I did on Claudine Hellmuth’s sticky-back canvas to show how you can add more color and intensity with each spray. You can also see that the mist is a very fine spray. With these tests I held my bottle about 6 inches away from the canvas. The farther away you hold the bottle the lighter and more fine coverage you’re going to get back. The closer you hold the bottle to your project you will get a more concentrated burst of color.
Here’s how the color wash works on different paper mediums:
I also wanted to test the washes on some fabrics and fibers.
Muslin
Ribbons, Trims and Butcher’s Twine
Even Tulle!!!
I also tried it on some Ranger glossy paper. I first clear embossed a Stampendous Jumbo cling stamp and then just sprayed the color wash on and then spritzed with some water, too. I wiped off the excess water and heat set it. I love the water-color look that this turned out having.
I wanted to see how the color washes worked on wood. I took a little square plaque I had and tried it out. The color washes have almost a staining effect on the wood with the grain of the wood still showing through. I like it! And the colors are still really concentrated and vibrant.
Grunge paper reindeer and wood is color washed and stamped, photo corners and ball chain were alcohol inked.
I highly suggest using a non-stick craft mat while using your color washes. When I was done spraying my test and review pieces, I took spare manila tags I had and sopped up the extra ink on my craft mat. Now I have some tags ready for gifts and I didn’t waste any of that precious product!
Background and fibers were color washed as normal. I unscrewed the nozzle attachment off the bottle and flicked blue color wash over it to create drops and splatters.
In the end I was impressed with the Adirondack Color Washes by Tim Holtz for Ranger Ink. As I said before, the colors are rich and vibrant. The newly improved spray nozzle gives off a fine, almost air-brushed effect. You can purchase the color washes through Amazon.com and some major craft retailers carry them.
At approximately $4.99 a bottle I find this a great deal. I used these sprays extensively for this review and barely even dented the amount of liquid that’s in the bottle. So what do you think you would do with these sprays? Fabric? Paper-crafting? Both? Let me know what’s on your crafty mind with these Ranger color washes!
Disclosure: sample provided for review purposes. If you’d like to purchase Adirondack Color Wash Sprays, please support CraftTestDummies and use our affiliate links:
November 10, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Have you tried washing the fabric samples? I’d be interested in knowing if the color stays as vibrant or if it fades. Thank you
November 11, 2011 at 8:47 am
Maddie- I use it for dyeing onsies and wash them before giving them. They hold up marvelously well.
November 11, 2011 at 11:27 am
I love this product..thanks
November 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Prior to reading this review, I would not have purchased the color washes. They just didn’t seem necessary to my crafting. Boy was I wrong! Now, I can’t wait to get to the craft store!
November 11, 2011 at 7:12 pm
These are awesome! We used them last year when we did Tim’s 12 Tags of Christmas on the sticky back canvas to make these awesome poinsettias! I have been adding more colors to my collection so that I can play – so thank you for these great ideas! I really love how it looks on the glossy paper (would have never thought to try that!)and on cloth/ribbon! Thanks for such great products!!!
November 30, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Do you know if they work on wool/felt?
November 30, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Toni- no reason it wouldn’t. They are liquid dyes, and as long as you are using natural fibers I’d guess that it would dye the wool/felt well and be reasonably colorfast.
May 9, 2012 at 11:23 am
Can you use these with a gesso canvas? If not any suggestions on what I can use. Love all of the ink spray effects but would love to use them on some canvas projects.
May 9, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Renee- you can absolutely use them with gessoed surfaces- they are amazing with textured gesso/ mediums, as well!
July 29, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Can you mix the colors before using them?
I dyed my wedding dress with Dharma acid dye, and the lace did not take the dye (I had thought the lace was also silk, but I guess not.) I want to get the lace close the the olive of the rest of the dress, so I was thinking of combining the espresso and meadow colors of the Color Wash. Can this be done?
Here’s a picture of the dress.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/318789_10100432714508452_1166502511_n.jpg
And the dress with my corset over it:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/527052_10100432714368732_1962025540_n.jpg
July 30, 2012 at 7:52 am
Karen- I’m not sure about mixing colors before using them- you’d need to to extensive testing. (Which means, of COURSE you can mix them, but you’ll need to get your color recipe straight first.) But here’s the deal- it’s hard to dye synthetic fibers successfully at home. The first obstacle is determining what that lace is made out of! I found this guide online to get you started: http://diyfashion.about.com/od/dyingandscreenprinting/f/How-To-Dye-Synthetic-Fibers.htm
But really, the dress is super-cute as a two-tone, and the Steampunk corset over it just ROCKS!!! So I’d just go with the color combo and make my other accessories match. Very cute idea, by the way!!! Good luck, -Jenny