Review of Walnut Ink Stain Antiquing Solution by Tsukineko

Sprays and mists are still popular (and fun) in both papercrafting and mixed-media. Once upon a time a long time ago, I tried the original Walnut Stain by Tsukineko. Since then, they have come up with some lovely new, contemporary colors and are now called “Antiquing Solutions.” I wondered how they would work- want to see?

I was sent the very small samplers, so I didn’t get to play quite as much as I would have liked. But I think you’ll get a good idea of how they perform.

Product detail:

Here’s how they are described by an online retailer:

Antiquing and aging your projects has never been easier; pre-mixed and fast drying, walnut inks allow any crafter to point and spray to create a vintage look in paper crafting, wood crafting, unsealed canvas and many more applications. Easy, one-step application creates a vintage or antique look to many types of projects; paper crafts, unsealed canvas, wood, paper mache, leather and more. Differing amounts of pressure and spraying from different heights create multiple looks with one product. Available in 8 colors; also available in 8-ml spritzers and walnut ink crystals (in a jar)Contains 2-ounces.

In case you missed them here are those stills of the samples.

First, the color swatch!

Note: the paper will curl a bit when you spray the inks.

Because these are (non-shimmery) dye inks, there is no opacity to them. The color remains translucent. The only downside is that they show up poorly on dark surfaces like black paper. I rather liked the Java color on kraft cardstock, though.

By the way: I found no odor to these sprays. Just in case you have sensitivities, I think you’ll be in the clear with these.

Samples on felt (white snowflake ribbon), cotton doily, and cotton twill ribbon. 

I found that wetting the surface lightly with water (via a mister) worked well for helping the Antiquing Solutions Sprays to really soak into the fibers and distribute evenly. 

I couldn’t resist playing with some stencils, too. These are new from Balzar Designs. The image on the right is the original- inks sprayed through the stencil. Then I made a print on the left by flipping the stencil upside down and “printing” with the inky stencil. Lovely, right?

I also played with a resist technique that I’m going to share with you later in the week. But I did finish one card featuring the Cherry Blossom color of the Antiquing Solution:

Here’s the deal: the 2 ounce bottles run for about $6.50 USD and is right in line with comparable sprays. I’d recommend Antiquing Solutions highly if you are looking for:

• non-shimmery sprays
• quick-drying
• dye-based (NON REACTIVE WITH WATER ONCE DRY)
• no-odor
• muted color palette

I’d love to see some other colors come out- I’m always partial to yellows and oranges.

How do you feel about them? Have you used them? Let me know in the comments section!

Disclosure: Samples provided for review purposes. Opinions are honest and my own. 

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