Disclosure: this is not a sponsored review. I paid for these products with my own funds and my opinion is based on my first-hand experience with the product. You may have different results.
I first became aware of the Hero Arts Ombre Ink Pads from Jennifer McGuire- she raves about them! So when I saw them at the Ink Pad in NYC on a Crafty Field Trip, I snapped up a few. Since I had just gotten the Simon Says Stamp Celebrations Card Kit in the mail, it seemed like a perfect time to try them out and play with my new stamps.
First, let’s take a look:
Detail of surface- you can see the three different stamp pad surfaces are glued on to one base.
I saw- and experienced- different surface heights that impacted the evenness of my stamped images.
Here’s how they are described on the website:
Hero Arts-Ombre Ink Pad. Experience The Gradation Of Color In Vibrant Dye Ink! Fade Resistant On Glossy Papers. Waterproof For Watercolor And Markers. Dries Permanently And Quickly On Most Papers. This Package Contains One 2X3 Inch Ink Pad. Comes In A Variety Of Colors. Each Sold Separately. Conforms To Astm D 4236 And En-71. Acid Free. Archival Quality. Made In Usa.
The best way to tell you about them is to SHOW you- so here’s a review video for you:
And now those swatches and stills again:
On manilla cardstock.
I got really varied results.
This ink is described as “shadow ink” and it’s supposed to smooth out once applied. (?)
I did make some cards, too:
I do love how the patterned paper really shines through the vivid ink colors!
And it’s perfect for these balloons- you really get the sense of depth.
So at the end of the day, I don’t really love them. Right now they are on Amazon.com for $10-11 dollars… and that’s kind of alot for a “so-so” result for me. I like the ones with a more pronounced ombre the best- the Pool to Navy and Orange To Butter seem to have the most impact- but a more striking color gradation might be more striking.
After some consideration, I think I’ll pull out my Kaleidacolor Stamp Pads (link to review) one more time… they are not ombre per se, but they do have fun color gradations and I think the quality of the ink is somewhat better.
But of course this is just my opinion. I’d love to hear from YOU if you’ve used them… or what you might like better, too. Leave me a comment!
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I love the colors too, but I think I will stick to markers so that I can get the colors where I want them. I agree there wasn’t enough contrast, and I’m afraid that over time, more bleeding will occur and they will all basically be the same color and the hombre will be gone.
I ALWAYS check out your product videos–I trust you give everything a fair shake, pull, tug! 🙂
Nice colors but I still saw the lines of the variations… Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the honest review. Looks like a good idea, but in reality i just don’t see how the ink won’t migrate and before long the pad will be one color. I’ll stick to inks pads in the colors I want to use and sponges
Great review. I also thought to pass on these and seemed pricey. To get an ombre look, I stamp once, then just ink the top half for lightly and stamp again. The MISTI makes this very easy and it turns out great!
Thanks so much. I will not purchase these as I originally intended. I really appreciate your review!
I’m not impressed with how hard those two were to open. Are they just as hard to open later on or just initially? Nor was I impressed with the different heights of the pads. I’ll just stick with my Kaleidacolor pads when I want multi-color (which isn’t often). thanks for your review.
I bought several of these when I found them on sale and I recently stamped a little with them, I definitely struggled with the lines, too. I have some old Kaledicolor pads that I absolutely adored and I like them better than these because they can be separated hence no bleeding. Another crafter had better luck online so I guess I. Really need to study up on the technique! Thanks for sharing this.
Great review! I have been using these Ombre ink pads since they were introduced earlier this year. FYI…I have not noticed ink migration between pads…the colors stay true as packaged. In Jennifer McGuire’s words…you need to cha-cha the stamp over the pads to get even coverage. They do take a little bit of practice to get it right, but I am liking them more and more as I use them.
Always love to watch you and your reviews. Enjoyed this one BECAUSE my favorite card you did was on the printed designer paper which, low and behold, I just ordered and received that very paper! Now I am going to use your idea – different stamps – and make some cards. Thank you for all the time and effort you give for these reviews. I totally trust your views.