wink of stella

[howdyheidi]

So the wink of stella glitter pen is EVERYWHERE in stamping videos.  It does look really pretty!

However, I hear that they don't last that long?

I also have heard that you can refill it with more water and get a second use???

And I have further heard of people just making their own with really dilute irridescent paint or ink (Tsukaneko sp?? All Purpose ink was mentioned) in a water pen.

Thoughts?

[Conniecrafter]

I bought the clear, when I first used it, came out looking a little like silver to me, thought it was mislabeled, and bought another one, come to find out you should get it flowing on some scrap paper first.  I like it, gives a nice sparkle to your project.  I have not tried the color ones though.

[djc]

When I first tried out the Clear Wink of Stella pen, I was disappointed.  I applied it to a piece of white cardstock, and it seemed silver just like Sakura's Clear Stardust Pen.  Then I compared the two pens.  I put several colors of marker on a piece of paper.  I applied both pens to white and to the colors.  The Clear Wink of Stella is more transparent than the Clear Stardust pen so the colors below showed through while the Stardust Pen covered them up with silver.  Two other factors in its favor are that the brush tip makes it very easy to apply and it goes on smoothly without messing up what has already been put down.  When I use my Stardust pens, adding more ink often removes or moves what I already put down.  I still like my Stardust Pens, but now I only use them (clear and colors) for drawing lines and adding touches of glitter to small images. 

I also bought Wink of Stella in black, silver, and gold.  The black one has a gold sparkle that I'm not crazy about.  The silver is gorgeous.  The gold is a little bit darker than I like; maybe I should think of it as antique gold.  lol.  The clear Wink of Stella is the only one I use regularly.

What confuses me is the difference between the Wink of Stella and the Wink of Luna Markers.  Wink of Luna Markers are the metallic colors.  Has anyone compared the silver and gold Wink of Stella to the silver and gold Wink of Luna?

Daria

 

 

[lovepug2]

I had a wink of stella clear marker(it dried up) and can't say I was too impressed with it. I do agree that I liked the brush tip on it. I like the Sakura clear stardust better. IMO, it has more sparkle to it. It could be too that my Wink of Stella dried up really quickly, maybe I got a bad one? So I didn't think it was worth the money since it dried up after a couple of months.

Daria, I do like the silver. it looks like it would be really pretty on Christmas and winter cards.
I haven't tried the wink of luna yet.

[howdyheidi]

Thanks for the comments.  Lovepug2, drying up after a couple months is what I have read in many reviews.  Daria and Connie, do you have an opinion on how long it lasts?

[Conniecrafter]

I haven't had mine for that long so I can't say about the drying up or not just yet

[djc]

Jennifer McGuire has a new video for Hero Arts where she features the Wink of Stella Marker.  Easy Watercoloring.

She says that after you've used up what's in the marker, you can refill it with water, and it will still work as a glitter pen.  After that, clean it out completely and fill it with water for a waterbrush that is easy to control since it doesn't put out very much water.  Cool!

Daria

[yellowcherrios]

I have not heard of this product---sounds fun! 

In the video Daria posted, Jennifer says at the end that if you don't have the Wink of Stella to add "Perfect Pearl to some water and water with that"----do you add that to the water in a watercolor brush?  will the perfect pearl flow out of a regular watercolor brush?  and if it does, what about afterwards---will there always be perfect pearl in the water brush?

[Conniecrafter]

good to know 

[howdyheidi]

From my experience with perfect pearls in mini mister bottles, I would say that you would want to dedicate one water brush to be the one you put perfect pearls in.  I feel like they stick around forever in the spray bottles.  But I would think they would flow perfectly fine from a regular water brush.

I have not heard of this product---sounds fun! 

In the video Daria posted, Jennifer says at the end that if you don't have the Wink of Stella to add "Perfect Pearl to some water and water with that"----do you add that to the water in a watercolor brush?  will the perfect pearl flow out of a regular watercolor brush?  and if it does, what about afterwards---will there always be perfect pearl in the water brush?

I haven't watched the video yet, but it sounds like a good option to use perfect pearls.  Like I said before, I saw several people say that the wink of stella is more like very dilute irridescent paint than perfect pearls.  I was going to look at that paint at one time to paint over polymer clay items. 

[yellowcherrios]

I will remember to keep perfect pearls away from my new water brush--thoguh I am not sure I would had ever thought to add it to my water brush.   I haven't worked too much with perfect pearl, but I have worked with the perfect pearl spray and I am always trying to remember to color/distress FIRST, then spray, b/c it always gets on my foam pads for my distress inks when I forget.   

I am really interested in what they wink of stella looks like....I agree with Daria that the Sakura clear star pen does seem to darken what it colors---if it's a large area I notice it, but if it's just accent, I don't. 

[howdyheidi]

WIth the Sakura stardust pen I definitely agree about the drawbacks. However it is SO cheap and easy to use.  I have recently started lifting off extra glitter from it with my finger.  It works really well to lighten up the glitter a tad.  I even have been able to blend out the glitter this way.

I probably will purchase a wink of stella at some point to see how it is, then when it is finished, I can use it as a water brush and try adding perfect pearls or some of that irridescent paint to see how they work as a substitute. 

[Iring]

I have a Wink of Stella clear brush.  I haven't had it very long, so I don't know about longevity, but I really like it so far.  At first I didn't realize that you have to kind of prime it, but only once.  I was squeezing too much and it came out in a blob!

Quite a while ago I bought Winsor & Newton watercolor iridescent medium.  It comes in a glass jar, in the art department.  I've diluted it in a spray bottle, it's good to know I can use it in my Wink of Stella brush if it dries out.

Good thread!

[lovepug2]

Man, now I wish I wouldn't have tossed mine after it dried up! I did like the brush tip on it and I think it's a great idea to fill it with perfect pearls or the iridescent medium like Cindi mentioned.

I'm thinking i must have got a dud when I got mine since so many people like them. I have noticed that Joanns online carries them and they have pretty good sales often too.