Perfects Pearls are a collection of pearlescent pigment powders designed to add a luminescent shine to a variety of paper craft projects! In this lesson, you will learn all about Perfect Pearls and the many ways you can incorporate them into your next project!
- Perfect Pearls have a built-in binder which means you do not need to seal them after use. Simply, mist with water to activate the binding resin!
- Perfect Pearls are available in 26 dazzling colors including our latest additions- Zinnia, Poppy, Blue Hydrangea and Iris.
- Perfect Medium is a specially formulated clear medium designed to use with dry Perfect Pearls powders. Perfect Medium is available in ink pads and pens.
- Perfect Pearls can also be used wet simply by mixing them with water and painting with a paint or water brush.
From Stamping to Painting- there are so many techniques you can do with Perfect Pearls to add dazzling pearlescent effects to your craft projects! Here are five ways to use Perfect Pearls.
Technique 1: Stamping
You can easily use Perfect Pearls powders with any stamp. Simply, ink stamp of choice with Perfect Medium and stamp on surface. Use the Perfect Pearls Dusting Brush to apply dry Perfect Pearls in a light swirling motion. Dust off excess powder. Lightly spritz stamped image with water to set.
Stamping Tips:
- Perfect Pearls really pop on black or other dark colored surfaces but any porous surface will work.
- Perfect Pearls Stamping works with both rubber and clear stamps. The choice is yours!
Technique 2: Stenciling
Use Perfect Medium Pens- available in both brush and bullet tips to trace and fill in stencil designs. Once complete, you can apply dry perfect pearls over stenciled area with the Perfect Pearls Dusting Brush. Dust off excess powder and mist lightly with water to set.
Stenciling Tips:
- The Letter It Medium Pens will also work for this technique.
- The Perfect Medium formulation allows for a long working time giving you plenty of time to trace your stencil design.
Technique 3: Hand-Lettering
Whether you have gorgeous letter skills or want to mimic the look of hand-lettering without the effort, Perfect Pearls make a great accent for any hand-lettered sentiment.
To letter with Perfect Pearls, simply tap powder onto a non-stick work surface or into a palette well and add a few drops of water to moisten powder. Use a paint or water brush to letter with the pearlescent powders.
Lettering Tips:
- Use the Ranger Opaque White Pen to outline lettered Perfect Pearl sentiments. This really makes them stand out!
- Not a stellar lettering artist? Use one of our Letter It Stamps to stamp a sentiment with Perfect Medium Ink and then apply dry Perfect Pearls.
Technique 4: Coloring
It’s easy to paint or color with wet Perfect Pearls using a paint or water brush. This technique is great for coloring stamped images. To achieve beautiful pearlescent colored images, stamp image onto surface of choice using Embossing Ink. Depending on surface color, sprinkle Black or Clear Embossing powder over image. Return excess powder to jar and melt using a heat tool. Begin to color in your stamped image with wet Perfect Pearls using a paint or water brush. The embossed areas will resist the Pearls keeping the Pearls contained until they dry.
Coloring Tips:
- Working on a light surface? Stamp using Ranger’s Tinted Grey Embossing Ink to clearly see stamped image before Embossing.
Technique 5: Stamp Lifting
A fun technique to try is lifting stamped images with Perfect Medium. Apply Perfect Medium all over entire surface and brush on dry Perfect Pearls. Try different colors in stripes or multiple blended designs. Dust off excess powder. Ink stamp of choice with Perfect Medium Ink and stamp onto pearl background. The Perfect Medium will lift off Pearls revealing the stamped design.
Stamp Lifting Tips:
- Try this same technique using layering stamps like Wendy Vecchi’s MAKE ART Country Flowers Stamp, Die & Stencil Art.
In this video, Ranger's Social Media Manager, Kelly Kronowski, shares the basics of Perfect Pearls, how to incorporate them into paper craft projects, and demonstrates the above techniques during a LIVE Facebook stream. Want to join our next live video stream? Be sure to like us on Facebook!
Inspiration and Ideas:
- Jennifer McGuire shares in-depth technique videos using Perfect Pearls. In her videos Pearlized Stamp Layering and Perfect Pearl Technique, Jennifer McGuire shares how she uses various techniques like Stamp Lifting to achieve gorgeous handmade cards.
- Joy Baldwin uses Perfect Pearls three ways to create these stunning cards.
- Over the on the Simon Says Stamp Blog, Kristina Werner shared how to paint with Perfect Pearls on this "Look for Miracles" card project.
- On his YouTube channel, Simon Hurley shares many Perfect Pearls technique videos using his Simon Hurley create. product line. Some videos include Perfect Pearl Techniques, Cardmaking Ideas with Perfect Pearls, and DIY Perfect Pearls Watercolor.
- Kim Haskell, often incorporates Perfect Pearls into her lettering projects like this You're My Lucky Charm Tag. You can view this and many other short lettering videos on her Instagram @wednesdayswelldesign.
