Keep Up With Inking Techniques
By Robin Beam
How do you keep up with all of the latest inking techniques? The Internet makes it easier. Try sitting down for even an hour or two a week to skim through Youtube. Enter the word “Scrapbooking” in the search engine and over 6,000 videos come up!
Pick an ink and you’d be surprised how much information on techniques that can be discovered. Did you miss attending CHA Winter or Summer Shows? Highlights can be viewed on the computer with the number of manufacturers and attendees providing a recap of the many designers and demo artists “in action” on the show floor!
Rather than thinking of the various techniques in terms of having to create a special class and project incorporating the technique, why not hold a techniques class? Allowing customers to play and “get inky” can be invaluable to them.
Technique tags with labels on the back are a key reference tool for the students to go back to again and again once they are home. It also allows for any type of level of papercrafter to take part in the class, as they can then customize the technique to their own style.
Another option is to offer a second class with an actual project, incorporating the techniques just learned. They will be confident in what they create from the techniques class, as they had the chance to play, try, and in some cases, mess it up and learn for the next time! It also gives them the chance to make a small investment in trying something-maybe one of the techniques and products weren’t for them, but something else may have “clicked” and they will more readily make a deeper investment into the tools to create the favored technique.
Creating small sample boards in the store is simple and not time-consuming when it comes to ink products. A tag with a small blurb as to what was done will peak many a consumer’s interest. The “how did you do that?” response is the perfect entrée to signing that individual up for a class to learn first hand.
So many of the scrapbooking and papercraft projects that are on the market today need to be inked or painted; this opens up the door for not just one purchase of the item (such as can happen with a new line of scrapbook paper), but multiple purchases when a multitude of techniques on how to use the product can be shown. It also will help reduce the number of one hit wonders that come in and out of stores. Blank paper, chipboard or embellishments that can be customized to the project will be more saleable to all of the store’s customers.
The more samples that are displayed in your store and the more confident the store employees and teachers are regarding the many uses of inks in all types of paper craft projects, will equate into sales. Take the first step and show off those inky fingers!
