Ranger U 2011 Recap: Day 1

 

Here is Ranger's Education Room, all set for the incoming Ranger U Class of 2011!

And off we go! The first few techniques of Day 1 were all about Perfect Pearls Powders and Perfect Pearls Mists.

Here, the students are learning the Perfect Pearls Powders "lifting" technique. By stamping with Perfect Medium onto cardstock dusted with Perfect Pearls, you can "lift" the Perfect Pearls off of the cardstock to create a negative image!

Our students were given plain black embossed pieces of cardstock, and they colorized them by misting Perfect Pearls Powders with water on the Non-Stick Craft Sheet and dragging the cardstock through the pearly water drops. After drying with the Heat It Craft Tool, additional layers of color could be added, with a final spritz of Perfect Pearls Mists for a finishing touch.

This is an example of the Perfect Pearls Faux Suede technique, which was arguably the students' favorite technique of the day! By "massaging" an unexpected product, Inkssentials Ink Refresher, into black cardstock, the texture of the paper changes to a suede-like pliability, which can then be used almost like fabric to wrap on frames, book covers and more! Perfect Pearls were dusted on to highlight the wrinkles of the paper and make it look like leather before being dried with the Heat It Craft Tool.

After the Perfect Pearls techniques, it was time to learn all about embossing powders! The students absolutely loved our Holographic Embossing Powder, which actually changes color the longer it's heated! The powder first melts into a yellow-green glitter, then into a red-orange glitter, then into blue-violet, so it is possible to create a rainbow effect by heating different areas of your stamped image for longer times. (A vibrant turquoise state is also achievable but very difficult to reach, because if the powder is heated too long it will turn brown!)

After lunch, it was time for Melt Art! Several new Melt Art techniques made their Ranger U debut this year, including Wire Dipping with UTEE, a technique created by Debbie Tlach.

The students were given flowers made of wire, and by dipping them into UTEE melted in the Melting Pot, the petals could be filled in, creating a stained glass effect.

Classic UTEE techniques were also taught, such as Suze Weinberg's Amazing Agates technique.  By melting colored UTEE in the Melting Pot along with a pinch each of Black, White and Metallic UTEE, you can create the look of faux stones!  Students used this technique along with cookie cutters to create shapes of UTEE:

...and Amazing Agate embellishments were also created using Inkssentials Memory Frames and Memory Glass:

Stay tuned for some of our favorite techniques from Day 2 of Ranger U, including techniques for Claudine Hellmuth Studio and Tim Holtz Distress!

Congrats to the Ranger U Class of 2011!

 

Say hello to the Ranger U Class of 2011!  These talented and enthusiastic crafters traveled to our New Jersey facility from countries throughout the world to participate in three intense days jam-packed with 75 techniques spanning nearly every Ranger product.  Now, they are the newest Certified Ranger Educators!  From Perfect Pearls to Melt Art, from Claudine Hellmuth Studio to Tim Holtz Distress, from Adirondack to Inkssentials -- this group learned so much in such a short time.

Some techniques and products made their Ranger U debut this weekend, while other beloved traditions remained from Ranger U's gone by (hello, Square Pizza Day!).  Over the next few days we'll be recapping some of our favorite techniques and highlights from this year's Ranger U, so stay tuned!

Ranger U Applications Due Monday!

 
Good afternoon, crafters!  This is a friendly reminder that applications for the first session of Ranger U for 2011 (April 29 - May 1) are due this Monday, March 21!  If you are interested in spending three amazing days learning directly from our signature designers while rubbing elbows with your fellow craft enthusiasts, be sure to visit the Ranger U page on our website for all of the details and to download the application (MS Word format).

Did you know that you do not have to be a store owner to attend Ranger U?  We are looking for students from a wide range of backgrounds including: teachers, demonstrators, published designers, active bloggers and craft product manufacturers, in addition to store owners!

Are you intending to apply to one of the 2011 Ranger U sessions?  Let us know in the comments!

Ranger U: The Movie!

 
Look at the treat we have for you today!! Grab a bowl of popcorn and settle in for Ranger U: The Movie!

Ranger U Recap: Day 3

 
Time for Day 3 of Ranger U!  And Day 3 was all about....

Adirondack!  The Adirondack line was covered from top to bottom: from Dye Inks, Pigment Inks, Pigment Pens and Embossing Powders to Dimensional Pearls, Color Wash, Alcohol Inks and Acrylic Paint Dabbers!

Doodling on Frosted Memory Glass with Pigment Pens:

Texturizing with Dimensional Pearls:

Dimensional Pearls Watercolor Technique:

Marbling Technique with Adirondack Color Wash:

During the lunch break, German student Sam found where we keep the product labels and had a little too much fun with them:

OK, lunch is over... Time for Alcohol Ink!

Alcohol Ink Monoprint:

Alcohol Ink Splatter:

Students using cans of compressed air to achieve the Splatter look:

It's been a long weekend full of fabulous techniques and everyone worked so hard and learned so much!  Give yourselves a round of applause!

Congratulations to the Ranger U Class of June 2010!!!

Ranger U Recap: Day 2

 
So let's see, where did we leave off...? 

Day 1 of Ranger U was full of Perfect Pearls, embossing and Melt Art techniques, and topped off with the semi-annual Ranger U BBQ.

Day 2 began with the lovely Claudine Hellmuth introducing her Studio line of products to the Ranger U students:

The extensive Studio line includes 15 highly-pigmented, creamy acrylic paints, Sticky-Back Canvas, paint brushes, glossy and matte Multi-Mediums, Extra Time slow-dry medium, and Gesso.  Just look at all you can do with this stuff!

The students were eager to jump right in and get some paint on their fingers!  Over the next several hours they learned 11 different Studio techniques, and worked on a mini project too.

Claudine's Faux Batik technique:

The students worked with Inky Rollers and Studio Extra Time when stamping with the Studio Paints:

Watermark Resist technique:

Studio Gesso Etching:

Studio Gesso Transfer:

A variety of techniques including Watermark Resist, Peeled Paper, and Extra Time Tinting:

Embossing on Studio Sticky-Back Canvas:

After a break for lunch, the students worked on a mini project where they created an adorable holder for their technique tags:

Then it was time for Tim Holtz to teach the students a thing or two about Distress!

Distress Powder Chipped Enamel technique on metal Idea-ology Foliage embellishments:

Distress Ink Rusted Enamel technique:

Distress Ink Photo Tinting:

Perfect Distress:

Distress Crackle Paint sampler:

Phew!  Another day of Ranger U is complete!  Day 3 would be all about Adirondack, and of course the students would receive their highly desired certifications as well!  Stay tuned!

Ranger U Recap: Day 1

 

Phew!  It's been a busy weekend but a fun one too, and now we have 26 new Ranger U graduates!  Over the next few days we'll be re-living their Ranger U experience day by day.

This session's students were truly an international group, with representatives in attendance from South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, and throughout the United States.  They began arriving at Ranger a bit before 9 on Friday morning and settled in for a breakfast of Dunkin Donuts and coffee while meeting their fellow students and the Ranger staff.  Then it was time for the "Wonka tour" of the Ranger facility!

 

"Even though you may want to, don't put your hands in the giant vats of Stickles!" Tim warned the group ;-)

When everyone returned to the classroom it was time to begin Perfect Pearls lessons!

Doodling with Perfect Pens:

Learning the "Paste Paper" technique:

After a morning jam-packed with Perfect Pearls techniques, the group ate lunch, and then it was time for an embossing overview!

 

Holographic embossing powder:

Suze Weinberg then took the reins and introduced the students to her wonderful world of Melt Art and UTEE!

 

Filling Memory Frames with swirls of UTEE and UTEE Brightz:

Experimenting with pouring and drizzling UTEE onto the Non-Stick Craft Sheet:

Using cookie cutters to shape UTEE:

 

The students learned 8 different UTEE techniques and then combined them all in a framed mirror project, with half of the frame covered in UTEE and the other in beeswax:

 

Suze seems very happy with the students' progress!

 

After a long day of crafting, it was time to wrap up Day 1 with the traditional Ranger U BBQ!  And the weather was just perfect too, sunny and warm (a welcome change from the rainy BBQ's of recent Ranger U's).

Happy and full (of both hamburgers and new Ranger techniques), the students rested for the remainder of the evening. Day 2 was still to come, featuring Claudine Hellmuth's overview of Studio techniques and Tim Holtz back at the helm teaching all about Distress!

A sneak-peek inside Ranger U...

 
It's now lunch time on Day 1 of Ranger U.  Let's sneak a peek at some of the techniques our students have been learning so far!

 

 

And just for fun, let's count how many students are tweeting from their phones now that it's lunch time ;-)

Preparing for Ranger U!

 
The weekend of June 18-20 will be a very exciting one for 26 lucky crafters: the Ranger U Summer 2010 session will be in full swing!  Three full days of hands-on instruction by Tim Holtz, Suze Weinberg and Claudine Hellmuth... what could be better than that??

It does take a lot of preparation and organization behind-the-scenes to make sure each session of Ranger U goes smoothly.  Here are some photos of our staff pitching in and getting everything all set!

Tim's assistant, Mario, painstakingly organized our Ink Blending Tools by color-coding them with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers.

Oooh pretty!

 

Baskets of Tim's Kushgrip Snips, Inky Rollers, Mini Misters, Archival Ink, White Opaque Pens and more, all ready for the students to use!

 

Ranger employees America and Gloria prepare dozens of products to be shared amongst the students.  (Anyone want to play I Spy and tell us what products you see??)

Ranger's Photographer/Graphic Artist Debbie prepares even more product kits along with Tim and Mario.

Claudine makes sure every place setting includes the MASSIVE course schedule and syllabus.  The syllabus is chock-full of step-by-step instructions for more than 70 Ranger techniques, including techniques for Perfect Pearls, embossing, Melt Art, Studio paints, Distress products, Adirondack Inks and Paints, and so much more!  Phew, these students are going to learn a ton!

...And of course we have to make sure everyone is nourished and well-fed ;-)  (Tim is particularly excited by the Nerds Rope!)

So now that you're insanely jealous of the Lucky 26 (hee hee), perhaps you are wondering how you could apply for a future session of Ranger U?  Head on over to the Ranger U page of our main website for further information.  This January we will be announcing details regarding the 2011 class sessions, so be sure to watch for updates!  We will, of course, keep you up to date on this blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages as well.