The sketch pens have probably been my most used accessory on my Cameo 3, as they allow me to add greetings quickly and simply without using the printer or having to cut and stick fiddly little pieces of lettering (although I have also done that on occasion!)

Of course, using a printer is just fine, and the Silhouette software has options for print and cut. One thing my printer can’t do, though, is print in white! Just recently I’ve created a few cards using cut out black card with a white greeting, almost giving a chalkboard effect. With the Cameo 3 this is easy enough to do with one click of the ‘send’ button by using both tools simultaneously, which is even better. There are a couple of little things I’ve tried to ensure success, so I thought I’d share them, along with photos of the cards.

Use a smooth matte card

The sketch pens work so much better on plain, untextured card. To give the chalkboard effect, I’ve found cheaper black card to be best. It seems to take the colour better when using the white pen.

Set the number of passes to 2

This is really important-the ink in the sketch pens is great, but the white ink is quite quickly absorbed by the card and may not stand out enough with just one pass of the pen.

Allow drying time before unloading

Depending on the card you’ve used, two passes may not be enough. If you leave it a little while to dry, you’ll see whether or not it’s as defined as you like. As long as you don’t unload the mat, you can always send the project again and it will go over it in exactly the same place. (If it doesn’t need to cut again as well, just uncheck the boxes for the cut lines on the ‘send’ page.)

I just love the chalkboard effect, so it looks like I might need to invest in another white sketch pen and some more cheap black card! What do you use the sketch pens for? Do you have a go-to colour?