Thanks! I started with gesso sponged on art board. The blue Neocolor was rubbed on top of that (first photo), then sprayed with water, sit a bit, scrape gesso onto that, sit a bit, rub off with paper towel. A Distress stamp in rubbed on with a makeup sponge, then spritz with water and leave alone. Distress ink does great texture, but I think one turned out the way it did because of the previous gesso layers, even though a lot of it was taken off.

That layering process was totally made up for this session- it’s the reason I love mixed media art because when I get impatient (all the time, which is also when I start rubbing things off 😬), and think I’ve ruined it, I just add more and it eventually turns out very cool. I don’t think the distress inks have an odor. I use the Tim Holtz/Ranger brand and work indoors all the time. I use Liquitex Basics Acrylic Gesso (white for this project, sometimes Clear for others), and I don’t think it smells unless I get very close to it, so I may not be a good person to judge.

You could try a textured paste as a thin layer, or put it on and scrape most of it off again. When I put anything very liquid (watercolor or acrylic or adding water to the distress inks) I’ve found it doesn’t take much underneath to make fun textures. There’s also a Distress Oxide ink, but I don’t think those are water-based, so check the labels carefully as from what I remember, they look similar. I believe both come as liquids and stamp pads; I have a mix of both.