This unique paint will give you a great distressed crackle look in just one step. With most crackle paints, you need 2-3 steps involving two different colors of paint and a crackle medium.

Each 1.1 oz bottle has its own brush attached to the lid. It's a fairly nice brush, unlike the brushes found in some craft jars. In the top sample, shown to the right, the paint was applied in a thick stroke. The bottom sample was created with a thinner layer of paint. I thought the paint seemed a little thick, which is how it should be, apparently. When I thinned it down, it wouldn't crackle quite the same way. I could get it to crackle like in the bottom sample, and the brush lines, which I liked, didn't appear.

In truth, I was hoping the crackle effect would be more pronounced. There seem to be tradeoffs when simplifying the process to a single step. You also don't get a nice variation in color between the paint and crackle because there is no base color showing through. I found that I could fake that look by starting with a light color of paint and rubbing in a little ink from my dye ink pads in the cracks, then wiping some of the ink off the paint. Tim Holtz also demonstrates that in classes using the Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool. If you're going to try just one color, I suggest Old Paper for this reason.

The paint adheres to non-porous surfaces like metal and is great for stamping on with StazOn ink. Ranger says it dries with a matte finish, but I think it's more satin and remains somewhat flexible so you can use it on cardstock without it chipping off when the paper bends a little.

Someone who took a Tim Holtz class also said she was told that this paint could be used on fabric and washed and dried. It had been tested on Canvas, muslin and denim. She said he also advised letting the paint dry enough so that it starts cracking on it's own, and then heat can be applied to speed the process. The paint can be overheated, so take care not to roast it.