Rubber Stamping Tips & Ideas
Rubber stamping provides a creative outlet for those who enjoy making cards and scrapbook pages, or who enjoy decorating containers, furniture and walls around the house. Getting started is as easy as buying a stamp that appeals to you and making an image on your desired surface. There are, however, techniques that can improve your stamping skills.
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Basic Tips
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Stamps come in wooden, clear plastic and cling styles. Many stampers have a mix of all three styles. Choose the best fit for you based on how the stamps feel in your hand and your available storage space. Don't press your stamp into an ink pad; lay it on its back with the image facing up and rub the ink pad over the image. You can apply a single color to the stamp or use more than one color on different sections. Practice stamping your image onto scrap paper first, and get a feel for how firmly you need to press the stamp to obtain your desired image. Apply even pressure as you stamp and don't roll the edges.
Color Ideas
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There's more to color and rubber stamping than just ink pads. Paints, markers and pencils can all be used to add color to your images, whether you use the color treatment directly on your stamp or add the color to your image after stamping. Stamp with acrylic paint to create a permanent image on frames, walls and decorative containers. Thin the paint for stamps with intricate cuts; apply the paint to the stamp with a brush and practice on paper before using on the permanent surface. To use chalks, apply the chalk directly to your stamp with a cotton swab for soft color. You can also chalk your image after stamping with a permanent, pigment-based ink for bolder color.
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Texture Tips
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Add dimension to your stamping with texture. Use a small square of fine sandpaper to distress your stamping. Stamp your image and color with chalks. Brush the sandpaper over the image, gently at first, then applying more pressure as needed to achieve the distressed look you desire. To achieve a soft watercolor texture, stamp your image with permanent ink on colorfast paper. Color and highlight the image with watercolor markers or pencils. Dab the colored areas with a baby wipe or damp paper towel to cause the colors to soften and bleed together gently.
Embossing Powder for 3-D Images
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Create a raised image with embossing ink and powder, and an embossing gun. Stamp your image with the embossing ink. While wet, sprinkle the powder over the image. Gently tap off excess powder; then use a small paintbrush to remove any remaining bits of powder in areas you don't want embossing. Heat the powder with the embossing gun, moving the gun in a circle until the powder melts and raises. This only takes a few seconds. You can use any color ink or powder for your image. To create a resist image, use clear ink and powder, and then chalk; brush watercolors or ink over the image. The image will remain white while the rest of the area takes color.
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References
- Photo Credit Kim Carson/Photodisc/Getty Images
