Stamping 101

Stamping 101
You don't have to have a lot of stamping experience to create beautifully stamped layouts. All you need is this quick beginner's course and your own creativity.
*Ink*• Be sure to use acid-free, archival and permanent ink; it won't damage anything on your pages, and it won't fade.
• If you want to emboss a stamped image, be sure to use
pigment ink, which dries much slower and also has more vivid color.
*Color*
• Using watercolors adds a nice, soft touch to stamped images. Stamp your design with archival or waterproof ink, or heat-emboss it to keep the ink from smearing. Color the outer edge of the stamped image with watercolorpencils, markers or crayons, then blend the color toward the center with a wet paintbrush or a blender pen.
• Try coloring the image with chalk and using a blender pen tointensify and blend the color. Be sure to wipe the blender pen on a paper towel between colors.
• For multi-colored stamped images, ink the surface of a stamp with brush markers. Marker ink may dry quickly on the stamp, so remoisten the ink before you stamp by huffing (exhaling) on the stamp. If the marker ink beads up, clean the stamp, then rub the surface with fine sandpaper to remove anyresidue that may have built up.
Stamping Off
Stamping off produces a lighter, more subdued stamped image that's ideal for backgrounds. Simply stamp once or twice on scrap paper directly after inking to reduce the ink intensity, then stamp on the desired paper orsurface.