| Stamping sounds so easy, doesn't it? You buy a | | | | have stamped your image. You can use fabric ink on |
| stamp, put some ink on it, and rap it on the paper, | | | | other surfaces too (such as on chipboard). It is a |
| right? Wrong! | | | | semi-permanent ink so use a stamp cleaner with it to |
| You may find your images smudge, twist or look a | | | | avoid staining your stamps. |
| bit blobby with this method of stamping. That's not | | | | Embossing inks are stickier and take longer to dry so |
| usually what a stamper wants. Well, I am going to tell | | | | they are perfect for catching and holding on to |
| you about the little secrets for creating stamped | | | | embossing powders. Just be careful not to touch an |
| images that you may not have seen before. But let's | | | | embossed image till it has been heat set or it will |
| start a couple of steps before you start stamping. | | | | smudge. If you stamp on coloured cardstock with |
| Let's look at the quality of the stamp and the type | | | | clear embossing ink, your image will be two tones |
| of ink you are going to buy. | | | | darker than the colour of the cardstock. You'll need a |
| Before you buy your stamp, it is important to | | | | stamp cleaner for this type of ink, too. |
| examine the rubber or acrylic and decide if the image | | | | OK. Once you have chosen your ink, you are ready |
| is carefully chiselled out. A good stamp will be made | | | | to start stamping. The three secrets for crisp, clear |
| of a firmer, high quality rubber or acrylic and the | | | | images are: |
| image will be finely and deeply cut. If you buy a | | | | |
| stamp that is softer and less well defined, that is the | | | | 1. Place your stamp face-down on your ink pad, and |
| type of image you will get from it, regardless of your | | | | tap it on the pad. Avoid pushing the stamp into the |
| technique. | | | | ink pad as you will wind up with too much ink on the |
| Now consider the ink you want to use. There are | | | | stamp and this in turn will make your images |
| actually five basic types of inks and each one gives | | | | smudged or imperfect. Now turn the stamp over and |
| you a different effect. There are dye based, pigment | | | | check to see if all areas of the image have been |
| based, permanent, fabric and embossing inks. Which | | | | evenly inked up. If not, turn the stamp face down |
| one will produce the result you want? Here's some | | | | again and tap it on the ink pad till it is properly inked |
| ideas about how to choose between them: | | | | up. |
| Dye Based inks are water based so they react to | | | | 2. Turn your stamp over again and hold it firmly in |
| water or paint or other moisture by smudging. What | | | | your two hands by the edges. Lower it onto your |
| they do is stain the paper, so if you want to colour | | | | paper as straight as you can. Press the stamp in the |
| your stamped images somehow, don't choose | | | | middle with a finger, then press around the edges of |
| dye-based inks. If you want a quick drying ink or | | | | the image to be sure all of the image has had |
| crisp images that you don't want to colour or alter in | | | | contact with the paper. Be careful not to press |
| any way, choose dye based inks. You will also get a | | | | so hard that you tilt or buckle the stamp. |
| softer colour with dye based inks. You can usually | | | | 3. Next, carefully and smoothly lift the stamp straight |
| clean this type of ink off your stamps with water, | | | | up from the paper, avoiding tilting or twisting the |
| but be careful not to saturate and therefore warp | | | | stamp. |
| any stamps mounted on wooden blocks. | | | | You should have a clean, crisp, complete image! |
| Pigment inks are also water based but they are | | | | More stamping tips: |
| made differently to dye based inks. They have little | | | | If you have a very large stamp, turn it face up on |
| particles of colour in them so they are brighter than | | | | your table. Tap the ink onto the stamp, checking to |
| dye inks and are less likely to smudge. They are best | | | | be sure it is all properly inked up. You may find you |
| used on matte paper. When you use them on glossy | | | | get a better result if you place your paper on the |
| cardstock, they will smudge if touched. They also | | | | stamp and carefully smooth it over with your hand |
| take longer to dry so you can put embossing powder | | | | before lifting the paper straight up and off the |
| on them and heat set that. | | | | stamp. This way you avoid any 'missed' spots caused |
| Permanent ink is just that - a quick setting, water | | | | by imperfections in the surface of a large stamp. |
| resistant ink. You can stamp on many surfaces with | | | | Do try to clean your stamps before the ink dries on |
| it - glossy cardstock, glass, acetate, even wood or | | | | them. Using a stamp cleaner will condition the rubber |
| paint. Once in place and dry the image is there to | | | | and maintain the quality of the images. |
| stay. This type of ink will also stain your stamp unless | | | | Now you now the three steps to perfect |
| you use the specially made permanent ink cleaner | | | | stamping.Perfection can be achieved if you practice |
| solution that usually can be found on the shelf at the | | | | these steps. It could take some practice before you |
| store next to the permanent inks. | | | | consistently get perfect results, but the time you |
| Fabric ink is made for stamping on fabric and you will | | | | may spend doing that is worth it! |
| probably need to 'set' it by ironing over it once you | | | | |