One of my favorite activities in my craft room is finding alternative ways to use my stamps. Recently, I sat down to try out some techniques for creating texture right on the rubber, and I’d like to share the results with you. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to give it a try yourself.
Here’s what you need to get started; a bold stamp, one or two different color inkpads, and something to create texture. The texturizing implement could be another stamp, a piece of rubber shelf liner, bubble wrap, a sponge, some kind of netting, or anything else with a textured surface. From there, choose one of four different ways to ink the stamp.
1) Ink the bold stamp, and then lift off ink with an un-inked stamp or textured object.
2) Ink the bold stamp and create texture with an inked stamp or textured object.
3) Start off with an un-inked bold stamp, and create the texture by pressing an inked stamp or textured object into it.
4) Place netting or mesh on a clean solid stamp, and then ink it using a stipple brush or a sponge.
[Note: For more detailed descriptions of the techniques, please click on the cards for step-by-step instructions.]
The Flower In Hand card is an example of the technique mentioned in point #1. The solid hand was inked with pigment ink. An un-inked stamp was then pressed into it repeatedly, lifting off ink where it touched the rubber.
The Stars for Liberty card illustrates the results of using pigment ink and rubber shelf lining with the techniques in first three points. The red stars were first inked and then pressed into clean shelf liner. The two-colored stars were done the same way, except with shelf liner coated with blue ink. The blue stars were created by pressing an un-inked stamp into inked shelf liner.
The Trio of Pears shows textures from three different objects. The yellow/brown pear got its texture from a piece of crumpled-up tin foil. The texture on the green pear was created with a piece of Magic Mesh placed on the stamp before the ink was stippled on [i.e. an example of point #4]. Lastly, the red pear was first inked and then pressed into bubble wrap.
I was rather pleased with the realistic stone texture I got on the Stone Urn by inking it with Cream Brown Fluid Chalk, and then dabbing on Dark Brown Fluid Chalk with a Kewl Tool [a very coarse sponge with a handle, sold by Impressions]. I think it looks just like real stone!
Why not dedicate your next stamping session to texture stamping? Bring out a few bold stamps, some objects and stamps that you think would work for creating texture, and stamp pads of various types and colors. Make your own discoveries by trying out different combinations of these items. I bet you’ll end up with some pretty neat results!
