Sunday, December 30, 2012

Tips for good stamping

Peeps,

         Thanks for your support and encouragement on my previous posts on Must Knows of Ink pads and Must Knows of stamps.As promised, I am back with tips for good stamping.

I again have a feeling of writing school essay :)These are the things to consider, before you start your stamping.

Inks
       Make sure you select the best inks , based on your stamping needs and inks properties.
  • You are free to use any good quality ink with Photopolymer stamps.
  • Keep in mind that the Silicon/Acrylic stamps repel water based inks and it is best to use Pigment or Archival ink with them.
  • Dye inks fade over long time.That is why they are not recommended for scrapbooking. Archival inks should be your choice for scrapbooking

Paper
    There are different varieties in papers based on thickness, texture, absorbency..etc.
  •  Papers with more than 180 gsm is suitable for stamping. And those over 240 gsm- 300 gsm for watercoloring. 
  • Always use papers with a little or no texture for stamping
  • Most of the papers absorb dye ink.Thats is why they fade.Those papers with less absorbency will keep the color intact.
  • Glossy cardstocks have less absorbency and requires heat setting.

I recommend using Fabriano Elle Erre for stamping and Fabriano Brusto for watercoloring.

Blocks
        Sometimes your stamped images looks crooked. There are some tools like stamp-a-magic for this purpose. But if u cannot own them, our hands and eyes are our best tools right?
  • Set your stamps straight on the acrylic block, with equal spacing on all 4 sides.
  • Acrylic blocks with grid lines help in aligning the stamps easily.
  • Hold the acrylic block on all 4 ends firmly while stamping.
  • Press the block on paper and take off.Do not shake or move

Stamping Surface
       Stamping surface also matters, to get that perfect impression you need.
  •       Always stamp on a flat surface.
  •       Some prefer to stamp on the craft table.But it is always good to use a stamping pad below the paper you stamp on.It acts as a cushion and absorbs excess pressure, you apply.
  •        If you do not have stamping pad, no problem. You can substitute with thick mouse pad or embossing pad

Pressure
         Finally, Of all things, this is the step , taken most lineantly.
  • Different stamps require different pressures. 
  • As it is difficult to measure pressure for each stamping, it is to be gained by experience only.That is why, if u get used to one type of stamp, you feel at ease with them, than others.
  • Stamp on a scrap paper for 2 or 3 times, before you do your original stamping. This helps in getting used to the right amount of pressure for that stamp.
  • Also, it depends on the designs. Solid designs require more pressure and thin designs require much less pressure.
Hope I have covered all the items for getting a good stamped impressions. If you have any doubts, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for reading my post the past 3 days.Would love to hear from you!

-Priya

7 comments:

  1. Such an informative post, Priya. Thanks much for sharing :)

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  2. Thanks Priya - one post that i am gonna keep handy. Hugs to you

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  3. Great blog which states specifics about how to make great designs from stamping. Thanks a lot for sharing this because it will come in handy someday. :)
    - MagnumPress.com

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  4. very nice ,will try.going to be helpful.

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  5. you know the one thing I just can't seem to get right is the pressure. If I press too hard, I distort the image and too light and it's not visible. I guess practice as you said is the key. Thanks for the tips, gonna bookmark for future. Just became your follower too!
    Crafting Till The Crack of Dawn

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  6. I was in India when u posted ,thats the reason i missed it, thanks very much for sharing, i really had doubts and always wanted to know whether i am doing correctly or not, atleast few am doing right, and the main thing is practice makes perfect and the nervouseness make it bad and i hope i will get rid of it one day.

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  7. Wow! M gonna save it dear it's sooo useful. Hugs!

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Thanks for taking time in appreciating my work

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