How to Use Rubber Stamps
Rubber stamping is great for beginners and seasoned crafters alike. It is easy to learn and easy to build up to more and more complicated techniques using just the basic materials. If you’ve never rubber stamped before, you will simply need an ink pad and a rubber stamp to get started.
Stamping Surfaces
Rubber stamps can be used on a number of different surfaces. They are traditionally used on paper and card, however they can also be used on acetate (be sure to choose a waterproof, permanent ink to prevent smudging), shrink plastic, vellum and chipboard.
Top tip: try stamping onto tags to create beautiful adornments for your cards.
Inking & Rubber Stamping
You will get better results if you take the ink to the stamp, rather than pressing the stamp into the ink pad. You have more control over how much ink you apply; too much may result in a smudged image and too little will produce a faint image. Take care to apply the ink just to the raised areas of the rubber stamp to give a clean, crisp image when you stamp. Once you have applied your ink, turn your stamp over and lay it flat onto the surface you wish to stamp onto. Apply a gentle, even pressure to the back of the stamp, taking care not to rock or move the stamp as you press down. Lift off the stamp to reveal your image.
Colouring Design Craft
Colour can be added to your design in several ways. There are, of course, many different coloured ink pads available to use with your rubber stamps. Brush pens are fantastic for adding colour to specific areas of a stamp, but you will need to work fairly quickly so that the ink doesn’t dry; if you need to reactivate the ink before stamping simply ‘huff’ on it. The stamped image can be coloured in, once the ink is dry, using coloured pencils, brush pens, watercolours and craft chalks. Creative effects can also be achieved by colouring the background before you stamp, using paints, craft chalks or alcohol inks, and stamping with black ink.
Heat Embossing
Once you have got to grips with the basic stamping technique, why not try heat embossing. This technique produces a raised texture to your stamped image and is great for adding another dimension to your papercraft projects. Using an ink pad with slow drying ink that is suitable for heat embossing, stamp your design onto paper or card. Gently sprinkle over the embossing powder, ensuring every part of the stamped image is covered. It is helpful to have a large piece of scrap paper or card underneath your work to catch any overspill. Tap the excess powder off, onto a piece of folded paper, and pour it back into the container. Apply a gentle heat using a heat tool (do not use a hair dryer as this will simply blow the powder away!) until the powder melts and becomes glossy. Have fun experimenting with different combinations of coloured inks and powders, or why not try adding more powder whilst the first layer is still hot and re-heating for a more raised effect.