Using Background Rubber Stamps On Your Cards
If you want a different look for your cards, try using background rubber stamps instead of patterned paper to back the design of your card.
This article is all about some ideas for using your background rubber stamps on your cards.
These stamps can help you create different textures and effects just by using alternate ink and embossing powders.
You can also use your regular rubber stamps, placed in a repeating pattern to produce even more background variations.
Watermark Patterns You can create watermark patterns on your card base or plain paper by inking one of your background stamps with Versamark or watermark ink, then adding clear embossing powder and drying it to create the raised embossing effect.
You'll end up with the pattern from your stamp as darker than your paper, producing a shadow effect of the design.
Reverse Images or Ink Lifting This effect is created by using your stamp and ink to create the pattern by bring the color of the background through an overlying ink.
Taking some craft chalk in a different color to your card base, cover the area completely with the help of a sponge.
Then ink your background stamp with Versamark ink, stamp it and you'll find the chalk has been lifted off your card wherever the ink touched it.
You then need to spray a fixing agent onto the card to keep the rest of the chalk in place.
Highlighting Parts Of Your Background Image There are a lot of background rubber stamps that lend themselves to this method.
For instance a stamp of random text, or one with a music score, or even one with a repeated image (like a heart) in a random pattern.
Ink the stamp in a fairly subtle color (compared to the card base or plain card you're stamping onto).
Then once the image is dry, take a gold or silver gel pen and go over a few random images from the stamp.
For example, three to four of the words, or some of the music notes.
This subtly brings out the background image, without overwhelming the focus of the card design.
Creating Depth To produce depth in your backgrounds you need to create the impression that some items are further away than others.
You can achieve this by inking your background stamp, pressing it onto the card, then without re-inking it, stamp a second and third image in slightly different positions than the original one.
This looks like you have three sets of images, some closer and some further away from the card surface.
This article is all about some ideas for using your background rubber stamps on your cards.
These stamps can help you create different textures and effects just by using alternate ink and embossing powders.
You can also use your regular rubber stamps, placed in a repeating pattern to produce even more background variations.
Watermark Patterns You can create watermark patterns on your card base or plain paper by inking one of your background stamps with Versamark or watermark ink, then adding clear embossing powder and drying it to create the raised embossing effect.
You'll end up with the pattern from your stamp as darker than your paper, producing a shadow effect of the design.
Reverse Images or Ink Lifting This effect is created by using your stamp and ink to create the pattern by bring the color of the background through an overlying ink.
Taking some craft chalk in a different color to your card base, cover the area completely with the help of a sponge.
Then ink your background stamp with Versamark ink, stamp it and you'll find the chalk has been lifted off your card wherever the ink touched it.
You then need to spray a fixing agent onto the card to keep the rest of the chalk in place.
Highlighting Parts Of Your Background Image There are a lot of background rubber stamps that lend themselves to this method.
For instance a stamp of random text, or one with a music score, or even one with a repeated image (like a heart) in a random pattern.
Ink the stamp in a fairly subtle color (compared to the card base or plain card you're stamping onto).
Then once the image is dry, take a gold or silver gel pen and go over a few random images from the stamp.
For example, three to four of the words, or some of the music notes.
This subtly brings out the background image, without overwhelming the focus of the card design.
Creating Depth To produce depth in your backgrounds you need to create the impression that some items are further away than others.
You can achieve this by inking your background stamp, pressing it onto the card, then without re-inking it, stamp a second and third image in slightly different positions than the original one.
This looks like you have three sets of images, some closer and some further away from the card surface.