HOWTO: design cards with stencils and stamps

1. Embossing with stencils:
Materials - light box, some wax paper, your favorite metal stencils, card, assorted chalk colors, eyeshadow brushes (to apply the color), embossing instrument
Method - sandwich the stencil between the light box and paper. Place paper right side down. Rub some wax paper to make the embossing stylus move smoothly. Run the stylus along the edges of the stencil. Turn over and color with the chalks.

2. Glitter with embossing:
Materials - glitter glue pen, glitter
Method - simple enough. apply glue, dump glitter on it. Clear away excess glitter.
This look lends sparkle to the embossing. The white glitter looks the best really.

3. Scruffer with embossing:
Materials - color paper with color on one side and white on other, scruffer (soft sandpaper-like tool)
Method - emboss as usual with the colored side being right side. Rub the scruffer on the embossed parts until the white starts showing through
This is an easy way of highlighting the embossing.

4. Layering with embossing:
Method - say you have the stencil of a flower. One method is to emboss it directly onto the main card paper which folds to become your greeting card. Another is to emboss it on a different colored paper, cut it out and stick it to your main card. You can take the layering to the next level by choosing different paper for the petals and another for the center. This is how different colors can be pulled in by using appropriately colored paper and then layering the parts together.

5. Stamping:
a) Backgrounds - this happens to be the single most complex part of the composition, if I understand it right. The backgrounds can be as simple as a spray of color or extremely layered, with words in different fonts, background prints, blocks of color and effects created by diamond glazes and resists.

b) Masking with masking tape - the masking tape product has a reusable sticky surface. You can cut either a positive mask or a negative one. To achieve this, stamp on the tape, the design for which you need a mask. Cut it out on its outline. The inner piece that matches your stamp is a positive mask and the outer, your negative mask. Can be used in a variety of ways to partially expose the coloring or the stamping on the card.

c) Masking with chemical resist - The product called 'micro glaze' is a sealant and also works as a resist. stamp your design using this glaze. Since it's transparent, you would not be able to see the design yet. Now, rub the ink pad onto the paper directly. The parts of paper with the glaze on it does not catch the ink.

d) heat embossing - stamp your design with pigment inks. Before this dries, dump embossing powder, just like you would with glitter. Clear it away. Now use your heat gun and see the powder gain dimension.

e) filling in color - there are a dozen clever ways of filling in color.
i) Use markers to paint different colors on the stamp itself. While applying the stamp, you'll have a multicolor design.

ii) Certain stamps create outlines of design. These outlines you can stamp either with a darn neutral shade (browns/greys etc or black). Alternately, you can heat emboss these outlines. The inner spaces can then be filled in using watercolors, iridescent colors, color pencils - there's a gamut of products out there. Using negative masks to keep the color from bleeding outside the areas is a good idea. Application can be either with cosmetic sponges, eye-shadow brushes, stippling brushes, or with pencils directly.

iii) Pour 3 (or more) inks in a tray, roll a brayer into it. Now, apply this brayer onto the stamp to get an unpredictable combination of coloring. You can apply the brayer directly to paper, to achieve a layered background.

f) using acrylic boards with unmounted stamps
i) Use mounting foam. Cut out in the shape of the unmounted stamp. Adhere on side of it to the back of the stamp (follow manufacturer's instructions). The other side statically clings to acrylic. This method makes it quick to stick and peel stamps to and from the acrylic handles. However, to maintain the electrostatic property, the mounted stamps have to be stored correctly, on sheets available for the purpose.

ii) Use regular glue to stick to the acrylic. Once peeled, you can clean the residue either with baby wipes or stamp-cleaning agents. This method can only be used with unmounted rubber stamps. It gets slightly longer to attach and peel. However, it saves you some money.

g) blending pencil
This, I hear, is the stamping artist's best kept secret. Look up 'Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil Blender' online.

The cheapest place to learn this art is at a stamping expo - it cost me 5 dollars of entrance fee and a few hours today. The folks at the booths are the kindest I've known. My favorite haunts are the demos at each. Ask a related question and they'll run to the moon and back if necessary to find you the right answer. The samples they create are amazing to watch being made. Don't miss it next time.