AGNES THE RED ART and CRAFT TUTORIALS

This is a nice introduction on how to layer individual stamps..and paves the way to creating collage style stamped designs. It just consists of using two stamp images and is quite quick and easy way to produce an attractive, individual and original look to your work. You can buy very nice pre made collage stamps, but sometimes not all the elements suit your artwork requirements....and they can often be expensive to buy too....so why not use what you've already got!. They look complex...but by starting out with this simple technique you can build up confidence to play around with your stamps, experimenting and learning how to make creative designs.

To make a stamped collaged image using a number of stamps, you will most certainly need to mask out parts so that the final image doesn't just become a big blob of inked up muddled up patterns...and this can be fiddly, time consuming and off putting for a 'first timer' (but believe you me these images are worth spending time creating...and I will do a tutorial on this technique at a later date). Double stamping using just two suitable/appropriate stamp takes away this work...the top stamp layer does the masking for you! (this I'll explain in more detail later on).

What is a double stamped image? - well.....two images stamped ontop of each other, creating three layers - the background paper or card, the lower layer stamp, and the top layer stamp image...so the final effect is that you can see all three layers through certain parts of the final image where it is uninked, and certain parts of the inked out areas will naturally 'block' or 'mask' out others. There are no right or wrong ways to this technique...it really is a case of you simply experimenting with different stamps and trying different materials etc out.

TOOLS and MATERIALS REQUIRED :-

1. Background surface to stamp image onto (paper, card etc)

2. Lower layer stamp image (background stamp)

3. Top layer stamp image (main image stamp)

4. Inks

5. Other craft tools etc of your choice to create a card, atc, tag etc that your final image will go onto.

THE BACKGROUND SURFACE - It is really up to you what you use, as to type, colour etc. You can use ready manufactured preprinted decorative paper and cardstocks...or even make up your own (eg alcohol inked glossy card, collaged papers, painted card etc)....just bear in mind what you use will dictate the type of stamps and inks that you can use on them. As the basic technique involves using block colours on the inked/stamped elements...a nice colourful patterned paper works well. Large stamps with large areas of inked/uninked areas can take heavy patterned backgrounds...but finer detailed stamps suit more subtle designs. A non porous surface will need permanent inks, porous papers can take most inks and paints....but some may 'bleed' with wetter pads on fibrous material, textured surfaces may not take detailed stamped images so well...and so on. I suggest you first experiment with basic flat patterned papers...then, as you gain more understanding to how the technique works...you can push the boat out and experiment with different materials to create and tailor to your individual requirements.

LOWER LAYER/BACKGROUND STAMP - to create a basic double stamped image you need a nice large background stamp that will fit over the surface that you will stamp the top image onto. I have found script stamps most effective but you can try out other patterns.

TOP LAYER STAMP - This is the important bit...it is the main image and needs to be nicely proportioned with good areas of inked and uninked areas. The areas that are inked up will act as the mask...blocking out the unwanted excess background pattern. To start with, I advise using simple designs.....fussy fine cut/etched rubber stamps may get 'lost' amongst the backgound...so go for a heavier image for the top layer...and balance it with a finer detail stamp for the lower layer.

INKS - As mentioned in the background surface details above, the type of inks you use on your stamps depend on the surface you are stamping onto. Glossy non porous surfaces need permanent inks (I use Stazon for quick drying...and Ranger Archival Inks which has the 'blackest' purest black colour I have come across so far although this takes longer to dry). Other inks (water based etc) work well on most porous papers but be careful that they don't bleed out on more heavier textured surfaces or fibrous, such as tissues, mulberry and handmade papers. Acrylic paints work really well on large basic detailed stamps...and foam stamps and gives nice coverage on textured surfaces. As for colours? I advise starting out with solid opaque colours...in particular black ink for both stamped layers which is the best at masking out the layers. If you then start trying out mixing colours....the lower layer stamp image should be a paler colour than the top image so that the masking out works effectively. Also it is very important to allow ALL layers to dry out completely before overstamping so that you don't blur and smudge inks...or contaminate ink pads.

HOW TO DOUBLE STAMP

Select your background paper, ink up and stamp out your lower background stamp image onto this paper. Allow ink to totally dry before inking up your choosen top layer main image stamp and then over stamping onto the paper. Allow to dry before using as required on your artwork/craft project.

  1. Select your background paper, ink and stamps.      2. Stamp out the lower layer stamp image (eg script).                  3. Stamp main image ontop.

Voila....as simple as that!

EXAMPLES and VARIATIONS

The above piece has been created using the double stamping technique and two different coloured inks. Firstly the lower stamped layer is a small latin script, stamped in brown ink onto a background cardstock (in a subtle green pattern that doesn't interfere too much with the overall effect). The main image is stamped ontop in a darker ink (black archival ink) so the script and green card only shows through the uninked areas. The completed piece was then used to create a tag.

These examples are using backgrounds I created myself, by dabbing alcohol inks onto glossy card stock!. The script (lower layer stamp image) and main images (top layer stamp) are then stamped using a permanent ink - in this case black stazon/archival ink and only one colour is used for both layers. The middle photo shows the complete card has been covered by the script stamp and the main image only partially covers it up - it can be left like this or trimmed down. The example in the photo on the far right has only part of the background card stamped with the script.....but the main image is a much heavier/denser image with large expanse of black inked areas that cover up most of the background.

Three pieces of glossy cardstock treated with different alcohol ink colour combinations. Top right shows the previous example (see above)now trimmed up makes a nice topper for a greetings card. The piece on the far left used the same image but an oriental script lower layer...and was discarded as it proved too fussy and messy. The piece on the lower right of the photo was used to create an ATC as shown on the right.

The above ATC was created with the double stamping technique using one ink colour on a plain red card stock background. The plain coloured card was choosen as the oriental script for the lower stamp layer was quite a dense design...and the main image is quite small so a patterned background wouldn't have shown up very well....or might have even made the overall effect too fussy.

The card in the above photo is double stamped using two contrasting ink colours. The lower stamp layer is script, in a paler lilac coloured ink choosen to compliment the background paper. The main image (top stamped layer) is in a black ink to stand out and contrast with the pastel colour scheme.

The above photos show that even the tiniest of main stamp images can work well in this technique if the backgound papers and lower stamp layers are carefully choosen to compliment and not overpower it. The same brightly coloured card and script stamp has been used in both pieces, but overstamped with two different face images. The photo an the far right shows how one piece has been trimmed down and incorporated into a piece of altered art jewellery.

 Here is an example of the technique applied to a non porous surface - a glass microscope slide! In order for the colours to 'set' you need to use a permanent ink. The glass was first coloured up on one side only using alcohol inks and once dry stamped up with the choosen background pattern. Allowed to dry completely, the slide was then flipped over and the main face image stamped onto the untreated side. I did this as it creates a nice depth to the effect and prevents the inks smudging or lifting off and resisting one another which can happen when using alcohol based inks . The far right photo shows another slide inked up with a different background stamp....in this case it proved unsuccessful as the choosen oriental script proved too heavy and interfered with the main image. The mesh pattern on the above slide achieved a much nicer and lighter design.

(I really liked the effect of this technique on the glass but have yet to decide what to use the piece for....possibly a wall hanging or something along those lines).

 Going one step further - A plain shop purchased tag is transformed by being sprayed with adirondak colour washes, then 'TRIPLE' stamped! Firstly the lower stamp layer is applied (a fine newspaper type print stamp), the main face image stamped ontop...and then some small postmark stamp images added ontop of all of this (one of which is treated with clear embossing powder to created texture and depth).