Cutting Stamps Apart: Exploring Layers in Mixed-Media Cardmaking

I think we sometimes put our stamps into little boxes without even realising we're doing it.

A leaf stamp is for autumn. A bird stamp is for a nature card. A stencil is for making a background.But what happens when we stop thinking about what something was designed for and start asking what else we could do with it?

That's what I was playing with when I created these cards.

Cutting stamps apart

One of my favourite techniques is separating stamp elements and, as the Leaf Fall stamp comes as one sheet, it gave me the opportunity to do this.

Okay, before I go any further, not all stamp sheets need cutting apart. But I could see greater possibilities with this particular stamp if I did. Each leaf suddenly had its own personality! I could layer, overlap and play with placement to create little forests on paper.

This can feel a little daunting the first time you do it. You need a sharp pair of scissors and a little patience, working slowly around each design and keeping your scissors close to the edge of the pattern.

If you find it easier, cut away the excess rubber first and then go back and trim around each individual design. I actually find it much easier to work with lots of smaller pieces than one large stamp — suddenly you have far more freedom about where and how you use them.

Layering with Colour

For this design, cutting the stamp sheet into individual leaves made using multiple colours and changing their placement much easier.

I chose colours that I knew would work well together and could be layered. If you're unsure where to start, thinking in terms of cool and warm colours can be a useful guide:

• Cool colours – blues, greens and purples can work beautifully for winter-inspired cards.
• Warm colours – reds, yellows and oranges are wonderful for autumn-themed cards.

You can also change the drama of the finished design simply by changing the order you stamp the colours.

• Light to dark – the first, lighter colour remains more predominant.
• Dark to light – the lighter colour can soften the darker one and create the illusion of shadows.

The card

For this card, I used cool colours and worked from light to dark, starting in two opposite corners and leaving a diagonal area of white space between the other two corners.

Using the Birds Mask Stencil on another piece of white card, I created some additional elements for the card. I deliberately chose a bright coral orange for the bird to contrast against the cooler leaves.

I then cut the elements out and added them to the card as finishing touches. This is another reason I like experimenting with stencils - they don't always have to stay in the background!

Using stencils differently

In the previous card I spoke about colours and how they can change a theme. For this card I went with cooler colours mainly sticking to blues and greens.

For the background I chose two different colours of blue ink - a lighter and darker shade. With the Texture Elements Mask Stencil, I added a layer of lighter ink across the whole card panel. I gradually added a darker layer of ink from the lefthand side blending the colour outwards the middle. This gives a wonderful gradiated effect.

Using an even darker shade of blue ink - think midnight blue or if you prefer an indigo colour - I stencilled the bird and branch pattern using the Birds Mask Stencil.

I have stamped some leaves, but this could be left out if you wanted a winter tree branch, in a deep/blue green.

I finished with white highlights with a POSCA pen. To get crisp white white highlights, let your ink layers dry first. I also had to add a few white splats too - lets pretend they were snow!

Creating texture & dimension

Mixed-media cardmaking, which is also very much an art journaling style, really shines when you start building layers.

If you're new to this technique, having a stamp that does some of the layering for you can really help. It does all the heavy lifting!

HOWEVER - and yes, I've written that in capitals - these types of stamps can also be a fabulous learning tool.

Stamp the design out and then take a moment to look at all the different layers within it. Which elements are sitting behind others? What happens when one image overlaps another?

Suddenly, you can start to visualise how layering works.

The Circle DL stamp set is one of those designs. It can create all those background layers for you within one stamp, but it can also become a kind of teaching guide, helping you look at other stamps in your stash and start creating your own layered backgrounds.

For this card, I used three different ink colours on the stamp, starting with the lightest colour at the top and working towards the darkest at the bottom.

I tend to use a stamp block, add the colours and just go for it. But if you're less confident, a stamp platform can make this much easier. Add one colour, stamp, then add the next colour and stamp again before adding the final shade.

You'll still get that graduated colour effect, but you're building it up in smaller, more controlled steps.

To make the additional stamped elements coordinate with the background, I stamped the Circle DL stamp again onto a separate piece of card and used punches to create the butterflies and hearts. If you want these to stand out a little more, ink around the edges to give them greater definition.

So, what difference did cutting the stamps apart make?

Looking back at these cards, I think it made more of a difference than I initially realised. Once the individual leaves were separated, I wasn't thinking about the stamp as one design anymore. I could choose the leaf I wanted, where I wanted it and how much of it I wanted to use.

That made building the layers much easier because I wasn't trying to work around a fixed arrangement. I could stamp, overlap, cut out individual elements and add them where the design needed them.

It's a small change, but sometimes that's all it takes to make a stamp set feel completely different to work with.

Until next time, take care,

Lou
xxx