Unless you have a plethora of colorful ink pads and brush art markers, it can be hard sometimes to create very colorful works of art with rubber stamps alone. And if you are accustomed to or the project requires working on only white or neutral, bringing color into the project can seem like an uphill battle. For this installment, I want to take a look at the different ways that you can infuse color into your projects with rubber stamps, apart from ink alone.
The first item in your color arsenal should be the paper or non-paper material that you are using to stamp onto, when possible. Get creative. Even if you’re rubber stamping onto a recipe card, don’t be afraid to use colored card stock rather than bland white or cream. As long as the color is light enough, you’ll still be able to read what you write. And if you’re going to print off the recipe and glue it onto the card, go wild with the color of the recipe card itself.
If you are using outline or highly detailed stamp designs, take advantage of the blank space inside of the design. Furnish your art space with a variety of color tools. Colored pencils, crayons, chalk, watercolor, and even glitter will become your allies in design. All these can bring color to your designs. Keep in mind that permanent, also known as archiver’s, ink might be the best choice if you’re worried that the image you have stamped will bleed onto your color infusion. This is especially the case when you start using things like watercolor in and around the stamped image.
And don’t forget what is around your stamped image. Even the most creative and detailed stamp could always use a border to highlight it’s features. You can stamp that border with different colors or use different colored paper layering or decorative ribbons to add another jolt of color. The limit to your color is only your imagination.
