So I have been totally into the whole digital stamp thing for a few weeks now. I must admit that it took a while to get the hang of it. I learned a few things along the way, so here are a few tips!
Have you collected any digital stamps yet? I will head you in a great direction. Check out Dustin Pike's blog and be sure to stop in at Hambo Stamps too. Once you have a little collection of stamps, here is what you do next.
Decide what size you want your image to be. The cool thing about digital stamps is, you can make them any size you want. Open your image editing software, and make a new project. For instance, I made a 3.5inch by 5 inch window. I selected the whole window and copied the stamp that I wanted. I then copied it into the 3.5 inch window by selecting "paste into selection." (These steps can be modified, according to
however you want to resize your stamp. I realize that all graphic programs are different. I use Paint Shop Pro, so that's how I did mine!)
The next steps I learned through trial and error... mostly error! :)
When you print your stamp, use something heavier than your usual copy paper. This is impoartant especially if you are going to use watercolors to color your stamp. If that is your medium, printing on watercolor paper works best! I printed this stamp on a piece of white cardstock. The cardstock has a little bit of texture to it, which is ok. Next time I might try using one with a smooth surface. Try both!
When chosing your print options, print with the highest quality and dpi available. It takes longer, but the results are worth it. Print several copies on the same piece of paper if you can, this will give you lots to work with!
Coloring the stamp - I tried lots of different mediums. First, I colored with markers. The markers were very bold, but left that . . . marker-colored look, if you know what I mean. Lots of little lines. And shading was difficult. Maybe if you have better markers, it works great. I have cheapo markers. :)
Next I tried using water color pencils, but honestly I need more practice with these. I ended up smudging a lot, and my printer ink ran. . . Not so fun. Next. . . I made a trip to WalMart and bought a shiny new package of Rose Art colored pencils. Awesome! Great for a low-budget project, which is the state that I am in at the moment.
Digi stamp colored, the final step was to cut it out, add a few mats and a little bling. I added some bling with my glitter gel pen. (I need an intervention, have been addicted to the Clear Star glitter gel pen lately. What am I going to do when it runs out?) I added a few glitter brads and finally I mounted the stamp on a card base. Oh! Cute! Did I mention that I love dragons????
Now then, those are the tips that I have for getting started with digital stamps. I'm sure that there are lots of other ways to get the job done but this is what worked for me. . . and here is the result. . . thanks Dustin for your tips! Be sure to stop by his site - he has an awesome deal on five pages of digital stamps that are a great deal. It would give anybody enough to work with for a very long time!
No comments:
Post a Comment