Weeks of Wonder: Paint the Town!

The dictionary describes creativity as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc. Each week as I post Weeks of Wonder I strive to stimulate your creative thought so you have the confidence to explore new and fresh ways to use your stamping supplies.

Today, we’re going to really break new ground by stamping with paint--a creative way to use stamps in a non-traditional forum. Using paint as a medium to stamp with takes some creativity because the results are not always “perfect,” but they are perfectly delightful!

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” –Scott Adams

I always want to remember moments that really mean a lot to me. This little decorated tin holds some of my favorite blog posts from the past year. Check out the inside.

Each “memory card” is a cardstock circle featuring the copy and photos from a different blog post over the past year or so, using slightly different accessories and a different stamp image. The images are all stamped in Pearl Paint, and notice that the images are solid stamp images: these tend to work best when working with stamps and paint. That’s because paint is much thicker and more viscous than ink and can “fill in” the details of more finely designed images.

To get your look just right, I suggest you first experiment with the amount of paint you place on your stamp. The more paint added to your stamp, the more the image will soften and the paint texture will come through. Very little paint produces a much cleaner, smoother look.

You can stamp with Pearl Paint as it is for a white pearl finish, which works well on dark papers. Or, you can tint the paint using re-inker. To do this, add some Pearl Paint to a craft jar.

Add drops of re-inker then stir using a stylus. Continue adding re-inker until the desired shade is achieved.

Lightly dip a sponge dauber into the paint. Be careful not to get too much paint on the dauber. You only need a small amount. Gently pounce the paint-filled dauber directly on the mounted stamp. Work the paint around on the stamp until a generally even coverage is achieved.

Hold the stamp straight from above and gently press the stamp to the paper. Be careful not to let the stamp slide around . . . the paint is very slippery!

The paint will not give as clean a line to the edge of the image as you’re used to with ink. Remember, messy is good here! If the integrity of the image was lost, you may have used too much paint. Clean the stamp off, dry it and try again . . . using a little less paint. Good luck and let your creativity flow.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” - Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!