Weeks of Wonder: Turn on the Dark!

I love the richness of dark, deep tones. You can’t go wrong adding deep browns like Cocoa or Chocolate to any project because they automatically add substance and “ground” your projects. Some crafters find stamping on dark cardstocks to be a challenge—how can you get it to show?—but there are some pretty straightforward guidelines to follow that deliver fabulous results. You can go very bold and contrasting or more subtle, with just a slight color variation.

To achieve a high contrast look, turn to our pigment inks. This ink has a thicker consistency that will sit more “on top” of papers it is applied to, rather than completely soaking in. You can see how White Daisy ink was stamped directly on the Cocoa cardstock paper to create a dramatic patterned background for this card. Note that pigment inks take a little longer to dry than water-based ink, so I recommend heat setting the images with an embossing tool to prevent smearing.

This bag makes me “so happy” just to look at it! If you ever struggle trying to dress up a simple bag like this, turn to my how-to books and simply adapt and apply a card pattern to the front of the bag. This design was created using the Originals: Always Right (rotated) pattern on page 89. The subtle design on the Cocoa paper was created with a stamped and heat set clear emboss. I love how the texture and shine of the embossing matches the glossy texture of the bag—it really pulls the two items together.

And while I adore the subtle beauty of tone-on-tone stamping, sometimes the colors are so low contrast, you can barely see them. To “turn on the dark” and pump up contrast even in tone-on-tone projects, turn to your My Acrylix stamps for the perfect solution. With the clear stamp and the clear block you can double stamp your image two or more times, always with perfect image alignment. First, stamp the image on the paper using the same color ink as the paper color.

Then ink your image again using the same color of ink. Line up the stamp directly over the image you just stamped. For easier placement, I try to line up opposite corners of the stamp with the image I am stamping over. This can require some practice when stamping on darker papers because the images are definitely more difficult to see.

See the difference between these two “Together” sentiments? The image on the bottom has been double stamped and is clearly richer and more contrasting, even though the art is tone on tone. Images can always be stamped three, four or more times to bring out the look you are striving for. Additionally, double stamping will give any stamped image a more professional, complete look.

Double stamping really does bring out the word “Together” nicely on this card but for even more of an impact, the piece that is stamped on was cut ¼” – ½” longer than the width of the card then the ends were attached to the card. The center bows slightly for some unique dimension.

Whether double stamping or working with embossing or pigment inks, you can feel confident making dramatic cards with ANY color of cardstock. You needn’t ever be afraid of the dark again!