Weeks of Wonder: Multi-color Stamping

Autumn’s dramatic colors make this time of year great for all sorts of crafting projects. There are holiday decorations to be made as well as precious memories to preserve and cherished relationships to celebrate and share. Today’s technique will have you pulling out your stamp pads in droves and stamping in multiple colors.

Why stamp an image in just one color, when you can stamp it in three (or even more)? In this Thanksgiving box, for example, you can see how the colors on these leaves blend together to bring them to life. The secret to getting the images to line up perfectly is to ink the stamp in three colors before stamping it.

To get the same effect, choose three colors from the same color family and choose your stamp image. Ink your entire image in the lightest of the colors first.

Have your mid-tone color ready next and, without stamping your image first, ink just two-thirds of your image in the second color.

Next, ink the last third of your image in the darkest color. Using our clear blocks makes it easy to see exactly how much ink coverage you've got on your stamp.

Last of all, stamp your image! Try to get all your inking done quickly so the ink stays fresh on your stamp, giving you a cleaner final image.

If choosing color combinations doesn’t come naturally to you, try using our cardstock shade packs as a guide. The colors in the leaf come from the Dark Yellow & Orange shade pack: Honey, Autumn Terracotta, and Barn Red.

This technique applies to larger-scale stamping as well. You know of course that a good background stamp goes a long way for adding interest to a page. While you’re at it, mix up the colors to add even more! You’ll notice that the layers blend together seamlessly, and it is thanks to double-inking the image using the same technique listed above. When stamping a lot of times, remember to continue stamping your image in each color in order to keep the color tone consistent, and always ink in the lightest color first.

For a more precise ink placement, try applying the ink to the stamp with a sponge, or a dauber. Just look at the shading on that plump pumpkin. You can achieve this type of beautiful, soft, and blended look using this simple but breath-taking technique.