I used to teach a lot of stamping classes so I'll be happy to share some techniques with you all!
1. Rainbows
Using a kaleidacolor pad, ink up your brayer and apply it to glossy cardstock, rolling back and forth to make sure all the colors blend together in a gradation. Makes a lovely background, and very cool used in conjunction with the emboss resist technique listed above.
2. Cloisonne
Stamp a simple (line art) image with embossing ink such as Versamark, and apply black or metallic embossing powder to it. Tap off the excess, and heat set with your embossing gun. Now, paint in the image with Twinking H20's for a shimmery image! Beautiful with flowers!
3. Markers
Using brush type markers, selectively color areas of the stamp that you want to be different colors. Once you have your stamp colored, "huff" on it. This will re-moisturize the ink with the moisture from your breath. Now stamp, and you have a lovely multicolored stamped image!
3a. Markers on wet paper
Do exactly as above, but you will want to stamp on watercolor paper. Mist the paper lightly with a spraybottle of water, then apply the markered stamp onto the wet paper. The ink will spread, giving you a very painterly dreamy effect. The image is a lot looser than what you are used to in a stamped image...
3b. Wet paper with watercolors... if you wet your paper after you stamp an 9image with staz-on, you can then add water color to it and let it just spread around. SImilar effect to above...
4. Watercolors
You can also paint in a stamped image with plain old water color paints - OR use water color colored pencils and then paint over the pencil shaded areas with plain water. Just make sure that you use a waterproof int to stamp with. I recommend black Staz-on for this one...
5. Hot foam
You know that crazy 1/8" think foam that they sell in the kids aisle at the craft store? Kid's fun foam?
Well, cut a small piece of that - any color - and heat it with your embossing gun. Quickly remove the heat source and mash a stamp into it, holding it in there for about 15 seconds or so until the foam cools. You'll get a deeply de-bossed image impressed into the foam.
If you use black foab, rub the cooled stamped foam afterwards with metallic rub-on pigments .Your image will stand out beautifully! This technique works best with simpler designs, and with wood mounted red rubber.
6. Alcohol inks
Take the Tim Holts alcohol inks and drop some on to glossy cardstock. Dab at it with the Alcohol ink felt pads or a makeup sponge to spread it around. Then, drop some Alcohol ink blending solution directly onto it, and watch the magic! The inks will spread around and make cool patterns. (PS you spring fantasy swappers may get to see an example of this on your ATC's from me... ;D) This is one of the ways that you can make what they call a "polished stone" background. If you have metallic inks, work them in too... or if you have a krylon paint pen or Lumiere metallic paint, you can put some of that down before adding the alcohol inks
7. Fun with Acetate
I love this one. You'll need 3-D Crystal laquer, tissue paper, reinkers or alcohol inks, and staz-on. And Rubber Gloves!
Stamp an image with Staz-On onto one side of your acetate. Let it dry. Flip the acetate over.
Squeeze some dollops of Crystal Laquer onto the acetate and mush it around with your gloved finger a little all around the back of your image, and then drop a few drops of reinkers into the spread mess. Now, take your tissue paper and wad it up to distress it. Mush it into the crystal laquer/ink mixture. It will suck up some of the ink - thats what you want to happen! It will take a couple of hours to dry, but when it does, you flip it back over and mount your design to the front of your card, the wild colors and texture on the back will show through the acetate and make a really cool effect! I did one with leaves, and used all fall colors in the reinkers - came out awesome!
8. Background papers
Using a pretty decorative stamp, you cam make your own background paper easily. Pick yo0ur favorite design, and stamp it repeatedly on your solid cardstock with Versamark ink. It makes a nice sublte pattern and is great for making custom coordinated paper to make your card or scrapbook page.
8a. Layering
Using the same idea as above, but actually using tone on tone or a monochromatic ink selection, you can overlap the images over and again with differnt inks, working from lihtest to darkest. I like this with little leaves to make fall papers or little flowers to make springy ones.
9. Spray bottle fun
If you are familiar with the Adirondack inks or the walnut inks, you can spritz your paper lightly before stamping on them to get a whole new look!
10. Masking
This is a great way to use up post it notes! It works best with decorative design stamps, or for layering animals and scenery to build a complex image.
Stamp your first image onto your cardstock. Now, stamp it again on a post it note, and cut it out. Apply the stamped post it directly over your original stamped image. Now, stamp freely with the next image, going right over the post it. It will protect your first image. Keep repeating the process depending on how complex you would like your final image to be. When you are done peel off your post its and enjoy! There is a set of special stamps available meant specifically for doing this. I think they are called Kaleidescope stamps, but I will look at mine and update the post...
11. Make your own foam stamps
Using your sizzix or similar die cutting system, take a die you like, and cut some kids fun foam up with it. Use a little adhesive and mount it temporarily to an acrylic block, and you just made yourself a fun foam stamp to use with some acryllic paint!
I hope this gives you all a fun inspiration to start with! I'll rack my brain a litlte more tomorrow after some sleep and post some more for you!
michelle