Stippling

This is a new technique for me. I was going through old Stampin' Up magazines, (these are only available to demonstrators) and I came across an article titled "Dotted and spotted. It caught my attention right away. The subtitle is "Using small dots tocreate beautiful images is simple when you stipple." Catchy right? So as I read on, I came up with so many ideas that I did not know where to start. First things first... I have to order a set of stipple brushes. They look like a miniture broomstick. They have hard bristles that do not bend easily. Much more so than the average paintbrushes or watercolor brushes.

Okay, so onto the actual process of stippling. This technique provides shading and solidity. The closer the dots and the more darker the color appears. All you have to do is tap the tip of your stipple brush on an ink pad (preferably a stampin' up pad) and lightly tap the brush on your cardstock. Repeat the process until you reach the desired effect for your project.

This technique can be used in combination with resisting. (Emboss resisting is done by using clear embossing powder; stamp with VersaMark, cover in powder, heat the image until the powder changes to a shiny liquid and rises, then apply a color ink with a sponge to the paper and around the embossed image, and finally wiping the excess ink with a tissue/papertowel.) The end result can be great with so many different color schemes and stamps sets out there!

Stippling can also be done directly on the stamp. Instead of lightly tapping on cardstock, tap the ink on the stamp directly. This creates the same effect as on paper. The picture provided shows a spectrum of colors. Please note that when stippling with multiple colors to clean the stipple brush with a baby wipe inbetween each color.

Another way of stippling is using on board accents offered by Stampin' Up!. After the accents, numbers or letters have been punched out, keep the background to use for stippling. You can use the shapes, numbers or letters to create a stipple effect to cut out and adhere to your project.