Adding Color to Rubber Stamps

If you are considering starting a craft then rubber stamps may be the way to go for you. They are fun, have varying levels of difficulty so you can keep having challenges as you become more and more experienced, and it does not cost all that much to start. If you are already considering using rubber stamps then you might have some questions such as what people use to create images, what type of ink they use, and how they get all that wonderful detail and color into their stamps. Below you will find the answers to these common questions as well as a bit more detail about rubber stamping in general.

When adding color to rubber stamps there are two directions that you can take; you can color the stamps themselves, or color after you have stamped. To get the best results, coloring the rubber stamp before you use it is the way to go. In doing this you will be able to achieve a high level of control over the color of the stamp and you can really make each part of the image stand out. This is the hardest to do and takes the most work so if you are only starting out the coloring in the stamped images is probably the best way to start out. This also lets you use more different colors and enables you to add in affects such as shading. The best inks to use are the ones that last the longest and these types are normally the acid-free archival inks.

If you want to color directly onto the stamp then you can use things like colored pens and ink. The easiest way to apply ink to a stamp is to purchase an ink pad and simply press the stamp directly onto it. There is an almost unlimited amount of different colors that can be purchased and many companies will make pens that match ink pad colors to help for touch ups.

For coloring stamps after you have applied them to paper you can use items such as colored pens, watercolor pencils, and even just normal everyday pencils. Ensure that you wait for the ink to dry before you start coloring it in to reduce the chance of any smudging or ink run. It is also a good idea to do a few tests on a stamp to see if the pens or pencils you are going to use will make the ink run.