Shape Stamping Tutorial

Shape stamping is a useful and easy technique that will help you make the most of your small stamps. You don’t need a lot of extra equipment and if you are confident drawing basic shapes it won’t take long to create a selection of stunning cards!

You just need a pencil and rubber, smaller stamps and ink. If you want to use a stencil or template to draw around, that’s fine. The only limit is your imagination. Begin by drawing a basic outline shape. This could be a heart, a flower, a tree, a musical note, in fact anything you like, as long as it is recognisable from its outline. Next, fill the shape with small stamped images, giving the impression of the larger image. It doesn’t matter if some overlap a little, and it doesn’t matter if there are a few small gaps. Once your stamped shape is dry, rub out the pencil outline then add a little sparkle. You could use liquid pearls, glitter glue or flat-backed gems to fill those smaller gaps.

This is a great way of using the smaller stamps from a set that you might not get to use as often as the large ones. You can use solid stamps and different coloured ink, or, if you like fine detailed colouring, try stamping in a pale ink and colouring with your favourite pens or pencils. Don’t just think feminine, either. This could be equally effective to create a masculine card, using sport, vehicles or DIY for your theme. Whether it is for a birthday, an anniversary, for Christmas or just to say hello, this technique will help you make your stash stretch that bit further!