In simple terms, Direct t’Rubba means applying Radiant
Pearls onto your rubber stamps then stamping onto paper. You can apply Radiant
Pearls to any type stamp: broad surface, detail, rubber, flocked or textured
foam, and carved erasers.
The Basics
For a soft, clean image using broad surface stamps, apply
Radiant pearls sparingly. It’s all right if there are little spots of rubber
showing through your paint. For heavy impressions when you want the grooves or
cut out areas of rubber leaving a slightly dimensional Radiant Pearls
definition, then apply the paint heavily. Get plenty of paint into the grooves
of the rubber, but don’t have the paint so heavy on the surface of your rubber
stamp that is slides when you press it to paper. It takes a bit of practice, but
you will soon get the feel for the amount of paint you need for the look you
want. You can apply Radiant Pearls with a variety of applicators each resulting
in different looks. Some examples are the Whiska Stippler brush, the d’Tail
brush (water color round), Kewl Tool, Fantastix, sponge, brayer, and your
finger.
For detail type of stamps, the paint should almost always be
applied sparingly; otherwise you will lose the detailed lines. The easiest and
most efficient applicator is the Whiska Stippler brush. Whisk or sweep the brush
across the fine lines of your stamp then press to paper.
You can let the images “air dry” for a soft velvety
look with a shimmer, or you can emboss with clear embossing powder for a shiny
look with a shimmer below the glossy surface. If you wait a short time before
embossing you will have the wet areas grip the embossing powder for a
combination of air-dry and embossing. This is most effective when you’ve
applied a heavy coat into the grooves of the rubber and lifted off some of the
excess paint from the surface of the rubber before pressing it to paper. The
heavy paint that the grooves leave behind dry slower, thus will hold the
embossing powder when it’s applied later.
Whiska Stipplertm
brush
Generally,
you’ll achieve best results if only a small amount of Radiant Pearls that is
evenly distributed in your brush. With a clean KatTraxtm Whiska
Stippler brush, dip the longest hairs of the brush into a pot picking up a few
pearls of paint. Then, pounce or stipple the brush onto your palette, which will
evenly distribute the paint into your brush. You can also see on the palette if
you have too much paint or not enough paint. This will take a little bit of
practice and experience. If you’d rather not dip your Whiska Stippler brush
into the pot of paint you can scoop a little paint from the pot with your Swiper
and place it on your palette. Then pounce (stipple) your brush into the puddle
of Radiant Pearls for even distribution.
Stipple
the brush onto your stamp. I recommend that you use more than one color on your
stamp. This will create a more exciting finished image. You needn’t try for a
solid coverage of paint on your stamp. When you press your stamp to paper the
paint will spread slightly filling in the tiny open areas the stippling left on
your stamp.
If
you want heavy veins of color in the grooves of the stamp you’ll apply a
heavier coat of paint onto the stamp. Again, though, you needn’t have solid
coverage, but you’ll want plenty of paint in the grooves of the stamp. The
extra paint in the grooves transfers to the paper. It will dry slightly raised
with more shimmer and shine than the broad surface areas.
The Whiska Stippler lets you apply Radiant Pearls to detail stamps easily. You need the least amount of paint for this procedure. A brush that has almost all of the paint out of it works best. With a sweeping motion back and forth over your stamp you will apply just the right amount of paint. Again, with a little practice you’ll soon recognize what looks like no paint is going onto your stamp is, indeed, plenty of paint being applied.
d’Tailtm
brush
The KatTraxtm d’Tail 3 brush is a medium sized
round watercolor brush. Applying Radiant pearls to your stamp with this brush
will create a more painted look to the finish. You’ll see your paint strokes,
where one color blends in a line next to another color. As with the Whiska
Stippler brush, a little paint can go a long way. You can blend and over-lap
colors right on your stamp. Application is easiest applied to rubber stamps or
eraser carved stamps. Foam and flocked stamps are a bit more difficult, but not
impossible.
You can dip your brush right into the pot of paint then work
the excess off onto the palette. Or, pick up paint from a puddle on the palette.
Kewl Tooltm
The KatTraxtm Kewl Tool can apply little dots or
spatters of paint onto your stamp that you have already applied paint on one of
the other methods. You can also apply Radiant Pearls in textured streaks and
roundels or remove streaks and roundels from painted stamps.
First, how do you get Radiant Pearls into the Kewl Tool
sponge? Either pounce you Kewl Tool into a puddle of paint on your palette or
with your Swiper add a small amount of paint onto the sponge. Distribute the
paint onto the sponge by pouncing it onto your palette. Never dip or push your
Kewl Tool into your pot of paint. The Kewl Tool IS a sponge! It WILL pull all of
your paint out of the pot and it WILL be in the sponge.
You can tap your Kewl Tool onto your stamp that is already
painted up with Radiant Pearls. The Kewl Tool will leave little dots of paint
that look like spatters behind on the stamp. Or, if you want more texture or
interest, you can swipe the Kewl Tool across your stamp. Give your wrist a twist
while the Kewl Tool is pressed against the stamp and you’ll leave roundels of
color on your stamp. In both of these procedures you are removing some of the
paint from the stamp and leaving paint from the Kewl Tool behind.
You can use these same procedures on a clean stamp for
a different look. This works best if the stamp is a distinct shape.
You can also use the same procedures with a clean Kewl Tool on a painted
up stamp. The results are paint removed from your stamp leaving a texture
behind. Again, it’s most effective with distinct shapes and images.
Fantastixtm
These
foam paint sticks create a delicate crosshatched look when you apply paint to
your stamp with the brush tipped Fantastix. Very little paint is needed and
you’ll barely see the paint going onto the stamp. Pick up paint onto the stick
by either dipping into your pot or picking up paint from your palette. Use the
side of “brush” when applying the paint to your stamp. Stroke the paint on
in different directions for that crosshatched feel. The bullet point stick will
apply (or remove) paint in nice dots.
Sponge
Sponging
Radiant Pearls onto your stamp creates a mottled look that is coarser than the
Whiska Brush by virtue of the texture of the sponge and the daubing action.
There are a variety of sponges you can use: Daubers, make-up, sea, and elephant
ear sponges are a few examples. Along this same vein, you might try crumpled
waxed paper or plastic wrap. What else can you think of trying?
Brayer
Did
you think that your brayer was limited to creating wonderful background paper?
Try brayering paint onto your
stamps. The brayer leaves a different texture or finish to the paint application
and the look of the image on paper.
Finger Painting
This
technique leaves a strong “painterly” look in the finish. You’ll see the
broad streaks and strokes of the paint you applied with your finger. It has an
almost watery look to it. Go ahead, don’t be afraid of a little paint on your
fingers!
Air Dry
As
the name implies, the paint dries on it’s own. Remember, Radiant Pearls dries
by absorption into the paper, not by evaporation. Some papers absorb quickly
while other more dense papers dry slower. Also, the amount of paint you’ve
applied will affect the “drying” time. A thicker application of paint takes
longer because there is more paint that must absorb into the paper.
Embossing
Thermo
graphic powders, also know as embossing powders, are granulated plastics and
resins. Radiant Pearls was designed, specifically, for safe sue with these
powders. Using clear embossing powder lets the color and shimmer of the Radiant
Pearls show through the shine of the melted powder. When you seal the paint with
embossing powder (that has been heated to melt the powder) you create a natural
mask, as Radiant Pearls doesn’t dry on the embossed areas.
For an interesting contrast of shiny, embossed image
with a soft air-dried image, you can stamp over an embossed area, and then
easily wipe away any wet paint on the embossed area once the second image is
dried. The second image you stamped will “fall behind” the embossed image.
You can emboss one image, over stamp it, carefully wipe
away excess paint on the first image, then emboss the second image. You can
layer one image on top of the other this way. For a sculptural contrast try
Kat’s Double Dipping. After stamping an image with Radiant Pearls apply a coat
of coarse clear embossing powder and shake off the excess powder, but do not
heat it. Next apply a coat of fine clear embossing powder, shake off the excess.
NOW heat and melt the two powders. Heating and melting will take a little longer
because of the volume of powder on the image. The fine powder fills in around
all of the big boulders of the coarse powder, creating a thicker, glossier
image.
Soft Gilding
This
is especially effective with background of veins, marbled lines and crackles.
After you’ve stamped with Radiant Pearls your decorative background, sprinkle
a pinch of extra fine metallic embossing powder hear and there, lightly dusting
areas. Then, coat the entire area with fine, clear powder and shake off the
excess powder. As you melt the powder a slight gilding will show through in
areas.
Joseph’s Coat
Stamp and emboss a brightly Radiant Pearls painted image.
Coat the entire surface and surrounding background with ColorBoxtm
black pigment ink. Do NOT wipe away ink from embossed imaged. Coat
with clear embossing powder and heat until melted. The first embossed image will
magically reappear, although slightly muted.
You are not limited to ColorBox black pigment ink. You
may use any color ColorBox pigment ink, but the black is the most dramatic.
Advanced Jo-Coat
As with basic Joseph’s Coat you start with a brightly
Radiant Pearls embossed image. Also, use black ColorBox pigment ink over the
image and the immediate surrounding area. On the outer areas apply several of
the ColorBox Metal Xtratm pigment inks and/or the ColorBox colorful
black pigment inks. Apply these inks using the sides of the pads creating
interesting angles. When you have created the look you like, coat the entire
piece with clear embossing powder and melt the powder with heat.
Along this same idea, instead of using Metal Xtra
pigment inks on the outer areas, use Radiant Pearls, such as Honey Mustard or
Tiger Eye for metallic glint. Emboss the piece.
Misting
This
technique, inspired by Fred Mullett's Spritzing Technique, works beautifully on
detail type of stamps. With your Whiska Stippler, apply a thin coat of light
colored to medium colored Frost and Satin Pearls line of Radiant Pearls. Mist
the stamp with water using a spritzing bottle until wet but not dripping. Press
onto paper. Mist again and press again onto your paper. Repeat this process
until you have as many images as you desire or until no more color can be seen
when stamping. This process creates the soft, watercolor background. Let dry.
You can speed the drying time by using a hair dryer.
The
next application uses darker colors of the same color families you used in the
first process. For a more casual look, apply Radiant Pearls with the Whiska
Stippler over stamp the main focal image eyeing it into place. Without applying
anymore paint, over stamp onto a second image, then onto a third, if you desire.
You might press the second and successive images harder on one edge and lightly
on another edge, leaving a darker impression to one side of the image. For a
more precise looking image use a positioner. This will let you over stamp
exactly. This is most effective for detail stamps that have exacting and defined
lines.
Another
technique is misting the paper rather than the stamp. This creates a blurrier
background image. If the paper is excessively wet, the Radiant Pearls will
spread out more.