Direct to Paper Technique

Happy Saturday everyone.

Thought I would share a card I made a while back I think it was for a cuttlebug card challenge and also show you at same time how I often color in collage images using DTP technique. (Direct to paper)

Materials: Black cardstock, green bazzil cardstock, mauve bazzil cardstock, cream cardstock, black brilliance ink pad, selection of color box ink pads, flowers with rhinestone brad, Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder, Big Shot, Rhinestones, Metal word charm, Vogue pattern stamp by Stamepers Anonymous.

Method:Fold black card in half to create card base. Run green cardstock through Big shot using cuttlebug embossing folder and then go around the edges with mauve color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Run strip of mauve cardstock through Big shot using same cuttlebug embossing folder and attach that to cardfront. Attach flowers with rhinestone brad and rhinestones and word charm. Using black briliance ink pad, stamp vogue pattern image onto cream cardstock and HEAT set. Color image according to technique below and then attach to mauve cardstock and then to cardfront.

Technique: DTP or otherwise known as Direct to Paper technique is a very easy and yet effective technique and is a very easy way of colouring in Collage stamp images. All you do is take selection of color box ink pads( I use the small cats eyes) and one at a time gently rub them over your stamped image. Continue until you are happy with all the colours.

Now I am often asked, doesn't this damage your ink pads or contaminate them - the answer to both questions is yes. However you can color a mountain of images before you have to chuck the ink pad eventually and if you look at the price of the cat's eye's I think you will find its worth it. I use my cats eyes all the time for going around edges of paper and also for this technique and they are one of those must haves for cardmaking in my book. The color box ink pads are pigment ink pads so you could try this with another brand of pigment ink(I have used the Stampin up spots before) but I just find the color box are easy to obtain generally and offer a huge range of colors at a very reasonable price.

To avoid contamination of your ink pad colors, then I would suggest starting with the lightest color first - this certainly helps keep your yellow ink pad looking yellow. If you do get some contamination on your ink pad, you can fairly easily after swiping it over the image to be coloured, just swipe it over some scrap paper to get off any other color contimation. Keep the scrap paper -I often then use that piece of paper to overstamp with another image.

Another thing you will find if you use your color boxes for this technique and for the edging of papers is that often the ink pad just falls off its perch as it were. This isn't a train smash at all - I just take some really strong glue and glue it back on and after waiting for the glue to dry its as good as new.

If you are doing this technique using brand new ink pads, then swipe very gently as a lot of ink will come off onto the paper - this technique is really best with slightly older used ink pads.

Ok so why not give it a go yourself - its fun and you can get some great color combinations and it is really the easiest way I have found to colour in large collage type stamps.