Stamps Craft 1 - Bleaching Technique

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

In Stamps Craft 1, we try Stamping then Painting with Bleach:

The first in this series, Stamps Craft 1,  is about stamping with bleach.

I first saw the technique on SplitCoastStampers and since it turned out so well, I thought I would share it with you.

"Definition of Bleach:
the whiteness that results from removing the color from something;"
~Wordnet

Learning new techniques and methods of using our images is so interesting, not to mention economical.I hope you will enjoy learning a little more about stamps craft from this page.

You can use your rubber and acrylic or polypropylene stamps to get all sorts of different effects and not wind up making the same images with the same tools or mediums over and over again.

One of the various mediums I use with stamps is bleach. Did you know you can also stamp with acrylic paint, Stampin' Write! markers, and you can even stamp into mediums like embossing paste? More about that another time.

Here's What You Will Need to Stamp then Paint with Bleach:

• A larger, more intricate image stamp. Flowers with distinct petals work well with this technique as you can get a shading effect depending on where you put the bleach.
• Versamark Ink pad and some clear embossing powder.
• A heat tool.
• Ordinary household bleach (about half a teaspoon).
• A small paintbrush.
• Coloured Cardstock, punches and embellishments of your choice.

Here's What To Do:

• First, stamp your image in Versamark on cardstock. You will be lightening the cardstock with bleach, so choose a nice colour that you will like even when it is faded. Some cardstocks turn different colors when bleached, so you may be in for a surprise with the results. Try a bit of cardstock with the bleach first before committing to your final image. 
  
• Note: white cardstock won't work in this case, though you could experiment with it and see what effects you can get with the bleach. Black cardstock will work though.
  
• I chose a bright pink here so I would be sure to at least wind up with a lighter colour where I bleached it, if not a completely different colour.

After you have your main image the way you want it, continue using your stamps craft skills to complete your card. Here's what I did to finish my own card

I hope you enjoyed the first in the series of techniques for stamping. Continue to Stamps Craft 2 if you would like to try another technique now.