Hi friend! Elizabeth here from @thejoyfulsojourn on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, to share with you my love of stamping! As an avid decorative planner, list maker, and journaler, adding stamps to my paper play has really enhanced my creative journey and I want everyone to feel that joy!
Today we’re going through stamping basics: from beginner information to favorite tips and tricks, you’ll be stamping like a pro in no time. Let’s get into it!
Supplies – Discount code "JOYFUL10" to save 10% at A&O!
Stamping Basics: Your questions answered
What are stamps made of?
Stamps can be found of rubber, photopolymer, acrylic, and silicone. Rubber is super durable but bulky and obstruct your view. Most people prefer the latter transparent materials because they are easier to store (very flat) and they allow you to see where you’re stamping. Archer & Olive’s stamps are acrylic.
What inks do you use?
Mostly pigment inks! They give the best bang for your buck color-wise, are opaque, and work well on different colors of paper. Unlike dye inks that absorb into the paper (and thus are more likely to bleed), pigment ink sits on top of the paper and gives a true color. Archer & Olive legacy inks are pigment, and their black and espresso colors are my favorite! I do want to give a shoutout to chalk inks for those who use thinner papers - chalk inks are more sheer and have more of a milky matte finish. You won't get the color payoff achieved with the pigment inks, but you're less likely to bleed if you're using Archer & Olive stamps on low gsm papers.
How do you clean your stamps?
There are several methods for cleaning stamps – pick whatever works best for your lifestyle. As a toddler mom I have an abundance of water wipes, and those are acceptable for wiping down your stamps. Just make sure they don’t have a lot of additional ingredients in them (avoid alcohol!). I’m also a fan of absorbing pads like this thin flat blue reusable sponge that holds on to water. Keep it stored in a plastic bin and stamp your stamp on the pad until clean. Stamp cleaners also work well, simply rub it on the stamp, then pat with a towel to remove the cleaner.
How do you store your stamps?
I always transfer my Archer & Olive stamp sets into clear plastic sleeves so I can see them and shop my stash with ease! The plastic sleeves are stored in bins I keep on an enclosed bookshelf. Stamps do best out of direct sunlight. *Make sure your stamps are fully dry before putting them away!
My stamps are losing their cling! How do I get them sticky again?
Time for a deep clean. ‘Shampoo’ your stamps with gentle soap and water. Magically, a little soap and water will help reset the stick when they’re fully dry again.
Getting Started
Now that you’ve picked up your first Archer & Olive stamp set, what happens next? Here's what I do...
Prime or ‘condition’ your new stamps. Stamps may have a residue from the production process that acts as a barrier between your ink and the stamp. If you don’t prime your stamp, the ink won’t evenly sit on your stamp. Grit them up by removing that residue with a pink eraser or my shortcut – your upper arm! Provided I am clean and lotion-free, I rub the stamp on the top of my forearm to sluff off any barrier on the stamp.
Start a Swatchbook. If it’s likely you’ll “get into stamping”, start an Archer & Olive notebook (I recommend B5 size) exclusively for your stamp and ink collection. This allows you to catalog your supplies so you don’t buy what you already have, and you can quick-reference samples of what the stamps and inks will look like on paper before putting them in your planner/journal. This is part of my ‘intake process’ when I bring new stamps into my office.
Pro tip: if you’re open to an imperfect sample, swatch the entire acetate sheet in one go. Prime the stamps, ink every stamp in the set (bring ink pad to the stamp), and lay the entire sheet down at one time. This saves me a lot of time and the impression is good enough for me to know what the stamp set consists of.
Practice. With any new skill or hobby, practice, practice, practice! Consider using one of your Archer & Olive notebooks as a ‘research and development’ book for creative play, using it as indulgent scrap paper to test your hand pressure, how inks and pens work together, and put your brain-child ideas on paper!
My Top Tips For Stamping Like a Pro
I’ve only been stamping for a couple of years, but I like to think the techniques I’ve learned along the way make me seem like a seasoned professional! Here are the things I do to level-up my stamping game.
Don’t rock the block! Apply even, straight pressure. If you’re able to stand up over your page, do that! When you rock it from side-to-side, you get a doubling-up of the image on the sides. Along the same line, make sure you have a stable surface! Uneven surfaces make for uneven or partial impressions. Use a pencil board under your page if the previous or upcoming page has texture, and put a book underneath the side of the journal/notebook that isn’t balanced.
Right-fit Your Stamps to the acrylic block you’re using. If you’re using a large stamp, use a large block that’s big enough to fit it. If you’re using a small stamp, use as small of a block that can accommodate it. This is why A&O sells acrylic blocks in a set of 3 - different sizes to accommodate your different sized stamps.
If your block is too small, you'll have an uneven surface with uneven pressure. If it's too large, your accuracy on placement may be off. In the image above you can see an example of the right fit and the wrong fit. The books are a right-fit on that medium block. The star-rating stamp is on a block far too big for it, and needs to be moved to the smallest acrylic block in the set.
Ah, my favorite technique...the painter's tape method! I'm not sure if that's an official name for this technique, but that's what I call it! Use washi tape or sticky notes to block off areas where you don’t want a stamping impression. In the example above, I wanted half the house to fit within my dedicated space, so I ran tape along the line and stamped as usual. When done, I slowly pulled up the tape to reveal that satisfying crisp edge. This works great when wanting to keep your impression inside boxes you've made in weekly planner spreads.
In the example below you can see how sticky notes are the perfect painters tape for 90 degree angles and keeping impressions outside boxes. By covering up the inside of the box with a sticky note and stamping on top of it, we've created the illusion that the books are outside or behind the box. If it's helpful to see this technique in action, head to the blog's corresponding YouTube video linked below where you can see it in real time.
Maximize your collection with Second-Generation Stamping and Calliographs
If you want a lighter shade from your ink pad, ink up your stamp and lay an impression on a piece of scratch paper before stamping onto your page. Second-generation refers to that second impression made from your stamp without re-inking. This gives a nice faded or vintage look.
If you're just starting out and don't have a variety of ink pads to choose from, shop your Calliograph stash! Simply brush the pen across your stamp being sure to cover every surface. You may not be able to see it well, but it's there! Water-based pens work just fine on stamps and are a great way to instantly grow your color collection.
The photo above shows a few different techniques:
- Impression #1 shows us a 'first generation stamp', that was masked off with a sticky note to make the image appear behind the edge.
- Impression #2 is a 'second generation stamp', giving us a more vintage look due to the faded color of the black on its second use.
- Impression #3 is using Calliographs to paint color onto the stamp. You can make it monochromatic or you can create rainbow and ombre images by using a variety of pen colors. Yes all the ink pads AND water-based pens you have make up your color collection!
Scared to Stamp Directly in Your Notebook?
Stamp on collage or sticker paper instead, then fussy-cut or rip out the image and move it around the page until you find the perfect spot. You can see I've done this in the daily page below with the number 8 and I love the layered look it gives!
Stamping on collage paper or sticker paper not only gives you flexibility on placement, but more importantly it may give you the courage to start stamping in your projects.
My biggest cheat with mistakes is filling in mis-stamps with pen. If you make an imperfect impression on the page, use a pen in a similar ink color to color in the missing component of the image or to sharpen edges.
This blog has just scratched the surface of all the things we can do with stamps, but I hope it's been enough to peak your curiosity and give you the inspiration and courage to start stamping in your notebooks today!
Watch this on YouTube
If you'd like to hang out with me in real-time over on YouTube, head over to the Archer & Olive channel now where you can see my walk through of stamping basics!
Printable
Just want the cliff notes? Below you'll find a postcard tip-in of my stamping highlights, which you can print and paste into your swatchbook!
We would love to see how you use Archer & Olive stamps in your projects, be sure to share your pages on social media by tagging myself and Archer & Olive with your project using: @archerandolive @thejoyfulsojourn @archerandolive.community #AOShare #archerandolive
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