ACOT Message Board

to stamping? Seriously I SUCK at it!!! I told myself to not buy any more stamps yet I just bought some Queen and Co snow ones and I tried to use them and it looks awful!HOW for the love of Pete, do you get it too look good???

Ink it up really good, then place it flat down (don't roll it), and press down without moving the stamp, then pick it straight back up.  At least this is what I try to do, the more successful I am at actually doing it, the better my image looks, but it is not easy.  I either smudge the lines or don't get a dark enough image down.

Smudge...that is exactly what happens when I try to ink it up really good. Seriously....I am stamp impaired BIG TIME!!!

ok, if your ink pad is juicy, than ink it up, than stamp it off 1 time on scrap paper. The 2nd time you stamp it, all the extra ink will be off. Try it on scrap first to make sure you like how it stamps off the 2nd time. And yes, do not roll the stamp.

If the ink pad is juicy, I just lightly stamp into it, and then I find if I have a flat surface and stamp quickly.  Quickly, but not lightly...if that makes sense.. practise, practise!!!!

ditto all of the above!  Just keep practicing, you'l get it eventually.

I was so frustrated with stamping when I started. I took a break and now love it. I always make sure I place it on the desk and press hard without rocking the stamp.

you get a crisper image if you stamp onto something hard...i bought a 12x12 ceramic tile that is flat that i use to stamp on.press firmly down and do not rock back and forth or it will smudgestamp straight up and down and lift off in same way.it's really easy once you get the hang of it

When you get it figured out Sus, you can show me! I'm more of a see it to learn it kinda girl, and I had NOTHING BUT TROUBLE with the stamps I was using tonight!

I suck at stamping too!  I can never get them to look good.Laura

I suck, too.  I think I am too much of a perfectionist.  I want it to look exactly like the image on the acrylic sheet.  Sadly...it never does.

I'm not particularly good at it either, but I find that if I ink it up, then do at least one trial run on a scratch paper to find out how thick the ink is first that helps, because sometimes they need to be blotted, sometimes not, sometimes they weren't evenly inked to begin with, yadda yadda yadda.  Also, I used to think it was important to lay the stamp on and press and push to make sure the image came out right, but that always caused smudging, so now I just make sure in the practice run that the stamp is evenly inked, and then I do a quick but firm stamp on my paper.  Don't know if I'm making sense, but those are things that have improved (NOT perfected, lol!) my stamping as is

I offered to teach a class on this......

Sus - I can't imagine that it looks awful! LOLI used to have issues with my acrylic stamps when I was using the colorbox cat's eyes. The ink was going on spotty. Since I've been using the stazon inks, I've gotten a solid image and I've been a stamping fool! I've heard some people mention that it really doesn't matter what type of ink you use, but in my case the change has made all of the difference. Plus Stazon has so many great colors out now! You can use it on transparencies, acrylics and so many other things too.Sometimes the acrylic stamps tend to have an uneven surface. I've had to take a very light sandpaper and go over the edges to flatten out the image. Just a little bit of sanding with allow the ink to adhere a bit better.   

Every time I use a stamp for the first time at one setting, I always stamp a scrap piece of paper and then re-ink and stamp on what I want to stamp on.  I think my images look better when I do that, mainly because it gives me an idea of how much pressure I need to make a good impression.  Also, I LOVE Tsukineko's Versacolor pigment ink little cubes.  The pigment inks take longer to dry (that's why they are great for embossing), but I like the look better than the other kind - now I can't think of the name.  I almost always turn the stamp over and ink the stamp with the cube versus inking the stamp by pressing it on the pad (does that make sense?).  I get less ink on the edges, etc. And ditto what everyone else says about not rocking the stamp but lifting it straight up. Just practice.  I find that my stamping isn't as good when I haven't done it in a while - it always takes more "practice" stamps to get it to look how I want.Diane, thanks for the tip about lightly sanding the acrylic stamps!

Furby, they should have listened and let you teach the class.  I've seen your work and it's great!  

I gave up too when I had the smudges all around.  Maybe I'll try againThanks for the tips.

I'm not too good at it either, but I absolutely LOVE clear stamps and have amassed so many I can't give up at this point. I think I tend to be better at stamping images than alphas, and I don't know why that is. Also, last week I stamped on plastic/acryllic with Staz On and the letters turned out so nice...I just wonder if it's the ink I was using in the past (I used/use Colorbox cats eye almost exclusively). I might try switching my ink at this point.

I feel your pain

do you girls have a local TAC, stampin' up, or CTMH representative in your areas? you could always host a stampin party, where you usually learn how to do a few things, get to try new products and have fun and earn free stamps from any sales that you have.Otherwise if you have a Michaels or LSS in your area they are usually more than willing to teach you some good techniques..because after all if they turn you into an awesome stamper you will become addicted and buy more lol