Creating pattern with repeat stamping
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These two tags are inspired by Indian wooden block printed fabric which is built up by repeat stamping motifs that tessellate and interlock perfectly. Skilled craftsmen can decorate huge bolts of fabric very quickly, but if you struggle with repeat stamping, I have some tips to help you get the hang of it. It's a great way of making your own patterned backgrounds.
I've chosen a spicy saffron colour palette with accents of vermillion and green.
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Find the softest pencil you can and draw a faint horizontal line at the bottom of your tag. A ruler with gridlines will give you more accuracy.
Before stamping, find the centre point and place your stamp on it. You can then choose to make some marks to help space out the stamp across the width of the tag.
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Place your stamp on a block and take some time to line it up carefully so that it is straight in relation to the edges of the block.
That way, you don't judge the straightness of a cling stamp by the shape you are seeing through the block. Keep the edges of the block parallel to the edge of your tag, even if you think the rubber looks wonky.
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 Begin stamping in the middle, then use your guides to help you line up the stamping on either side. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if you want more accuracy, practise a few times on scrap paper and you will soon get the hang of it.
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Build up your second row by stamping in between the stamps on your first row.
Offset stamping is more forgiving than trying to stamp identical rows, so look for stamps that have an overall shape that will 'interlock', such as diamond or leaf shaped.
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Continue to build up rows, using pencil guides if you need them. Every time you stamp a row with a central image, use a ruler to mark your central point and start there.
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Introduce a strip of masking tape if you want to bring your pattern back to a straight line. This allows you to introduce a linear stamp or create a fresh starting point for stamping a new pattern.
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 Stamp right up to and over the masking tape and when you remove it, you have a fresh straight line starting point. The masking tape idea is particularly useful if you want to switch to a new stamp that doesn't fit in between the gaps on previous rows. It allows you to play with scale and keep the pattern interesting.
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Continue to build your pattern with rows of stamping. Check your horizontal lines are straight as you go so you don't stand back at the end and realise you started to drift half way through (been there)! Once the ink is thoroughly dry, use a good quality eraser to remove all your pencil lines. TIP: If your eraser is dirty, rub it onto a sanding block until it comes clean.
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If you have used waterproof inks (such as Archival or Memento), you can blend ink over the surface to create some background colour. If you add ink to a surface stamped with a non-waterproof ink (eg Adirondack Dye or Distress) it can make the stamping smudge. |
Once I had finished my background, the rest of the tag came together quickly.
I stamped the tree from the Indian Elephant stamp set and embossed it in gold. It was then die cut using a scalloped oval and I added colour to the background with the Saffron and Vermillion Archival inkpads.
I used water based markers (Memento) to add colour to the image and layered it onto a dark green plain oval die cut. I stuck it on to the tag with foam pads and finished it off with some pearls and a gold ribbon.
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For my new 2014 artwork, I decided to work diagonally rather than horizontally.
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 Instead of horizontal stamping, I chose to do diagonal repeat stamping this time.
I had some thin masking tape, so placed a strip of that diagonally corner to corner on my card.
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I used a ruler as a guide to placing more strips of tape across the whole card.
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I chose a stamp that would fit in the exposed stripes and made sure the block remained straight as I stamped down each diagonal strip.
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I took inspiration from the colours featured in the original tag and wanted to create a look reminiscent of heavy brocade fabrics. The repeat stamping on the gold card uses a pair of small stamps from Brocade Backgrounds and the honeysuckle panel is from Elegant Edges. The lady is from Chapel Road Artstamps. 
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 I originally ran this series in 2013 and this time round, I have used my own tutorial to inspire me to create a new piece of artwork to share with you. I love to create and I am also passionate about inspiring and enabling others to create too. I hope that this email gets your mojo working and you feel motivated to get into your crafty space and have a go.  PS - if your creation features Chocolate Baroque stamps, then why not share on our Facebook Group or our wonderful private forum. In both places you will find a wonderful community of like minded Chocolate Baroque fans. |
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