Hello everyone! I am so happy to be a Guest Tutorial Author, again, on Splitcoaststampers! If you want to head over there and see the “Layering Digital Stamp” tutorial, or upload one of your own card to the technique gallery head HERE. Layering your digital stamps allows you to use one image and fill up an entire card panel to really make the most of individual stamps, especially scene building stamps. If you want another example of how to layer your stamps, watch the video below to see another example of stamp layering, this time using a digital image from Craftin’ Desert Divas, for a completely different look.
ENJOY!!
Starting in Photoshop Elements with a new panel that measured 4.25″ x 5.5″ I brought in and placed the pumpkin PNG from the “Fall Hall” digital stamp set. I sized it down to be a bit smaller and, this time I started in the very bottom center of the panel. I made sure to place the image so it was “hanging off” the bottom of the panel. For this technique, the image has to be in PNG format as the surrounding area must be completely transparent. On the right hand side of my screen in Photoshop Element is the layers panel. After finding my pumpkin image layer and right clicking on it, I clicked “Duplicate Layer”. I moved my second layer away from the first and rotated it a bit so it didn’t look exactly like the first. I kept duplicating layers and repositioning them until I had about half of the panel filled with pumpkins.
A few tips for this technique:
- Make sure to there are layers that are “hanging off” the edges and bottom to make the panel more cohesive.
- Make sure the layers that are further up the panel are behind your layers on the bottom. This gives the appearance the layers further up the panel are behind those layers that you first put down. You can continue playing around with the order of your layers until you’re happy with the way they look.
- It is good to remember when dealing with digital images, nothing is permanent until you print. You can continue to play and move and resize as often as you want! If you don’t like something you changed, there’s a “back” or “undo” button. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
I decided to also add my sentiment in Photoshop Element. Using my type tool, I typed out “thank you” and then added a white outline so it would pop away from the pumpkin pile. I printed my panel with my laser printer (use whatever printer corresponds with your coloring medium of choice) and made sure to print with crop marks.
After trimming out my panel using the crop marks, I colored in my panel using my alcohol markers. While coloring, my sentiment did disappear a bit so I used a black sharpie to really deepen up the color and make it more pronounced and pop a bit better. For the sky I used the chisel tip of a dark blue and kept applying layers of color until there was no streaking. Finally, I adhered the color panel to an A2 white side folding card base.
Make sure to head over to Splitcoaststampers and watch the video tutorial for another example in how to use the layering digital stamps technique. Also, you can find a special gallery to load your own examples into. I can’t wait to see what creative ways others use this technique and really make it their own. Finally, you can find there how to make you digis into PNG images if they aren’t already, so hop on over and check it out!
If you’re interested in any of the supplies I used on today’s card you can find them all linked below! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Crafting!!
Crafting While Caffeinated with Lindsay Adreon 
Love this card! Fabulous coloring!
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Thank You!!!!
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