I had never used a rubber stamp in my life until I received a box in the mail of Christmas stamps I had designed for Stampington & Co. That evening I borrowed a watercolor stamp pad from an avid rubber stamping friend and very hesitantly stamped my first image. Since I didn't have any other rubber stamping materials-and had no idea what they were anyway-I got out my almost dried-up watercolor paints from college and started painting. I was hooked! I painted all night long and had a hard time putting down my brush in the morning when my family woke up.

Since that time I have increased my supplies and refined my techniques, but watercolors continue to be my favorite way to decorate rubber stamped images. I guess it's because they are surprisingly fast, easy to use and inexpensive. Although there are as many ways to use watercolor paint as there are artists, I would like to share some tips that work for me.

Paper

Watercolors are transparent so painting on an off white or cream colored cardstock helps you get the color results you're planning on. Darker shades of paper such as oatmeal or kraft can also be used, but keep in mind that darker backgrounds will cause the paint to be darker as well. Watercolor paper is ideal, but I find it an unnecessary expense. After selecting the paper, I always keep a scrap piece nearby to test my paint before painting the actual stamped image.

Stamping the Image

Be sure the stamp pad you use is non-smear ink that is designed for watercolors. These should be available at your rubber stamping store. It is also possible to emboss the image and then paint.

Brush

A quality watercolor brush is a good investment. I use a medium to small soft brush with a pointed tip small enough to paint my smallest areas. Nylon and natural bristles both work well. Two or three sizes can give you more painting options, but are not necessary.

Choosing and mixing colors

Watercolor sets can be purchased at art supply stores if your rubber stamping store does not carry them. Tubes of paint can be purchased individually. I use Grumbacher watercolors, which are safe for scrapbook pages, but there are many brands available.

For continuity, paint with only two or four colors for each stamped project. I prefer to use several of the four popular country colors: barn red, forest green, dark blue, and yellow ochre. Cardstock is available in most of these colors on which to mount your finished painting. Purchase the cardstock ahead of time and keep it nearby as you work to see that your watercolor paints match.

To achieve these colors use yellow ochre, indigo, perylene maroon, thalo green, burnt sienna, and Payne's Gray. Darken the yellow ochre by adding a very small amount of burnt sienna. Darken the other colors by adding a tiny bit of Payne's gray to each.

With your paint brush and a few drops of water, stir the colors, then test on scrap paper. Don't dilute the paint very much in the palette because you may want to use the paint in a more concentrated state. Dilute by wetting your brush, dipping it in the desired color, then testing it on your palette and scrap paper. Mixing colors is best learned by trial and error and getting your own feel for the paint.

Palette

A white plastic palette with wells in which to squeeze paint and larger areas in which to mix and test your paint works well. A white dinner plate or small white containers can also work. When you are finished with your project, cover the palette to keep out dust, and store it flat. It's not necessary to wash out your palette with each use because the dried paint can be reconstituted. I mix up large amounts of my favorite colors and reconstitute them for each project.

Water

Start with very light (watered-down) paint and apply darker (more concentrated) layers as you go. To start with a light layer, make sure you use plenty of water on your brush. The amount of water added to a color can cause it to be a lighter or darker version of that color. The amount of water you use will vary the value of the color and add dimension and variety. Water may cause your paper to buckle. If desired, tape your paper down to a board by running masking tape along the edges. Do not remove tape until paint is completely dry. This is not always necessary when painting small areas.

Tips

Paint in a back-and-forth motion from one end of your image to the other. This helps you avoid unwanted dried edges which can cause streaking. If paint goes on too dark, blot immediately with a paper towel to pick up excess paint. To pick up additional unwanted color, paint with straight water and blot again, being careful not to rub. Don't worry about going out of the lines. This is an elementary school fallacy. Going out of the lines is "in."

Dimension

Shadows and highlights are the key to giving your image dimension. There are two types of shadows: The cast shadow on the grownd around or below the image which is created by your imaginary light source (I will refer to this as shadow). And the shadows along the darkened edges of the image itself (I will refer to this as shading).

As you proceed through the steps below, remember that you can stop after any step and you will have a finished painting. I have added more steps to show you how to give dimension to your image. These are optional.

To add dimension, first choose a direction from which an imaginary light shines on your image. For example, if you choose the position of your eye as the light source, all the outer edges of the image will be shaded. If you choose the upper left as the source of your light, there will be shading and shadows along the lower right edges. There will also be highlights near the upper left edges. With that in mind, you may leave a spot of unpainted paper along the upper left edge to serve as your highlight (see tri-dot heart #1) or you can add a white highlight when finished by using a small stroke of concentrated white watercolor or white gouache (see tri-dot heart step 3). To shade the image, follow steps 1 through 3 of samples below.

A shadow around or below the outer edges provides a ground for the image so that it doesn't appear to float in space. This can be achieved in several ways. Swish a narrow line of Payne's Gray around the outer edges of the image. This softens the edges and visually pops the image off the page. If desired you can also paint a cast shadow along the ground where the image is standing (see Roller Bunny step 4). Another option is to swish a wider gray shadow around the whole image (see Heart Egg step 4).

Techniques

One technique I often use while shading is wet on wet. This is achieved by painting a light layer of color, then while the paint is still wet, adding a more concentrated swish of the same color (or a different color) and allowing the colors to blend together as they dry (see Cottontail step 1).

I use this technique to create shading that does not have a definite edge. A similar look can also be created by painting the darker shade on a dry background, drying your brush with a paper towel, then blending the edge of the wet shadow into the background with your dry brush.

Shading with a definite edge, however, can create a pleasant look as well. Simply paint a line of shading over the dry background and let it dry (see Cottontail step 2).

Add additional depth with any of these techniques by painting a line of Payne's Gray along the edge of the shading, (see Cottontail step 3). Add a cast shadow if desired (see Cottontail step 4). When paint is completely dry, dimen-sion can be enhanced by shading with colored pencils (see Cottontail step 5).

An alternative to adding dimension with paints is to paint only the background colors and then add dimension with colored pencils. Pencil shading can be blended by rubbing with several types of blending stumps available at art supply stores.