Stretching Your stamps - Mirror Stamping

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Before a new week of new crafty projects, I thought I'd share with you a technique that you could try out today or during the new week. 

I would like to share a Mirror Stamping technique that have been working for me pretty well. I like to find more ways to get more used out of my stamps and this is one of the way. You don't need new products for this, you'll probably have it in your stash :) 

Part 1 : Creating the Background. 

I've stamped and heat embossed the new background stamp, Wild Waters on to my watercolour paper.

Next, I used the blue painter's tape to masked off a narrow clean border. I took Peeled Paint & Broken China Distress Ink to colour in my "sea". 

P.S : I would like to hear what's your favourite Distress Ink combination for making a sea scene! I would like to try out new combinations :) 

I took a clean wet brush and brush through the colours so that both colours would mix with each other more and removing harsh lines.

I added more colours to make it more vibrant. I used a slightly wet tissue to wipe off the colours that were sitting on my stamped image. The stamped image is not perfectly stamped on purposed :) I wanted to create a rough background. 

Part 2 : Mirror Image Stamping.

First, you have, of course, choose the stamp image that you want to "mirror" then choose another (any) stamp that is bigger than your choice of image. I used this flower image. I stuck my flower image to my block but the other way. Meaning, the flat side (the non-stamping) will be facing up. You can see it in the image below.

I inked up the image using my favourite black ink Memento Tuxedo. I stamped the image on to the flat side of the flower stamp. You have to take note that it will feel "slippery" so do not press too hard. 

I, then, stamped it on a paper. I try to do it as soon as possible in case the ink dries. You can clean it with your wet towel and this has never damaged my stamp and the most of the ink usually transfer to the paper :) 

Lift it and taaadaaaa :) Don't be sad if it's not a perfect image. You can take a fine black pen and go over it after you're down colouring.

This is how it looks after I've coloured and traced some parts over with my black pen. The bottom one is the mirrored image.

For give the creature some life, I've added a water of this Winsor & Newton Iridescent Medium. If you don't know, this is my alternative to Wink of Stella. It cost me almost the same price as one pen of Wink of Stella and it's in a bigger bottle. You can see how shimmery it looks in the picture at the start of the this post. You can control as much or as little shimmer you would like.

If it's your first time, try it with a smaller image on a piece of typing paper. You'll be addicted to do this when you get the hang on this :) Don't forget to not press to hard when stamping your image on the back of another stamp :) 

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Thanks for stopping by,

Marina