Question about backgrounds

[Seaside Rose]

I bought two of the most adorable stamps today - a puppy and a really nice jack-o-lantern. I stamped them and painted them using watercolor pencils. I want to mat them and use them on cards. What do I do about the background? I stamped them on watercolor paper (white).

Is there a way to add a background now, or should I have done that first before I stamped? Usually when I paint, the background gets washed in first, but since I was stamping I thought about it but then dismissed it.

I really would like to add something around them, some lightly washed color at least.

Any ideas or suggestions would be most welcome!

Thanks much!

[Claire Lawrence]

One thing I've done on watercolor paper for a background is use my aqua painter (or a paint brush) and ink from the cover of a more pale/subtle ink pad to put a subtle watercolor wash on the cardstock. I believe this can be done before or after you stamp the image. Since you'd be brushing on a really light color, it shouldn't affect your main stamped image (for example, on this card, I used Stampin' Up!'s Sahara Sand ink for the backwash). To make it light, I pressed the pad cover into the actual pad to get a little bit of ink in the cover, diluted it a bit with water from the aqua painter until I was happy with how light it was, and then brushed a square background around my image. I am not sure if you still had space around your stamped images to try this but HTH!

[indyemmert]

If you want to add a stamped background, you can mask off your image using a Post-It note. Just stamp your image onto a Post-It note, cut it out and place it over the image before you stamp.

[Seaside Rose]

Thank you both for the ideas and help. When I was experimenting earlier, I actually did mask off my little dog and I used a small part of a large stamp to stamp a background that I haven't yet had a chance to paint. (Took time out to watch the convention with DH and DS.) I had scanned some tutorials earlier and seen that one, and it was easier than I thought!

Yes, Claire, I left quite a margin around each figure as I knew I would be finishing them in different ways. With the puppy, I'm going to try putting a light wash of green on the bottom and blue on the top and hopefully I can do it carefully enough so as not to smear the edges of the painting. (I painted the figures, and therein lies my real problem.) On the one that I masked and stamped, I will just be extra careful painting ;:. But I like your idea of the wash and I am going to try it with the pumpkin.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll let you know when I post the "finished product".

[SusieMuslie68]

Another thing you can try, is using either water colour crayons or the Tombow or Stampin' Write markers in the lightest grey colour to put the lightest of shadow on one side, as if the sun were shining on them & leaving a darker side. You can do this in one of two ways. 1 - colour the marker or crayon directly onto a piece of overhead transparency/acetate & then pick up the colour with the tip of your aqua painter or 2 - pick the colour up directly from the tip of the marker or crayon with the aqua painter & then paint carefully around the edge of your images.

With part 1 & a large flat, wet brush, you can pick up the colour to make a colour wash to do your backgrounds as well. You can mask off the images that you don't want affected by this wash effect & if your brush isn't soaking wet it won't upset the careful colouring that you have already done on your images.

I hope this makes sense. What ever you do let us know how you go.

[Seaside Rose]

Oh, what a great thought - to mask the image before I wash the background. I also love your idea about making the wash on one side a little darker. Going to try that today! Thanks!

[GypsyRoseStamper]

Use your brush to apply water to the area outside your image and be careful to stop at the edge of the image. Have ready a "puddle" of very diluted color from one of your pencils. While the paper is still wet, paint with a broad brush and the stamped image will be unaffected.

Another easy way would be to use a stippling brush to stipple on light color up to the edge of the image. You are "pouncing" it so many times that a stray pounce won't be noticed on your image.

Another way is to use a Versamark pen to coat your image, clear emboss it, then brayer the background with color. Any ink on the embossed image can be wiped away.

[Seaside Rose]

Thanks again so much to everyone for all of the excellent suggestions. I've had good luck with most of the things I've tried -- it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I am intrigued by the idea of embossing over the image. Not only is that inspired, it also adds another dimension to the overall appearance -- going to try that one too!

Thanks again!