Help! I need tips on colored sooting technique.

[uniquegal]

Hi folks! My creativity fizzled yesterday while trying the colored sooting technique. Does anyone have any tricks for perfecting this? I'm thinking that it's probably one of those things that you just need to practice, practice, practice to get right. I just need enough practice so that I don't put holes in my glossy cardstock or burn my house down. Any tips regarding this technique would be great. Have folks used a special brand of glossy cardstock?
I love the look of this technique and won't give up until I get it right.

Happy stamping!
Dawn

[purpleflowers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uniquegal

Hi folks! My creativity fizzled yesterday while trying the colored sooting technique. Does anyone have any tricks for perfecting this? I'm thinking that it's probably one of those things that you just need to practice, practice, practice to get right. I just need enough practice so that I don't put holes in my glossy cardstock or burn my house down. Any tips regarding this technique would be great. Have folks used a special brand of glossy cardstock?
I love the look of this technique and won't give up until I get it right.

Happy stamping!
Dawn

My demo just did this at a techniques class last night! We were all using SU glossy cardstock. You're probably right about the practice though too.

First we brayered the card stock with ink from an SU classic ink pad and let it air dry. We found that once you had the soot on the card stock you had to press hard on the stamp and lift up carefully. Afterwards we sealed the image with something (not sure what it was but it was smelly and took several minutes to dry).

Details
We did two pieces: a larger piece and a smaller piece. I found it easier to do the smaller piece but my hands are small and I couldn't really hold the big piece well. The people whose images came out the best had a medium amount of soot - not so little that the image didn't show up, but not completely blackened either. You have to keep it moving so that the edges don't burn but if you move it too fast, you don't get enough/any soot on the cardstock.

[uniquegal]

Thanks for the tips. I practiced more today and got the hang of it more. I also found that you need a higher flame. As the candle burns down it is tougher to soot properly. Also, my "cheap" candles worked better than my more expensive scented ones (got a better flame). So, I think I'll hit those dollar stores for my candles.
I will ask my friend who organizes my monthly SU club about the glossy cardstock. I didn't see it in my catty but probably overlooked it.
Perserverence is the key with this one . I will get better the more I practice.

Thanks again,
Dawn