TIPsy Tuesday - Digi Stamps with Waterbased Markers

Digital stamps are downloadable images purchased typically one image at a time or sometimes in sets.  They offer flexibility in that you can alter the size of the image.  They are usually less expensive than traditional stamps.

There is one drawback that I had to overcome before I could use this latest way of stamping.  When I downloaded a free image and printed it on my Epson inkjet printer, the black printer ink would run when I colored in the image. (I tried heat setting and giving it some drying time but that didn't work.) I only have water based markers - specifically Stampin' Up!  Copic markers are very expensive and I just didn't feel I would do enough coloring to get into collecting them.  Still I wanted to have a larger selection of images I could color.

Here is the solution I found:

I purchased this image from Sweet and Sassy Stamps.  This technique should work with anyone's jpg image.

I then inserted the image into a blank Word Document.  In Word 2010, I clicked on the image once and chose Picture Tools, Format, Color and then the light gray image in Recolor.  This turned the black lines a faint gray.  You could also recolor the image in Photoshop Elements.

After printing the image, I went over all the lines with a permanent black marker.  The smallest tip I had was on a Zig marker which is supposed to be permanent on paper.  I found that the ink needed to dry for an hour or so before coloring the rest of the image.  Sharpie works and can be colored immediately but I didn't have one with a fine enough tip.

If, like me, you only have waterbased markers and want to give this a try, choose digital images with distinct lines and not too much detail for best results.

Ingredients:  Stamp:  Winter Friends by Sweet and Sassy Stamps; Four Holidays by SU! for greeting.
Cardstock:  Soft Suede and Marina Mist
Twine:  Martha Stewart