If you are using white tiles, the first step is to paint them. We used Delta Ceramcoat Terra Cotta craft paint on an absorbant, bisque fired white tile.
You get the smoothest application by patting the color on with a make-up sponge. Go back over any areas that seem lighter with more paint - sort of like applying a second coat without waiting for the first to dry. This allows the wet paint to blend into the surface to create a smooth coverage. If you applied second coat after the first was dry, it would sit on the surface and look fake - like it was painted!
Gather your stamping materials and mount the stamps for the body and head of the figure.Your tile should be dry by now.
If you are using a glazed or non-porous tile, you should use Stazon or some other ink correct for that surface. Although heat-set Brilliance can work on the non-porous surfaces, it can sometimes be scratched off later, and that would not be good. If your tiles won’t be handled, go ahead and use the Brilliance if you prefer.
Stamp the figure body and head.
Design Time stamps are shadow stamps - meaning they have large smooth areas of rubber which don’t easily put down a dense and even layer of ink. (it also means that they can be used as “palette” stamps in DJ’s offest procedures - article to follow). This is a rustic and interesting look that you may prefer, but we wanted a dense black to show off the eventual embossing, so we moved on to the next step.
Using some Brilliance reinker and a fine pointed round brush, you can paint the area of the figures to create a deep, even black.
You will enjoy painting with this ink. It is rich, creamy, and luxurious (here we go appreciating the details again!).
Smooth out any brush strokes or ridges of paint so you have a nice even coat of dense black.
Choose the small Domino Stamp from your set. This will be the perfect size to decorate the body of the figure.
It is important that the stamp be neatly trimmed because we are first going to use the back of the rubber. If you are using a design stamp of your own, it must be approximately 1/2" x 1" and be like the Domino Stamp you see in the picture - i.e. the image area covers the rectangle. If not, cut a rectangle from scrap rubber larger than your design stamp and mount it first.
Mount the Domino stamp upside down on your see-through mount.
Use it this way as a shadow stamp to stamp a rectangle on either side of the figure - as evenly spaced as possible.
Then use the Brilliance reinker and brush to fill in the black to an even density as you did with the figure.
While you’re painting, add some black bangle bracelets to your figure’s arms and legs. These will be embossed later and the embossing will show up better with black ink behind it. (The painted surface of the tile seems to absorb the embossing ink, while the black ink does not.)
Now, your black ink must be heat set. We found that the hotter heat tools did this job very quickly, while our Ranger Heat-It! was very slow. With the hotter tool, you can see the paint go from shiny to matte just like you can watch embossing powder melt. When the ink is all matte, it is dry and heat set so it will resist water.
