If you are reading this magazine, you are an artist whose computer is a big part of your studio life. There has never been a more fantastic learning tool or easy source of information and community in the arts. But your computer is more than that. It can stand among your paintbrushes, rubber stamps, and drawing tools as a valuable and treasured art-making tool as well.
Leslie Parsons is a nationally known pioneer in the use of the computer in rubber stamping arts. We are very pleased to have her as a contributing author this issue.
Well, the most obvious solution is to put the image on a black and white copy machine and just enlarge it. But there is a problem with this. The toner in the copy machine is probably water soluble. Which means that if you try to attach your image with most any water soluble adhesive, including acrylic mediums, it will make the image run or at the least, smear. Argh.
There are other alternatives. They involve your trusty computer.
First, you must check the policy of the stamp maker. Some stamp makers do not allow electronic copying or manipulation of their images. Some do. Jessica, at Cre8it, has an Angel 100 Policy which let’s you reproduce, by any means, even electronic, up to 100 images of art that contains her images - and to size the image electronically to your heart’s content. I liked this policy so much, that I adopted it, and you will find it on my site also. If the maker of the image allows electronic reproduction, you’re home free - all set to use your computer in your stamping.
Now, what about equipment and software to do the deed?
You must have a software package such as Adobe Photoshop® or Adobe Photoshop Elements®. Photoshop Elements is just a lite version of Photoshop for a whole bunch less money (available at Walmart even). And it will do, no doubt, most anything you could want to do for stamping and creating. There are other photo packages on the market, but these are the two I am familiar with. If you have ever thought of doing art on your computer, I strongly recommend you get Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
As for hardware, you will need a scanner and a printer. (Art in, art out). I have no scanner preference, but there is a printer that works best. It is the Epson C82 (current model C84) available for under $100. I recommend this printer because it is the only one, to my knowledge, in the home printer size and price range that uses non-water soluble ink. And guess what the joy of that is? It won’t run or smear when you use water soluble mediums to attach it to your work. Hurrah! Think “collage”!
