| This page is under construction --- Was this page helpful? Still need more info? Ask Kimberly to add more to this page or show me the awesome stuff you made using my instructions to my email: EnchantedGallery@gmail.com If you'd like to use my instructions or pictures on your website, please link back to this web page. Thank you :) Store Index: pg.1: Rubber Stamps, pg.2: Mold Making Compound, pg.3 Face & Button Molds, pg.4: Nature Spirit Molds, pg.5: Goddess & Mythology Molds, pg.6: Fairy, Angel & Mermaid Molds Gallery & Information Index: pg.1: Customer Art Gallery, Mold Info & Instructions, pg.2: Kimberly Crick's Art Gallery, pg.3: Artist Biography & F.A.Q., pg.4: Shipping & Store Policy Rubber Stamping Tutorials: pg.1: Rubber Stamped Domino Jewelry, Pg.2: Paper Art Dolls with a Template, Pg.3: Finding Stuff to Stamp On!, Pg.4: Rubber stamp positioning with die cutting using Nestabilities and Cuttlebug. Pg.5: The endless possibilites of Embossing Powders & UTEE. Pg.6: Coloring Mediums (Inks, markers & more!) I am an "Angel Company." What's that? / rules. You may sell handmade artwork using my flexible push molds or rubber stamps. You may not use my products to make new molds from the cast / impression or create machine reproduced images. Comments or Product Questions? Check Q&A before you Email: EnchantedGallery@gmail.com |
| Welcome to Kimberly Crick's tutorial on Embossing Powders & UTEE! Before we start you should know the differences in embossing powders. "Fine" detail powders are best for that common technique of sprinkling the powder over an inked stamp image, then heating with a heat gun until it melts. Regular to thick embossing powders can be used for bold stamp images where detail is not a concern. UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) by Ranger / Suze Weinberg is a large particle embossing powder that can be used to cover entire surfaces, or poured from the melting pot (a heat pot available at most Michaels craft stores) for making jewelry / embellishments from flexible molds or by pouring the melted powder onto a heat resistant non-stick craft sheet. Another difference between embossing powders is their "Translucent" or "Opaque" qualities. If you get a clear or "translucent" colored embossing powder you will be able to see the ink you applied underneath it. For example, you could use clear embossing powder to give your surface a shiny hard coat. If you choose an opaque color this will replace your stamp lines, or completely conceal your surface. That creates really nice faux metal effects when using an opaque color such as Gold. By far the most common method of using embossing powders is to coat a rubber stamped image on paper to create a raised effect. I'll cover that briefly just in case someone out there hasn't seen embossing in action, but the potential uses are endless!!! |
| Embossing a rubber stamped image: 1) Use a slow drying embossing ink or pigment ink to apply your stamped image to paper. Working over a non-stick craft sheet, embossing powder collector bin or at least a large sheet of scrap paper will make clean up much easier. 2) Select your chosen embossing powder, and dump enough powder out of the jar to generously cover your stamped image. The powder will cling to your damp ink. Lift your stamped paper up vertically, tap it gently a couple times to make the powder fall onto your work surface below. Return that excess powder to it's jar. 3) Turn on your heat gun (similar to a hair dryer with less wind and more heat) and hold it high above your image at a slight angle. This may take some practice because you want the powder to start to melt before getting blown around by the air coming from your gun. As the powder melts in one area, continue to move your heat gun to melt the remaining powder. (This doesn't take long, somewhere around 30 seconds usually.) That's it! Once its melted it should be cool to the touch within minutes. In addition to simply making a raised or metallic effect here, you are also preserving your inked lines. You can now color with watercolors, markers or any media of your choice without worrying about smearing the stamped image. The raised image also helps give a border-bumper to help contain messy coloring! |
| Images coming soon! |
| Using alcohol inks you can make your own colors of embossing powder to match your project. It's cheaper to buy larger containers of clear or white embossing powders rather than collecting smaller jars of pre-made colors. Especially if you already own alcohol inks for coloring your stamping projects (they make awesome effects on domino pendants!) Check your local rubber stamping / scrapbooking store for powders, if you don't have access to one - try online. Michaels has affordable larger bottles of UTEE if you don't need detail powders. If you're not using a Melting Pot, your embossing powders may last you a long time. In the case of occasional stamp-line embossing, a couple small jars may suit your needs if you can't find the large size containers. |
| Here I used Adirondack Alcohol Inks (red pepper & lettuce), a couple tiny spoon scoops from my 1/2 lb. container of Stamp-n Stuff clear embossing powder and gold Pearl-Ex metallic powder. The purple spoon/tweezers come with a spatula in a melting pot tool kit (by Ranger Ink/SuzeWeinberg, usually found by the melt art pot at Michaels.) You can find small clear jars at most craft stores, these ones were meant for brad/eyelet storage from JoAnn. Since I used transparent powder, these colors will give a clear color effect (like Jello or colored resin.) Use opaque white powder if you do not want it to be see-through when melted. How to make your own embossing powders in any color you want: 1) Using a tiny spoon, scoop the embossing powder from your large container into the small ones. Do not fill it to the top! A little over halfway full is best so that you don't make a mess when you stir in the color! 2) Add a few drops of alcohol ink into your tiny jar of embossing powder. The wet ink will make the powder clump, using something like tweezers will be good for stirring as you break up the clumps. Add more ink until you reach the color you want. After you've thoroughly stirred the color in and the particles look evenly coated, just put on the jar cap and give it a good shake. It shouldn't take long for the ink to completely dry. If you don't need to use it immediately, it will be fine if you just leave the cap on and set it aside for a couple hours/day. If you want it to dry faster and return to it's non-clumpy fine powdery state, just keep stirring for a while and keep the cap off the jar. 3) Optionally, if you'd like metallic flecks you can buy a single jar of gold or silver embossing powder and add a pinch to your mixes. If you want a pearly metallic all-over effect, you can add a pinch of metallic powders (like Pearl-Ex or Perfect Pearls.) Add a small amount at a time because the metallic powders will alter the color you've created. Keep in mind you can also mix more than one color of alcohol ink into your powders to make a new shade. |
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