Hi Jillibean Soup fans, Amy Sheffer joining you here today with a trio of cards that all feature stamping on dark backgrounds. Stamping on dark colors like black, smoky gray, navy blue, deep browns, and rich purples can completely change the look of your stamped images. Dark backgrounds can give your cards a moody, mysterious, or even somber quality, depending on your image and sentiment choices, but don’t be afraid to mix dark backgrounds with florals and spring images, too.
For more stamping and card making ideas, be sure to visit our Stamped Card Ideas Pinterest board. Repin your favorites for when you need that extra little dose of inspiration!
My first card features a mixture of florals stamped on a dark gray background. When stamping on dark colors, you’ll want to use pigment inks or a hybrid ink, such as Distress Oxide. These inks are more paint-like and will show up best on dark colors.
I’ve done most of my stamping in white, pale yellow, green, and turquoise blue. To add some depth, try adding a small amount of stamping in a darker shade of the background color, like I’ve done with the black images on this card. White gel pen accents are great for brightening dark backgrounds, and a little goes a long way. Here I used a white gel pen here to add faux splatter.
Choose Happy Card by Amy Sheffer
Supplies:
Jillibean Soup:
Clear Stamps: You Make Miso Happy, Bowl of Dreams
Shaker Clear Stamps & Dies: All My Happy
Shaker Filler: Wood Veneers
Patterned Paper: Spoonful of Soul
Other: Simon Says Stamp stitched circle and stitched rectangle dies, white gel pen, white embossing powder, Versamark ink, white pigment ink, Distress Oxide inks, Versafine Onyx Black, white, gray, and turquoise card stock.
For this next card, I’ve stamped three butterflies onto the dark gray background. To help the ink stand out against the dark background, I first stamped each butterfly in white pigment ink, then used a stamp positioner to stamp the image a second time in color. If you don’t have a wide range of pigment or hybrid ink colors, this white base layer trick also works with dye inks.
Thanks Card by Amy Sheffer
Supplies:
Jillibean Soup:
Clear Stamps: You Make Miso Happy
Shaker Clear Stamps & Dies: Thankful Butterfly, All My Happy
Other: Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle die, white gel pen, white pigment ink, Distress Oxide inks, Versafine Onyx Black, white, gray, and turquoise card stock.
Rounding out my trio is a stamped diagonal folk art-style pattern. I’ve used the same yellow, green, blue and white inks, once again on a dark gray card stock. The Distress Oxide inks take on a slightly more pale color on the dark gray, compared to how they look on white, so to add depth and create more contrast, I’ve added in black accents, white card stock borders, and some wood veneer stars. Another way to brighten dark background cards is to trim down the main panel and adhere to a bright card stock such as the turquoise I’ve used in this trio.
Keep Smiling Card by Amy Sheffer
Supplies:
Jillibean Soup:
Clear Stamps: You Make Miso Happy
Shaker Clear Stamps & Dies: All My Happy, Thankful Butterfly
Shaker Filler: Wood Veneers
Other: Reverse Confetti scalloped border die, white gel pen, Versamark ink, white pigment ink, Distress Oxide inks, Versafine Onyx Black, white, gray, and turquoise card stock.
