At this juncture we are in 2009 with the credit crunch, which is a dismal outlook worldwide. Therefore any small thing that we can organize to jazz up our lives in the existing state of affairs can only be a good thing. As an artist I can lose myself by doing abstract paintings where I can put across my emotions, or head on out to do some landscape painting to keep my feet safely on the ground and include a trace of realism.

However, not every person desires to paint, they require further forms of outlet, whether it is for them otherwise to merely keep their children amused. As it happens, currently rubber stamping seems to be in vogue, hence my article!

There appear to be various forms of ink pads available to carry out rubber stamp with, so how do you identify which ones to go for? As a result, let me present the mixed types to you.

Pads which comprise a pigment source are most likely the most worthy of note in several ways, because there seems to be extra colours offered, plus metallics plus some fluorescents. These pads make a really pleasing stamped look.

You are most likely to notice that you can now and then attain pads which in reality include multi colours. Though, I would say don’t bother to try these with a shiny surface. These are brilliant for use on most papers, the only downside being that they will need rather some time to become dry.

Then you have what is known as dye based pads, which are in actual fact, used a lot for both cards and papers. These appear in very vivid translucent colours. They are fast drying, on the contrary I would not endorse them if you aim to emboss.

Embossing I will go into further in an additional article, nevertheless they are pads notably planned for this reason. In the main, the colouring comes out rather light and transparent. Embossing pads have to be used with embossing powders.

Do not expect to see the colour once you have embossed. These too, are slow drying. They are sometimes available in a pen format appropriate for, would you consider it, calligraphy.

The ink inside the fabric pads will become permanent once it is fixed. Set aside your work to become dry for a day, after that, somewhat like silk painting, draw on an iron to press your item. The iron needs to be on a hot setting to therefore press your creation on the wrong side.

Acquaintances of mine paint felt tips straight on to their stamp plus occasionally blend these up a little to increase interest. Several stamps, you will acquire, might in fact be larger than the pad. This is not a snag, merely cover the stamp totally by your ink before you stamp.

If you then want to add colour to your images you would really need to consider your surface. However, you can use crayons, oil, glass and fabric paint, so take your pick!

When you store your pads, it is better to set your pads upside down so that the ink will remain at the top. This way they will be ready for next time when you want to use them. It goes without saying, similar to most crafts, that you need to keep them clean.

In this instance you will need a stamp cleaner. If you remember to do this with each usage, they should last you for lots of years to come.