💅🏼PICKING UP FINE LINES💖

We get a lot of requests for getting help to pick up fine lines. Most of our layered

stamping plates have fine lines whether they are part of the design or they are the

outline of a design. We understand the frustration with it sometimes but I promise

you that there are troubleshooting ideas that will help solve your problem!!

The number 1 technique to work on is your pressure when rolling the stamper over the image to pick it up. The best way for me to describe the pressure required is to make you think of a feather. The saying "Light as a Feather" applies. If you are using the correct pressure, it should feel like you're not touching the plate. If the shape of your jelly changes when rolling it across the image, that is too much pressure. The key is to "flick" your jelly quickly over the image. If you slowly roll your stamper, it could affect your pick-up. Another thing that could help is to scrape off the stamping polish with one hand and quickly roll your stamper over the image immediately with the other hand.

Another culprit that can affect your pick-up is air flow. Do you have a fan blowing? Do you have a heat/AC vent blowing air close to where you are working? If the window is open, do you have a breeze blowing into the room? Because our images are very fine, ANY air flow at all will dry the stamping polish before you have a chance to pick it up.

What kind of overhead lighting are you using? There are desk lamps that are daylight/LED that do not emit a lot of heat but most desk lamps project heat. This heat will dry your stamping polish in the image quite quickly as well.

We have flat stamping polishes and we have metallic stamping polishes. You can use metallic stamping polishes for fine lines but it can be a little bit more challenging. The metallics can thicken up quicker than the regular polishes over time and this will definitely affect your pick-up. The consistency of your polishes is VERY important. If it gets too thick, it won't work effectively. We have created a Thinner that can be added to the polishes to get them back to their original viscosity. Drop a few drops into the bottle and shake. If it is still too thick, add a few more. It helps to put a mixing marble into the bottle to help make the polish blend quicker.

Another thing to consider is your jelly might need to be replaced in your Clear Jelly Stamper. Over time, your jelly can become cloudy. They do last quite a long time if you take proper care of them but, just like anything, regular wear and tear occurs and they need to be replaced. Nothing picks up images nicer than a brand new jelly!!

Here are a few samples of fine line images:

I sure hope these few tips & tricks will assist you in mastering those fine images!! Please continue to share your creations with us and make sure to tag us in the picture so that we can like and share!! Hope you are all staying healthy and safe. Happy Stamping my Friends!!

Carrie Johnson

Lead Educator CjS