Tile Stamping Tutorial
I remember the first time I saw tile stamping I was speechless. The finished product, a set of tile coasters, was stunning to look at but so easy to create. I still enjoy stamping on tiles and teaching people how to recreate their favorite stamped looks on something so functional and useful.
Before you start stamping you will need a few specific tools: tiles, paper towels, ink, pastels or watercolour crayons, stamps, glue, a finishing spray, and "feet" for your coasters. While you can probably stamp on any sort of tile, the type I've had the most luck with are called Bottichino. They are also called "tumbled tiles", though I don't think I've seen that term used in Canada. I found some of these tiles in boxes of nine at our local Home Depot. I've heard they are available from most home inprovement stores. They are relatively inexpensive, which makes them ideal for gift-giving. They can be customized to suit any type of home decor, personal style, or occasion. When picking out your tiles, go through the boxes before you buy them to make sure you have a minimum of deep gashes or gouges. The tiles should be as smooth as possible. If someone who works there asks you what you're doing, tell them you're making sure none of the tiles are broken or gouged- I don't think there's anything wrong with taking home a box of completely useable tiles. Paper towels are needed generally for a very small reason, which is to clean your tiles before you stamp on them. Right out of the box they are covered with a layer of dust, so a damp paper towel drawn across a tile and allowed to dry is your best bet. The type of ink, colouring medium, or stamp you want to use will depend on what technique you choose to use, and that will be discussed further along. Glue is used to adhere the coaster "feet" to the bottom of your tile, and the finishing spray allows your coaster to get a bit wet or damp without ruining the stamped image. I've always used Krylon Crystal Clear.
There are two techniques to tile stamping, and those are defined by the type of stamp you choose to use. The first type is a "line-art" image, where the image is outlined when stamped, with white space to fill in with colour, if you choose to. My lighthouse coasters are the perfect example of this type of stamp.
Sometimes you can combine these two styles when tile stamping, such as my "love" coasters. I used a stamp set, "By Definition", which consisted of row upon row of typed words, along with the stamp set "Roses in Winter", a solid-image rose stamp set. The resulting effect made these coasters my favorites.
When line-art tile stamping, start with a clean tile. Dampen a piece of paper towel with water and swipe it across your tile, and allow it to dry. This removes most of the dust accumulated in the box. The next thing you do is pull out a StazOn ink pad, by Tsukineko. I prefer Jet Black for my projects. These tend to dry out quickly, so before stamping on your tile make sure the pad is well-inked. Load up your stamp with ink, and firmly press down on your tile, taking care not to rock or slide the stamp. Remove your stamp by pulling it straight up off the tile. Hopefully you've stamped exactly where you want to and that your stamped image is perfect, because once you stamp with StazOn, it's forever. If it isn't perfect, chalk it up to experience and try again. Continue stamping on your tiles until you've stamped on as many as you want to. When you are done, pull out your StazOn cleaner and clean your stamps right away. You then decide what colour medium to use. It's best to stay with pigments, as they offer the best long-term colour fastness out there. Classic dye inks and markers are water based, and will definitely change with time. I recommend pastels or watercolour crayons or pencils. Pastels lend a softer look on their own, but combined together with other mediums provide fantastic coverage. Once you decide what you're going to use, go ahead and use it...don't be afraid, add colour to your artwork, a little at a time. Remember, you can always add more colour but it's less certain that you can take some off.
The second main technique of tile stamping uses just solid image stamps, such as my "flower" coaster. This type of coaster is quicker and easier to make, however you need a specific type of stamp and ink to make this work. Start with a pigment based ink. I used both Pretty in Pink as well as Ruby Red Stampin' Craft pads from Stampin' Up!. The stamp set is called Garden Silhouette. Any solid-image stamp will work, provided it has a "chunkier" detail. Very fine images may not transfer well to this technique. After your tile has been cleaned and dried, ink up your stamp with the lightest colour- remember not to rock! Press firmly and steadily on the coaster and lift straight up. If you are using two different colours, as I have done, heat set it with a heat gun, and clean your stamp. Next, line up the flowers to be just offset the original stamped image, and stamp again, this time in Ruby Red. The resulting image looks lovely.
When you're happy with your coloured or stamped tile coaster, preheat your oven to 225 *F and pop them in there for half an hour. This process of baking "sets" the colours into the tile. The final step with this technique of tile stamping is to add your "feet" and apply the finishing spray. This is best done the next day, or several hours after baking. The tiles must be completely cooled for this stage. You also add several (four or five) layers of sealant spray, with about a ten-minute wait in between layers, so you'll want to leave yourself plenty of time for the spraying and drying process. I do mine in the garage rather than in the house- there is lead in Krylon- so you want ventilation- but you don't want wind blowing sand or dust across your artwork. The "feet" can be anything from full cork coasters to furniture pads used to prevent furniture from marking the floor. I use a full cork coaster which can be purchased in 12/package from Ikea. They can be adhered with glue *after* baking, when cool. I use Crystal Effects to attach my feet to the coaster and I haven't had it come off yet. Have fun, experiment, and enjoy your crafting!
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