Color Blending with the MISTI

Stamping big block stamps is tricky business. It's just too easy to get an incomplete image...perhaps the center doesn't fully make contact with the paper. Perhaps you got more ink on one side of the image than the other. Whatever happens, large inked areas don't always leave the best impressions.

Hence, the MISTI.

This handy device allows you to re-ink and re-stamp the image until you get it as inked as you need it to be. So when I stamped this leaf in Archival vermilion and got this imperfect image, I wasn't concerned.

But I was hoping for a more orange-red than the vermilion ink gave me, so I wondered if stamping another color over the vermilion would work. I chose Ancient Page henna, and one more impression gave this image.

Better, but still not perfect. So I tried again with the henna.

Still not smooth, but I rather liked the gradient and decided to quit there. After stamping the leaf veins, I masked the leaf, added some splatters courtesy of Papertrey's Grunge Me, and hit a wall. After deciding there was no good place to put a sentiment that wouldn't throw off the balance, I trimmed the panel down to a square panel, mounted it on a 4.25" square card, and declared it finished.

This brilliant red leaf is stunning! The color is incredibly vibrant and rich.

So if you're using a MISTI and decide to change colors, try blending them. Easy peasy!

And once again, I thank my friend Tina S. for giving me the MISTI.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and autumn,
Susan


Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Grunge Me, Hero Arts Color Layering Fall Leaves
ink: Ancient Page henna; Archival saffron, vermilion; Hero Arts cup o' Joe
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: craft foam, glue, MISTI