digital stamps 101 ... featuring graciellie designs ‘beautiful day’

Wouldn’t it be awesome to resize your images and consider different design options before you commit to paper? Does the thought of working with technology intimidate you? It did me and then I jumped in! I certainly do not profess to know a lot about working with digital images but since becoming a design team member for Graciellie Design, I have learned some basics.

Here is a STEP by STEP outline of how I created

the digital layout for this card.

After downloading the digital stamp set, ‘Beautiful Day’, I opened Microsoft Word (Word). On the top menu bar select View and click on Formatting Palette from the drop down menu (if it did not open automatically!). Open the Object Palette (top of formatting palette, second from the left!) and click on the rectangle. Click in Word and you can size the rectangle. It will be blue ... I will change that later! I began by sizing it to about 4 by 5 inches so I would know roughly how I wanted to size and position the images.

I then chose the poppy bloom, stem and leaf from the digital stamp set. I copied and pasted them one at a time on to the Word page (The rectangle may block out the images so just move it around!). As I pasted each image, I made them smaller by clicking on one of the corner 'squares' that appear around the image and moving it toward the middle of the selection box. With one image selected, I returned to the Formatting Palette. The Object Palette is open, so click on the Formatting Palette (icon with a page and an A!). Find Wrapping and expand it. Now select Style. Choose Through. This selection will allow the image to move where you want it to. Repeat for each image.

Layout your design. Expand Size, Rotation and Ordering on the Formatting Palette. I clicked on the stem and selected Behind Text so the the bloom would lay on top of the upper portion of the stem. I also selected all 3 images (shift click click click! ... I work on a Mac) and clicked on Grouping. Select Group from the drop down menu. Your flower parts are now one image to move around the page with ease. Don’t worry, you can Ungroup in the same drop down menu if you want to make a change!

Next I clicked on the rectangle and, under Size, Rotation and Ordering, expanded Arrange. Select Behind Text. Your poppy will now sit on top of the rectangle.

Now to deal with the background colour ... or not, if you like the blue! Click on the rectangle. Expand Colors, Weights and Fills. Change the colour for BOTH Fill and Line. I chose black.

Arrange as you like and resize the images until they look pleasing to you .... PRINT! That was only 6 steps! Easy Peasy! The more you do it, the easier it gets! (I printed my image on Daler Rowney 90 lb. Watercolour Aquarelle.)

What I used .... a Mac computer, Microsoft Word, and a printer. I invested in a mobile printer, Epson Workforce 100. It is so compact ... perfect for my craftroom! I use it as a single feed and it handles 80lb Neenah Solar White cardstock and lightweight watercolour paper perfectly. Although it is an inkjet, it uses pigment ink and is fade and water resistant. Big bonus!

READY TO PAINT? Click here for a VIDEO TUTORIAL.

Products used in the video:

Graciellie Design, Beautiful Day www.gracielliedesign.com

Daler Rowney Watercolour Aquarelle 90lb

Kazan Gold Series watercolour brushes - Sizes 0 and 8

Inkjet Translucent Vellum

Altenew Watercolors - Cosmic Berry, Rubellite, Emerald

Distress Spray Stain - Tarnished Brass

Uni-ball Pen

Hero Arts Ombre Blush Sequins

Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew

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