Design Time Saturday - Creating Depth with Intensity

Today I wanted to talk about how to create depth using your stamps and ink. 

Creating depth on your stamped projects can be achieved with varying degrees by simply playing with color saturation or intensity.  When you vary the intensity of your ink colors you can make the same object become near using a darker tone or further away by decreasing this tone.

Below are two examples of depth created by the intensity of an ink. 

In this first example the vines were stamped multiple times without re-inking the image.  The lighter colored vines while they are the same size look as if they are set further back into the scene than the darker colored vines.  This creates the feeling that there is a lush layer of flowering vines surrounding the main image.  Popping the sentiment off the card actually enhances that effect.

The second example is a winter scene where the background appears flat and distant because the images were all stamped with the same color and intensity of black ink.  Instead we are actually bringing several elements into the foreground (ribbon, icicles, lady) by using either placement or popping them right off the page physically. 

And the final stamped card appears to be completely flat despite the color variations of each square.  This static effect is achieved because the images (lines, witch, sentiments) were are all stamped using the same color and intensity of ink rendering a uniform, even feel. 

So the next time you reach for your ink pad...think about what type of depth you want to depict in your finished scene. 

Remember, sometimes less (ink) is actually more (depth).