How to Stamp & Stencil Designs on Your Candles

This candle making article teaches you techniques for stamping and stenciling designs onto your candles.

Stamping Overo Paint Horse candles

The options available nowadays for using Goya Paintings on candles are almost endless. As you probably know the last few Boat Paint has seen tremendous growth in the popularity of scrapbooking and arts and crafts and with this revival has come a creative wave of new tools for expression.

The typical stamps you might use for your scrapbook can also be used to great effect on your candles, with the added benefit that if you make a mistake applying the stamp to your wax you can simply wipe it off - as long as it hasn't dried yet of course.

So, you probably have a few old stamps lying around, but if not head off down to your local crafts store and choose the patterns that suit the design you have in mind. So, it's always a good idea to practice a couple of time with your stamp on paper before applying it to your candle. This will show you how hard you need to press and whether one edge of the stamp goes on better than the other.

Remember also that a candles surface is usually curved, so you will need to apply the stamp with this mind by rolling the stamp onto the surface.

Here's how it's done...

1. Apply some paint onto your stamp's surface. Remember not to apply too much paint otherwise you might not be able to see the defined lines of your stamp.

2. Stamp your candle - remember as above to get all edges onto the wax surface.

3. Continue stamping around your candle.

4. Remember to allow the paint to dry before lighting your candle.

Now we move onto the area of using stencils on your candles.

Stencils are extremely effective and also very easy to use - you can create wonderful designs which appear to be have been applied by a team of professionals.

Stencils have also become very popular recently and you can generally see examples of this as wall or ceiling decoration in people's homes.

A stencil is simply a cutout shape that allows you to paint or draw inside on your chosen surface.

You can get stencils from most craft stores, but remember to get flexible ones that you can wrap around the surface of your candle (some stencils are ridged and these won't work well on rounded candles).

Also remember that if you are working on small candles you will need to source small stencils and these can be a little harder to find.

You can of course make your own stencils by designing something really special and then cutting it out.

Again...the choices are endless and you're only held back by your own creativity. The paint you will use to fill in the stencil design once traced can be acrylic, as we learnt in the first of your emails, or you can even get hold of stencil paint or spray paint. And don't forget, melted wax can also be used to great to effect to fill in a stencil design.

Here's how it's done...

1. Prepare your stencil design and wrap it tightly around your candle, making sure it's straight and centered.

2. Paint the cutout sections of your stencil - use your brush that you use for painting your candles.

3. Carefully remove the stencil and clean off the paint.

4. Attach your stencil to the next place on your candle. Be careful here not to place the stencil onto wet paint from your previous stenciling.

5. Keep doing the above until you have covered your candle with your design.

6. Now add any fine details into the stenciled areas - sections of color or detail to enhance the design.

7. If your brush slipped or some paint seeped under the stencil, you can remove this by gently scraping it away off the candle wax.

As always when dealing with paint, remember to allow your paint to fully dry before lighting your candle.

So, there you have it.

Now go and practice your skills.

Dolores Attwood, the author of 5 books for candle makers and self-taught candle maker of 20 years can teach you how to make beautiful candles using a simple step-by-step system.
http://www.MakeYourCandles.com

automotive paint (Category: Coins & Paper Money )

Guide to Decorating

Success in decorating depends on four key areas;

Thorough preparation
The correct selection Chalk Board Paint use of decorating supplies
An understanding of the properties of the materials employed
An understanding of the surfaces that require decorating

Painting and Decorating - Key Tips

Complete all preparation before starting the application of paint or paper.
Keep the decorating areas clean and tidy and dust free.
Prepare for spills or mistakes - protect floors and carpets with dust-sheets and have available a cleaning cloth.
Buy the best quality decorating supplies you can afford - this can significantly affect the time and the finished result.
Have the correct decorating tools and decorating equipment and enough materials to complete the work.
Follow the instructions on tins, materials and decorating tools.
Do not rush; give coatings time to dry before re applying.
Wear loose fitting decorators workwear or jeans and cotton shirt and a decorator's cap/hat when necessary.

Paint Brushes - Why Pay More?

As with most products, you get what you pay for; this is certainly the case with paint-brushes.
Quality paint brushes have longer bristles and can hold more paint within their bristle or filaments - this reduces the user time spent reloading the brush.

The handle will be comfortable to hold and work with for long periods of time.

The structure of the paint Sterling Paints is more robust, allowing for longevity. A well maintained paint-brush can last a professional, with daily use, up to 3 years

Paint Brushes - Synthetic Filament or Natural Bristle?

Natural bristle paint brushes are made with animal hair. Pig hair is regarded as best within the industry. Professionals who prefer natural bristle paint brushes like them because; they allow the user to use the brush for different types of work at different stages of the brushes life.
Synthetic filament is nylon, polyester or a combination of both, and can last up to five times longer than natural bristle.

The performance with paints is comparable but requires a slightly different brushing technique.
Ideally, you should use a combination of both depending on the work required.

Paint Brushes - Selecting the correct size of brush

Size is important, larger 3 and 4 inch brushes are ideal for large area coverage, and smaller 2 inch brushes or less are ideal for trim work and cutting in around corners. See also, information on Specialist Use Paint Brushes.

Brushes commonly come with either a Kaiser or Beaver Tail style handle, Kaiser is generally preferred for detail painting and Beaver Tails suits users with larger hands.

Paint Brushes - Specialist Use Paint Brushes

There are many different types of paint brushes - they allow for different applications. The correct selection will improve the final result and can dramatically reduce the time spent decorating.
Sash paint-brushes are long handled and get their name from painting sash windows. However, the larger sizes are perfect for cutting in, whilst the smaller sizes are excellent for detail painting.
Fitch paint-brushes are divided into three areas main areas; Round, Flat and Slant. Their common characteristic is that they all have long artist paint brush handles and are narrow in width. They are widely used in areas that require a high degree of accuracy, such as painting coving or window trims or frames.

Striker paint brushes are sometimes called industrial brushes. These paint-brushes are ideally suited in hard to reach areas where detail is not critical. They are ideal for painting roofs, garden fences and lamp posts.

Varnish, Masonry, Angled brushes have been manufactured for use with a specific application. Varnish for the application of varnishes. Masonry for the painting of rough internal and external abrasive masonry surfaces and Angled paint brushes for hard to reach areas.

Block paint-brushes have a thicker stock which allows these brushes to hold more paint or treatment, and have wide internal and external applications.

Wall paint brushes are popular as a standard paint brush for painting large areas. These brushes can also be used as paste brushes.

Paint Brushes - Watch out for

Cheap brushes normally mean poor quality and poor performance.

You will save money on the purchase of the paint brushes but the application will take longer and the brush will need replacing sooner.

Bristle loss can be a major headache whilst decorating. This normally occurs with budget paint brushes.

Plastic or rubber handles can become floppy when placed within a Brush mate Vapour box.
Certain paints primarily industrial or oil based exterior paints can make your paint brush difficult to clean; don't use your best brushes to apply these paints

Paint Brushes - Look for

The basic elements of a high quality paint brush are materials and craftsmanship.

The materials that make up a brush include - the brush bristle or filament material, whether natural bristle or synthetic, the ferrule and the handle.

Quality natural bristle paint-brushes have longer bristles and a divider inside to provide a paint reservoir, which increases the amount of paint they hold.

The ends of the natural bristles are flagged or split at the tips, this allows greater paint pick up.
They have tapered chisel shaped ends which means there have shorter bristles on the outside and longer bristles in the centre. This means the paint will go on smoother and more evenly.

Natural bristle generally comes from Chinese pigs, the softness or stiffness will depend on the climate the pig encountered during its life.

A top quality paint brush will not shed bristles like a budget paint brush, because the bristles are seated firmly in a pinned, rust resistant ferrule.

Wooden handles are preferred by most professionals. Hardwood handles minimise the absorption of coatings if left over night in water, and reduce potential expansion of the wooden handle.

Lighter handles are preferred as they increase brush control and minimise hand aches or fatigue.

For further information on Paint Roller Advice please see

Trade 1st

Travis Wild is a Painting and Decorating Product Industry Expert and Consultant.

EDIBLE body paint has become the latest import to be withdrawn from sale, after the adult novelty products were found to contain melamine.

Being an ex-president is where big money is (Pioneer Press)

CHICAGO When Barack Obama and his family move into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in January they won't exactly be living on a pauper's salary, $400,000. The real money, though, could come when they move out.

Skies are almost always the first step of a landscape, Unpainted Furniture or any painting, unless of course your scene will not have a sky. Skies set the overall mood in a painting and should be carefully thought out.

Spend time thinking about what you want your painting to express. Oftentimes the sky in my paintings takes more time than anything else. One of the things that I have learned is that my least favorite color to use in a daytime sky is pure blue! If you think about it, how exciting, mysterious or active is a bright blue sky? Spend time looking at photos or other paintings - look behind the clouds and try to understand what the artist wants you to feel as the mood of the painting.

You're probably asking, "What color should I use for a daytime sky if not blue?" The answer is, to use a small amount of blue, but add other colors to it. Mix it with purple, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, yellow, white, orange or red. Be careful when mixing yellow into a blue sky because if your not careful, you will end up with a green sky and probably won't be very happy.

When you have determined what you want your daytime sky to look like, think about where your horizon line will be and lightly sketch it in with soft charcoal. A painting is usually more interesting if your horizon is not dead center of the painting.

There are several techniques for painting skies, but if you are just getting started - lets stick to what I think is the easiest. Wet the sky area of the canvas with liquid gesso. Gesso is just liquid white paint. While this is still wet and starting at the top, add whichever color(s) you are using to the brush. Use criss-cross strokes and work your way down to the horizon. Skies are usually lighter near the horizon. Be careful not to start out too Milk Paint or your daytime scene may turn into an evening scene. I like the criss cross stroke method because you blend the colors right on the canvas. It creates variation in the colors. You can always go over the area with a clean brush using horizontal strokes to blend if a gentler sky is what you prefer. Another tip that I like is to keep the outside edges of the sky darker than the center. This technique draws the viewer's eye into the center of the painting.

Now I have explained a very simple technique for painting a daytime sky. I sincerely hope this article has been useful. If you are just starting out as an acrylic painter - keep it simple, have fun, and enjoy learning to paint.

Julie Shoemaker is an avid painter and hobbiest who regularly gives paintings as gifts to family and friends. To read more articles like the one here, and to see more free art tips, tricks and techniques and free step by step lessons please visit http://www.IamPainting.org