Watercolouring Digi stamps and cutting out tips and hints

Good morning everyone I found out yesterday I won the challenge at Townscrapper, how fantastic is that I never win wwwwooohhhoooo and wow isnt the weather fantastic, I love it but everyone I spoke to yesterday was complaining of the heat, I felt like saying make your mind up a few weeks back you were complaining of the rain and cold lol...anyway no card today but quite a few people have asked me about water colouring digital stamps and cutting out images so I thought I would do a little mini hints and tips post instead of a card today...well do my best anyway.
Digi stamps
I use 300gms watercolour hot pressed card but I would imagine this method would work perfectly well on whatever card you use to do your water colouring, I always use the black ink recommended by the printer manufacturer and print on black ink only, that way it isn't watered down by colour mixing...after printing I use a heat gun (the type you use for embossing) and hold it close to the image but move constantly so it doesn't catch and singe, you need to keep the heat on for much longer than you would for embossing, leave your image to cool for five minuets then do the same thing twice more...once your image is cooled down for the third time it should be waterproof, mine is fine for Distress ink colouring but it may be trial and error with your card but it will work...I hope that helps some
Cutting out
Loads of people ask me what die cutting machine I use, I don't own one and have never felt the need although I was tempted when I saw the new Tim Holtz dies lol...anyway I cut everything out with a teeny pair of curved Pergamano scissors...I keep them razor sharp and super pointed with a fine emery board...for cutting out I keep my scissors still and move the image, when you get used to doing it you will be surprised how much it speeds up your cutting out...I used to rest my elbow on a chair arm to stop it moving until I got used to it...when I cut an image out to raise up like this one I leave a thin white border around it so it gives the impression when its mounted that your cutting out is fabulous lol...if I'm cutting close to the line for 3d work like this one after I have finished cutting out I use a waterproof black pen on the cut edge so any bits that are white or have cut a bit of black off looks finished, be careful though if your card is very absorbent as the black may spread depending on which pen you use, I use the type of pen you write on CD's with, £1 for 4 in our local pound store....the images that are peeping out of their frame is using a template, I have some fiskars ones and a few I printed on the computer for this...draw around the template leaving out the bits that go over and then cut out leaving the thin white border on the overlapping bits so it looks finished, then rub out the lines
Sorry this has been a bit long winded but it takes a lot of explaining and when I was typing this I realised I should have taken some photos to help, but I hope you understand it ok and its helpful and if theres anything else you would like to know just ask...anyway I wont keep you out of the sun any longer...enjoy the rest of your day everyone and I will be back bright and early tomorrow with a card and I promise no more long winded posts...well for a while anyway lol
Mina xxx

p.s. I haven't recommended a make of paper or brush simply because its a personal thing and what works for one person doesn't work for someone else, I personally don't like an aquabrush as it floods my image for me and I like more control but others love them...I use Daler Rowney Langton card and get it locally, my brush is a Daler Rowney system 3 No 3 brush but any good acrylic brush works for me, I find it works better with a spring to it so a natural fibre or sable brush doesn't work for me...I will do a tutorial one day just dont have the time at the min but here's two fantastic distress ink water colouring tutorials from the super talented Jacqui (skintone - Hair and accessories) and Marlene
xxx