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Basic Supplies - Surfaces

Cardstocks (c/s) are a wide and diverse group of "stamp/paper artist necessities". It is true that there are certain brands of c/s that will work better with specific types of color mediums, but keep in mind this is a personal preference thing. While *I* may enjoy using one brand of c/s for one thing, another stamp artist may prefer using another. I can tell you what I like to use and why. C/s will cover a wide range of colors as well as prices. For ease of use, I'll divide them into categories for you. There are a multitude of brands, textures, colors and styles of cardstocks and papers. For general purposes, I will break them down as follows:

1. MATTE CARDSTOCKS:
These cardstocks have a "dull" surface which has a bit of texture often referred to as "tooth" and they are absorbent. Color mediums which work well with matte cardstocks are, but not limited to: colored pencils, watercolor pencils, chalks, watercolors, paints of all types, pastel pencils, oil pastels, etc...Matte c/s also comes in several weights as well as colors. The "weight" of the matte cardstock usually refers to how "heavy and thick" it is, i.e..... 80# (pound), etc. The heavier the cardstock, the thicker it is. (140# c/s would be thicker and heavier than 80#) Most cardstocks we use on a daily basis run in the range of 80#. Matte c/s are ABSORBENT and will absorb any wet color into them.

All types of inks will air dry on matte c/s. This means you can use dye, pigment, permanent, watercolor, or other types of inks and they will air dry, given enough time. (naturally, some types of inks will air dry quicker than others) You can easily heat emboss on matte c/s too, be careful of overheating and warping the c/s.

Most all color mediums will work nicely on matte c/s. Keep in mind that some matte c/s will react different to moisture content and thus buckle more easily, this is a manufacturing issue. Most of the time, it isn't a problem. Watercolors, chalks, pastels, blender pens and colored pencils need a matte c/s. (when using watercolors or any "wet work", be sure to block the c/s first)

2. MATTECOTE (SEMI-MATTE) CARDSTOCKS:
These are a slightly coated matte cardstock. They are silky to the touch, though still have enough tooth to easily grab chalks and other similar color mediums. Mattecote c/s are still absorbent, though less so than your regular matte c/s. All this means is that it will take things longer to air dry on it. Due to their silky smooth surface, these types of c/s are wonderful for chalk, pastel and colored pencil work. Beckett Expressions 80# is a beautiful mattecote/semi-coted cardstock that works beautifully with pastels, chalks and colored pencils. Because the surface is so smooth, it really allows for easy and seamless blending of those color mediums. Keep in mind, that even though mattecote c/s has a light coating on it, it still has tooth and it is still absorbent.

3. GLOSSY CARDSTOCKS:
This is a type of c/s that has NO tooth and it's appearance is glossy or shiny on the surface. It is coated and NOT absorbent. (which means it is fairly non-porous) Glossy c/s is generally referred to by "point" and not weight. For instance...10 or 12 point glossy is what I generally use myself. 8 point glossy would be thinner than 10 point glossy. So when you look at a glossy c/s description it may read like this: King James 10 Point Glossy. ("King James" would be a brand name) There are many brands and many colors of glossy c/s. Dye inks will air dry on glossy, however pigment inks will not. If you stamp with a pigment ink, you will need to heat emboss with an embossing powder to seal in the ink. The ONLY exception to this I know of so far, is the Brilliance inkpads which will air dry on glossy. Glossy c/s will react negatively towards moisture, buckling and curling. Naturally, some brands will react more than others. You can heat emboss on glossy c/s, though you must be careful not to overheat and warp it. For me, it is easier to overheat and warp glossy c/s than it is to overheat and warp matte c/s.

Chalks, pastels and colored pencils do not work well on glossy c/s because it is SLICK..and has no tooth to grab the color. Watercolors are not desirable on glossy because the moisture of the paints tends to really warp and buckle the cardstock. Craft and artist grade acrylic paints tend to work better on glossy, but depending on the moisture content of the paint, they can also buckle the cardstock. It's something you just have to try and see how it works for you. If you want to paint and you have several colors of dye ink reinkers, USE THE DYE INK REINKERS as a paint. That works pretty well for me. Or, stipple using your dye ink inkpads. (I LOVE the stippled look) Stippling with dye inks on glossy c/s works GREAT because the dye inks stay wet just long enough to allow for beautiful blending of colors.

Glossy c/s comes in another "type" which bears mentioning here. It is "SUPER OR HIGH GLOSS C/S". This c/s has the appearance of a mirror (such as Mirri Card, it is often reflective because it is so glossy/shiny), and it is EXTREMELY NON-POROUS. Dye inks will not air dry on them, nor will pigment inks. I haven't tried the Brilliance inks on them, though I'm thinking they might air dry. You can heat emboss on high gloss c/s, though you really have to be extremely careful because the heat from the heat gun will "ruin" the appearance of some of the high gloss c/s. Ranger 213 permanent inks will air dry on high gloss c/s. Most often though, these types of c/s are used as a layering piece for visual interest. 4. VELLUMS: These are very unique, thin type cardstock that are quite different than either matte or glossy. They are also "translucent" (which means they are somewhat see thru). It's hard to say which inks will work best for air drying because the absorbency of the vellum is dependent on the manufacturing process used to create it. I know that the "Glamma" brand of vellums are the most absorbent, they will even allow Radiant Pearls to air dry on them. Do keep in mind that vellums are VERY reactive to moisture, which will cause them to curl. You can heat emboss on vellum, though you have to be VERY careful because heat will also curl it. (be careful, hold the heat gun about 6-8 inches above the vellum, do NOT overheat the embossing powder) If you are wanting an ink that you know for SURE will air dry on vellum, try Ranger 213 or any of the Brilliance inkpads. Another lovely technique with vellum is dry embossing (either with a stencil or freeform). Go slow and use a light pressure when using the stylus to dry emboss so that you do not tear thru the vellum. Vellum can also be use to layer for a very pretty effect. Stamp your c/s, let dry. Not...stamp another image on the vellum and let dry. Layer the vellum on top of the stamped c/s and BOTH of the stamped images will be visible. (the image stamped on the cardstock will appear to be muted...very pretty) You can also stamp on one side, then use markers to color on the back/unstamped side. The marker color shows thru beautifully to the front. I think my favorite vellum is the Glamma Marbled vellum. For more information regarding the use of vellums, see the "Vellum" information in the TIPS & TECHNIQUES data base.

5. SPECIALTY CARDSTOCKS:
I use this term to refer to any type of cardstock that does not fall under matte, glossy or vellum specifications. There are MANY. When you buy cardstock that you are unfamiliar with, sacrifice one sheet of it and do some experimentation to see what inkpads and color mediums work best with it.

6. DUPLEX CARDSTOCK:
This is generally a matte cardstock that is VERY thick (not sure what the poundage on it is) and it is one color on the front and a different color on the back. Most often I've seen it being a dark color on one side and a light color on the other side. The advantage of this cardstock is that you can fold it so that the dark color is on the outside and the light color is on the inside and this makes it a lot easier to stamp a saying and/or write on the inside.

Basically, when you have a piece of cardstock and you are trying to decide what inks and color mediums to use...decide how "porous/absorbent" the cardstock is. If it is porous, them most any type of ink will air dry on it and most all color mediums will work nicely. If the c/s is non-porous/non-absorbent, then go to mediums which do not need to be absorbed to dry.