How to Heat Emboss Resist With Stencils: The Card Making Technique That Creates Rich, Textured Backgrounds

If you have ever wanted your stenciled background to do something more than just sit there looking pretty, heat emboss resist with stencils is about to change everything for you.

This is one of those techniques that feels a little magical the first time you do it. Heat emboss stencil designs, and then ink blend right over the top. The result is a crisp, textured background with gorgeous color that makes your cards look like you spent hours on them. You did not.

What You Need

• Background stencil
• Versamark embossing ink
• Embossing powder (we use Ranger Ink and super fine works the best)
• Heat tool
• Distress Blending Inks (Oxide or Distress)
• Simon Hurley blending brush
• Copier Paper or scratch paper to catch excess powder

That is it. If you have been crafting for any length of time, there is a good chance most of this is already in your stash.

Click here for additional steps on how to get started with card making.

The Step by Step

Before you get stared, read our Pro Tips below.  Place your stencil flat on your card stock and hold it steady. Apply Versamark embossing ink over the stencil with a light, even coat, making sure you are pressing the ink into all the open areas of the design. Apply pad directly to surface, with a blending brush, or a dauber.  Carefully lift the stencil straight up or roll from one end to the other so you do not smear the wet ink. Pour embossing powder generously over the inked panel, tap off the excess onto a piece of copier paper, add the excess powder back to the jar and recap (this is important) and heat set with your heat tool until the powder is fully melted and glossy.

Now here is where it gets fun. Let the embossing cool completely, then pick up your Simon Hurley blending brush and start layering Distress Blending Inks over the entire panel. The embossed stencil design will resist the ink and stay crisp and raised while the color builds up beautifully around it.

Heat Emboss Resist With Stencils Pro Tips

Before you even pick up your Versamark, lightly dust your card stock with anti-static powder and brush off the excess. This prevents embossing powder from sticking to areas outside your stencil design and keeps your background clean and crisp.

Make sure your stencil lies completely flat before you apply the Versamark. Any gaps or lifted edges will let ink bleed underneath and soften your design.

Let the embossing cool for at least thirty seconds before you blend ink over it. Warm embossing powder can pick up the ink, smear, and lose that clean resist effect.

Once you have finished blending, lightly buff the embossed areas with a dry paper towel to brighten the powder back up.

Layer It, Build It, Make It Yours

Once you have the basic technique down, try layering two or three Distress ink colors for a more dimensional background. You can blend from light to dark, go ombre, or keep it soft and subtle. The stencil design will hold up through all of it.

This is also a beautiful technique to try on tags before you move to a full card panel. Smaller surface, less product, same gorgeous result.

We covered heat emboss resist with stencils as part of our technique monthly Creative Focus in Card Maker's Corner.  This post lists a few tips, but if you are looking for one on one guidance and additional pro tips, our Card Maker's Corner covers much more, and the results our members create are stunning.  The private community of card makers who show up and make things together, is waiting for you, and the waitlist for Card Maker's Corner is open.  Join waitlist here.

Don't have stencils, but have stamps?  Check out the video on emboss resist with stamps.

Give it a try and share what you make. I would love to see it.