A surprising number of different techniques are employed in the creation of just one beautiful parchment image. They all need a bit of practice but you’ll be amazed by just how easy it is for you to pick them up after just a couple of attempts. With even only the most basic skills you’ll be able to produce parchment pictures and cards that you’re so proud of you’ll want to keep them all for yourself!
There are three main techniques used to create pictures using parchment craft. These are embossing, lace work (or pricking) and adding colour to your work. All are essential for traditional parchment craft, but here at Purely Parchment Craft we have scrapped the extremely time consuming lace aspect and focus on the embossing and colour work.
The majority of your parchment craft skills will be picked up simply by practicing and trying out new things for yourself, but we have given you a couple of pointers on each of the subjects to get you on your way.
(Article) Embossing mats….
A word on prices:
What you use to emboss is just as important as the techniques themselves and there is a huge array of different qualities and styles of parchment craft tools out there. Embossing balls are reasonably easy to come by and so long as they are not scratchy when you use them then the style you like, and the price you are willing to pay, is entirely up to you. You will need to check the sizes of any tools against those recommended by each individual parchment pattern. There is a lot of different between a 1.5mm ball and a 2.0mm ball when it comes to embossing.
Mats are frequently over looked, with parchment crafters often sticking to the same old blue embossing mat provided by pergamano. This is NOT suitable for the Purely Parchment Craft patterns because the blue mat is too hard – you need a nice soft foam mat to really get the most out of your embossing. These can also be purchased from pergamano, but at a higher price, or you can shop around for a better deal on somewhere like ebay. If you are unsure about embossing mats and what you can get away with take a look at the embossing mat article above.