Let’s play around with the Split Negative Technique today! It’s a fun and easy way to mix classic ink and heat embossing to create the illusion of one continuous design across your card front! This technique involves light and dark contrasting stamped images which are directly side by side on the card front.
It’s one of those techniques that makes you wonder… How did she do that? You will be pleasantly surprised to learn how simple this technique really is. And it creates an absolutely stunning effect!
The Technique
The Split Negative Technique involves stamping the same image on two separate pieces of cardstock and then cutting them apart to combine them into one cohesive design. The same image is stamped once on 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″ piece of white cardstock using classic ink and then once on a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″ piece of Night of Navy cardstock using versamark for heat embossing.
The most important part of this technique is alignment so, you’ll want to use some type of stamp positioner tool. This ensures the stamped image has the exact same placement on both pieces of cardstock so, everything lines up seamlessly when you cut and swap the pieces.
Once the stamping is complete on both the white and navy cardstock, the cardstock is cut apart, dark and light images are swapped and reassembled to create a beautiful split effect. One side of the card is white and the other is dark. Each side contrasts the other to create this stunning effect! By swapping out the dark and light pieces, you can create two cards! I recommend watching the video to see this technique in action.
Split Negative Design Variations
Now that you understand the basics of this technique, there are really endless possibilities for using it in your card making. Try using different color embossing powders, coloring tools, and even different size papers!
The first set of cards features the exact same split negative card design as above. However, this time I colored the flowers on the white cardstock using stampin’ blends.
For the last two card ideas, I simply used a smaller piece of white and Night of Navy cardstock to create the split negative design. The Basic White and Night of Navy cardstock pieces are 4 x 4″ (instead of the 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″pieces used to create the other split card designs).
Tutorial & Supplies
Now you have a few fun ways you can use this split negative technique in your card making. Although I am using this technique with the Flowers Fair stamp set, you can definitely use this technique with a variety of different stamp sets. For a complete list of supplies and the instructions for creating these cards, feel free to download the printable tutorial.
Sometimes the simplest techniques create the biggest impact. If you haven’t tried this technique yet, give it a go! You might be surprised at how quickly it becomes one of your go-to favorites. And be sure to watch the video to see this technique in action! Have a fun and creative day my friends! ~ Lynn