Fool-Proof One Layer Card Scene Masking (well almost)

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I love the look of a one layer card, but I am constantly making mistakes in the masking steps. Can you relate to unmasking a scene only to realize that you have mistakenly stamped on top of an image or that the image in the back is sitting lower than the image in the front? While it may be simpler to create scenes with die cut images, it does add a layer of bulk, which defeats the point of a one layer card. Well, here is a technique that I have found to eliminate the masking errors thus allowing me to create one layer cards without anxiety and frustration.

Cards created using fool-proof masking technique.

This is a lengthy post with several steps. You may have to read it a few times to really get the steps. You can also watch my very first YouTube video for a tutorial.

How to Do It

You will need a MISTI (or a stamp positioning tool), a scrap piece of paper cut to the size of your card panel, masks and actual card panel. I recommend making several masks of the same image if you plan to use an image more than once in the scene.

On the scrap panel, I arrange the masks to create my scene. Laying the masks correctly is critical. That’s why this technique is almost foolproof. If you lay the masks incorrectly your scene will not look right. Here are some things to remember to help get it right.

  • Place the masks from back to front.
  • Lay masks of the foreground images lower than the masks of the background images.
  • Mask from bottom to top ( for stacked images).

TIP: I pretend my scrap panel is a wall in a room that I am decorating. I treat the masks as actual objects. Whatever goes against the wall or on the bottom of a stack, I lay those mask first. Then layer the masks on top of those.

Masking Steps

Now that my scene is laid out on my scrap panel, I am going to do the following steps:

  • Steps 1 – 3
  • Steps 4 – 5
  • Step 6
  1. Place the scrap panel into my MISTI.
  2. Lay and align the matching stamps on top of the foreground layer masks only. If it’s stacked images, lay and align the matching stamp on the top mask.
  3. Open and close the MISTI lid to pick up the stamps, then remove the scrap panel.
  4. Insert the actual card panel into my MISTI.
  5. Ink and stamp the image(s) onto actual card panel.
  6. Remove the matching masks from the scrap panel and cover the image on the actual panel
  7. Repeat steps 1 thru 6 until my actual panel is completely stamped and masked.
  • Stamp placed onto mask on scrap panel
  • Image stamped onto actual card panel
  • Mask from scrap card panel covers on image on actual panel
Repeat steps 1 thru 6 until my actual panel is completely stamped and masked.

Stencil the Background

Now that all my images are masked on the actual card panel, I am going to stencil a background and draw an horizon line.

Stenciled a brick background and added a horizon line with a gray marker

Now for the fun part…removing the masks to reveal my finished one layer card panel. At this point I just hope I don’t mess up coloring the images 🙂

Removed the masks to reveal my one layer card scene.

I created a few more cards using the same scrap panel and masks. This technique made it super easy and fun. Give it a try and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy Crafting Y’all, Erika