How to Use Embossing Powders for Lettering. A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Want to add a touch of magic to your lettering that looks seriously impressive but is actually really simple to do?
This quick tutorial is on how to use embossing powders for lettering. Embossing powders are something I discovered when I first started lettering and I absolutely love them. They're just so fun to play with and they can create something a little bit extra special with your lettering. So let's dive in!
The finished embossed pieces.
If you’d prefer to follow along visually, you can watch the full step-by-step tutorial here:
👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=41mC7yvJsMo
What You'll Need
Before we get started, here's a rundown of everything I'm using:
Embossing Pens
I'm using the Ranger Emboss It pens - I've got them in both black and clear. Normally, I use the clear because I find it doesn't show the ink through when you're using your powder. However, I thought the black would be easier for you to see what I'm doing in this video!
These are both bullet pens, so the nibs aren't flexible at all. Ranger also do a brush pen version - the Ranger Brush Perfect Medium Pen - which has a flexible nib and is great if you want that lovely calligraphy effect with thick and thin lines. I do find this one dries out quite quickly, which is worth keeping in mind.
Embossing Powders
I've got three different embossing powders to show you today:
Craft Paper Mania Embossing Powder in Superfine Silver - "superfine" means the powder is extra fine compared to normal embossing powders. I got this from Hobbycraft!
Ranger Embossing Powder in Black Sparkle - it's mainly black but with the most beautiful rainbow sparkles running through it. So, so pretty!
Ranger Embossing Powder in Holographic - I was super excited when I got this one in the post! It doesn't quite turn out how I expected, but I'll walk you through how I've used it as part of this tutorial.
Heat Gun
I'm using the Craft Paper Mania Heat Gun. It's basically a glorified hairdryer although I don't think you can actually use a hairdryer for embossing, I really don't think it would work very well. The heat gun blows a very light amount of air but it gets very hot. It plugs into the socket, has a simple on/off button, and it is pretty noisy, just so you're warned!
Card
I'm using both white and black card today to show you the different effects you can create on light and dark colours.
All the tools laid out, showing the embossing pens, powders, and heat gun together
Step-by-Step: How to Emboss Your Lettering
Step 1: Write Your Word with the Embossing Pen
Start by writing your word with the embossing pen onto your card. One important thing to note: this ink can dry relatively quickly. So, if you're doing a really long phrase, I'd say emboss as you go along rather than writing the whole thing out at once because if the ink starts drying, the powder isn't going to stick.
Step 2: Sprinkle on the Embossing Powder
Now sprinkle your embossing powder generously over the word. This stuff gets everywhere, so just be careful! Don't worry about using too much we're going to tip off all the excess.
Top tip: Place the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper that you've folded in half first. That way, when you go to pour it back into the pot, the fold creates a little funnel. I've spilt my embossing powder many times, so trust me on this one!
Sprinkling the embossing powder, showing the powder being generously applied over the lettering
Step 3: Tap Off the Excess
Lightly tap the card to remove the excess powder. Then take a small paintbrush and very gently brush away any stray powder from around the edges of your word. This is really important - any excess powder sitting on the paper around your word will also melt when it gets heated up, which can leave some quite strange circles around your lettering. Probably not the look you're going for!
A couple of other techniques to help prevent stray powder sticking to your paper:
Use anti-static powder before you start (I've never personally used it, but I've seen it work really well for others!)
Rub a microfibre cloth over your paper before you begin
Brushing away the excess powder, showing the small paintbrush technique in action
Step 4: Heat It Up!
Now here comes the fun bit! Take your heat gun and heat up the powder. As you heat it, you'll see the powder melt and react, and it looks really pretty! Keep the heat gun moving across the word and as soon as you see the state of the powder change to a more solid, glossy finish, move on. You don't want to end up burning the powder by staying in one spot for too long.
One more tip: The heat can warp the paper slightly, so it's good to use a thick card. While the card is still warm, gently smooth it out flat.
The heat gun melting the powder, the most satisfying moment - showing the powder transforming under the heat!
The Different Effects You Can Create
Silver on White Card
The superfine silver powder on white card creates a really lovely reflective silver finish with a gorgeous 3D effect. It looks so elegant!
Black Sparkle on White Card
The black sparkle powder is just stunning - it's a simple black colour but with loads of multicoloured sparkle running through it. So pretty and such a showstopper!
The black sparkle result close-up, a lovely close-up showing the multicoloured sparkle effect
Holographic on Black Card
For black card, I'm using the clear brush pen so the ink doesn't show through, and the holographic powder on top. Even though the powder looks white, it's actually a clear powder - what it does is let all the beautiful colours of the holographic glitter shine through. You can also feel the glittery texture on this one, which is really satisfying! If you used this on white card, it would show up as a shiny white embossed effect.
The holographic powder on black card, showing the stunning holographic finish against the dark background
Silver on Black Card
Silver on black card is such a striking combination. Using the black pen on black card means you can't really see what you're writing (the clear pen is better for this!), but the finished silver result against the dark background is really beautiful.
Working on a Longer Phrase
If you're embossing a longer phrase, do it in sections rather than all at once. Write one word, emboss it, then move on to the next. This stops the ink from drying too quickly before you get the powder on, and it also means you can use two different colours of powder without them mixing together.
To Wrap Up...
I hope you really enjoyed this quick tutorial on how to do embossing! As you can see, there are so many different effects you can create depending on your card colour and your choice of embossing powder. It does require a little bit of specialist equipment - the heat gun, the pens, and the powders but all of them are actually quite affordable. And once you've got the heat gun and the pens, you will be completely addicted! There are so many different embossing powders out there and I only have these three at the moment... I just need to control my addiction a little bit first!
If you give this a go, I'd love to see what you create! Tag me on Instagram or share your creation in the comments on YouTube.
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Materials Used
Below are the tools and materials used in this tutorial:
Ranger Embossing Powder Holographic*: https://amzn.to/2ElWgGr
Ranger Embossing Powder Black Sparkle*: https://amzn.to/2ITKLol
docrafts Papermania Embossing Powder Superfine Silver*: https://amzn.to/2OmK1hA
Ranger Emboss It Pens Clear and Black: https://rangerink.com/products/emboss-it-embossing-pens
docrafts Papermania Heat Gun*: https://amzn.to/2yh6NgW