I then sent the artwork to One Stop Stamps to get it made into an actual self-inking rubber stamp. There was quite a lot of messing around the get the artwork right - it's only a 24mm diameter, so I had to adjust the font weight so that it was legible and not too thin for them to make up. I must admit that I am not entirely satisfied with the end result, as the innermost line has a definite wobble to it. I am surprised they didn't tell me to thicken up the line before they made the stamp to be perfectly honest. Anyway, I guess it adds a bit of handmade charm (or something). I will place the stamp in the bottom-left corner, to balance the graphics over on the right.
For my next trick, I decided to add some value and authenticity to the pieces by screenprinting a thick spot varnish over the budgie artwork, leaving the rest of the poster flat. I spent a day setting up twelve different screens and printing but was very disappointed with the result - the varnish just soaked into the paper and it looks like I have done nothing to them. Perhaps if we had a full-time screenprint technician with loads of experience, I would have been told this would be the case before I even started, saving me a lot of time and bother. I have since heard that the problem is because of the paper I used (thick cartridge), the fact that the water-based varnish is rubbish compared to the old oil-based ones, and I should have given it at least two coats (although it still would not have been very good).
I have not given up though! I have decided to get the shapes of the budgies cut from clear self-adhesive vinyl, which I can then stick over the top. I tried a piece of the vinyl over some bright artwork as a test and although it doesn't have the lovely brightening effect of a spot varnish, it does a pretty good job of making the budgies "pop" without dulling the colours too much. I should get the vinyls soon and will add some photos of the finished posters as soon as they are done.
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