# Draw a stamp border in Aquarell: continue perforations through the corners

Language: en
Canonical: [Draw a stamp border in Aquarell: continue perforations through the corners](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-postage-stamp-perforation-corners/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-postage-stamp-perforation-corners/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-postage-stamp-perforation-corners/>)
Published: 2026-11-05T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-11-05T09:38:59+08:00
Author: Bison

Draw a fictional stamp illustration, checking recessed perforations, teeth, corners and the inset image margin without turning its edge into beads.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-postage-stamp-perforation-corners/>), translated on 2026-11-05. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A row of small circles does not automatically make a perforated stamp: the recesses are missing paper, while the remaining projections are the teeth. Make a fictional botanical stamp, concentrating on its outer edge, corners and inset image rather than copying a usable issue or specifying printing dimensions. Aquarell supplies drawing layers and colour; we manually check how the notches connect and which areas remain paper. The reduced image should read first as a thin-edged stamp and then as a plant illustration.

## Establish separate paper and image boundaries

Use an approximately 1500×1800 px canvas with a mid blue-grey background so the ivory paper edge is visible. Draw a slightly tall rectangle for the paper, then a smaller inset frame, leaving a paper margin clearly wider than the planned notch depth. Keep both frontal rather than adding a perspective problem to this exercise. Separate paper, inset image, edge refinement and shadow into layers; do not draw perforations yet. Reduce the view to check the inset has breathing room. If its design reaches the outer paper edge, shrink the inset first rather than hoping the later notches will leave enough margin. Lightly mark all four corners so every edge rhythm returns to those boundaries.

## Separate recesses from remaining teeth

Beside the sketch, draw three shallow semicircular notches recessed into the paper, leaving a small tooth between each pair. Test them in the background colour so the shape reads as removed paper rather than white beads attached outside. For the finished edge, use a familiar local erasing method or background-colour painting. If transparent output is intended, covering with background colour is not actual transparency and needs a separate check. Keep the notch depth somewhat smaller than the paper margin so it cannot enter the inset. Zoom in to verify the recess direction, then return to normal size to check that the teeth are not so sharp they resemble a saw blade.

## Plan endpoints before spacing each edge

Leave space at both ends of the top edge for its corners, then mark approximately equal intervals lightly. Four to six large notches make a useful exercise without imitating realistic density. Carry that rhythm to the bottom edge, but space the side edges according to their own lengths; forcing the same count everywhere would change the pitch. If the last notch nearly hits a corner, redistribute that entire edge instead of squeezing the final notch to half width. Trace the whole perimeter, comparing notch depth, tooth width and margin width separately. Small hand-drawn variation is welcome, but it should not excuse a whole missing stretch of rhythm on one edge.

## Keep the paper connected at corners

Choose one simple corner rule: stop the notches on both straight edges before the corner, leaving a slightly broader paper corner that does not project excessively. Do not overlap two full circular holes at one corner and cut it into an isolated island, or use four different corner rules. In a copy, paint an over-deep counterexample in the background colour and compare whether the corner remains attached to the main sheet. Restore a shallower recess in the original. If four beads seem to hang at the corners, reduce the projections and join them smoothly to the straight edges. This is one continuous thin sheet; corners must explain how boundaries meet rather than merely finish each edge attractively.

## Keep the inset design clear of the perforated band

Inside, paint a fictional sprig with a dark-green stem, two or three muted leaves and a pale warm-grey inset background. Arrange the plant in large shapes before detail, keeping narrow leaves out of the perforated outer band. If a title is needed, use a short invented phrase such as Leaf Shadows, without combining a real issuing authority with a denomination. Leave a clear gap between text and border, and keep fine lines off the paper teeth. Hide the notch-refinement layer to check that the inset remains complete by itself, then restore it. If the plant overwhelms the border, reduce leaf contrast first. If the margin looks like a heavy picture frame, narrow the inset outline rather than blackening all the paper for an antique effect.

## Let the thin-paper shadow follow the notches

With light from the upper left, add a short, soft shadow outside the lower-right paper edge. Its offset should suggest a slight lift from the background, not a thick block. The shadow near the teeth may have rhythm, but do not fill every notch with identical black dots, which would turn them back into a hole pattern. Show only paper and shadow to check that background regions still connect through the recesses. If shadow seals every gap, weaken it or move it slightly outward. If the stamp floats too high, shorten the offset. A little warm-grey edge is enough to suggest thinness; double black outlines around every tooth would dirty the reduced silhouette.

## Diagnose with a solid silhouette and changed background

Hide the inset temporarily and use a single paper colour to check the continuous four edges and consistent corners. Then change the background to a pale warm colour in a copy, looking for dark-blue patches where notches were painted with the original background. Such patches are cover paint rather than removed pixels. A fixed-background image can retain its consistent background, but a transparent asset requires actual removal and an export check; do not describe these outputs as the same. Reduce to the intended sharing size and count the visible notches along each edge. If they merge, reduce their number rather than continually enlarging the canvas merely to pack in more detail.

## Keep small tears subordinate to the spacing

After the regular border works, make only one or two tooth tips slightly uneven as a decorative paper cue, retaining the established rhythm elsewhere. Do not give every tip the same three fibres, creating another repetitive motif. Compare it with the clean version: variation should affect only local edges, without severing a corner bridge or exposing the inset outside. If tiny fibres become dirt at reduced size, remove them rather than ageing the whole image. Continuous boundaries remain the goal; a natural appearance should build on legible perforations rather than replace planning with random gaps.

## Save a reusable illustration border

Keep an original with separate paper edge, inset and shadow. In a copy, substitute another plant you drew yourself and confirm that the same perforations support a second illustration in the series. Consistency comes from silhouette and margins rather than copying every interior stroke. Open the exported PNG and inspect all four corners, the deepest notch and the lower-right shadow, particularly for unpainted white edge patches. Record a precise fault, such as a narrow upper-right paper bridge or an excessively deep third notch on the left, then correct it in the original. Describe the result as fictional decorative illustration, not postal specifications derived from pixel dimensions. Clear paper structure and accurate intended-use wording are the completion criteria.

## Related tutorials and sources

[Aquarell negative-space painting: reserve winter branches in the sky](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-negative-space-branches/>); [Aquarell transparent PNG: check backgrounds and white edges](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-transparent-png/>).

Sources checked on 5 November 2026: the [official Aquarell App Store listing](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1591340577>) and [Apple Lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1591340577&country=cn>) show version 1.0.7, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. The drawing uses the publicly described brush, colour, layer and saving capabilities manually. Sizes, shapes and colours are practice suggestions; confirm controls against the installed version. Keep the native artwork for further editing and use PNG for previews. This batch does not claim step-by-step device testing.