Wednesday, July 15, 2009

tutorial: DIY handmade stamps



What do you need:
- a carving block ( I bought this one at the art store for $2.95)
- a linoleum cutter ( the pink thing, $12.95)
- a ink pad (I used the brand color box, color red, $4.95)
- some paper

Now we are ready to get started

So first, I drew the design I wanted for my stamp. In this case, it's a little bird. I drew my design on tracing paper with a pencil. Then I place the tracing paper on the carving block the design face down on the block. Then apply some pressure with the back of a spoon or a bone folder and the design will transfer itself on the block. ( step 1)

Now we are ready to carve. I use the smallest point with the linoleum cutter and remove everything thing that I don't want printed. Basically, you retrace with the cutter the lines of your design. Then I cut the borders of the design with an x-acto knife. ( step 2)

Then I tested the stamp on a piece of paper. It still needed some tweaking. So I reworked the stamp and tested it again. Now it was perfect. (step 3)

I had so much fun doing the stamp that I went in crazy stamp mode and made lots of them.

And the create a more finish product, I stamped Manila tags with my little bird. Perfect for gift tags!

If you want more info on creating your handmade stamps, check out it Gennine's art blog

2 comments:

Tim Clary said...

This is really cool! I've been thinking about making some stamps (I did a set of ATC with illustrations I transferred from an old encyclopedia that I would love to reproduce somehow...check them out at my flickr page). Etchings would probably be the ideal but I don't have access to taht sort of thing...maybe stamps would work.

Carolina said...

Thanks!
If you have noticed my style of illustration, I use a lot of old images from encyclopedias. And I have been looking on ways to transfer them. I have sued etching on wood and metal and it's a long process and it requires a lot of tools. but the final effect feels very artsy. Stamps could work but you would have to do really big stamps because there are a lot of small details on those images. My favorite reproduction process is silkprinting but it require a lot of tools also.
Maybe photocopy transfert will be the best.
Tell how your stamp adventure goes

 
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