Stamp Lovers Only ~Carving Eraser Stamps~

Twelve New Hand Carved Images

2010-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

I devoted myself to carving stamps today and I had a great time. I carved 12 little stamps, and one pencil eraser moon stamp. I took videos of most of it so I could make a movie for youtube with it. Then I need to make some great projects with it so people can see the amazing potential in printing with found objects and hand carving your own stamps.

Printing With Found Objects

2010-12-09T22:27:00.000-08:00

After looking at a book on printing with found objects at Joann's it stirred up my old passion for all things hand carved and printed and stamped and stencilled. So excited about it that I went to the discount store and bought up all manner of things I think might make good prints. Then I made a youtube video on it. The only thing I lack now is flat table space, and I need to find my box of stamps and ink pads which doesn't seem to be where I put it last. Foiled again by lack of space in my tiny apartment.

This is a get well card I made for a sick friend. If you click on them you can see the details better in the larger photos. I wrote the address on the paper doll's skirt, but I blurred it out again for privacy.

I can't wait to print more stuff, but I'll have to for another day because it's late and my eyes are tired. And I have no flat space to work. Seriously. Every flat surface is covered.

New Stamps

2010-01-25T22:30:00.001-08:00

I just got some new stamps at a dollar store today. Can't pass up on 4 stamps and an ink pad for $1.00. I don't usually use retail stamps, but I thought, heck why not.

Update: I tried out the stamps today. The ink was pretty weak but can be reinvigorated with some fresh ink. The stamps can be made better by taking them off their blocks, putting a stamp cushion on and glueing the stamps back on.

You can use rubber cement to reattach stamps if they fall off their cushions. The green image is a photo manipulation I did on the computer.

Halloween Stamp Ideas

2009-09-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

I'd like to carve some Halloween stamps. I'm thinking a bat like a tattoo I saw on a woman at Joann's yesterday. She had a bat on each collar bone. I could stamp a temporary tattoo on myself. That would be fun. And vampires of course are all the rage because of the Twilight movies. So maybe a fang stamp or something. I should make some Halloween (Samhain) cards for my pagan friends. I know I have some skull pirate stamps I've carved in the past. So where are they? I'm not the most organized person in the world. Out of sight out of mind. Which is why I don't like to put anything away. It may be years before I happen upon it again.

In Answer to Your Questions Chimerastone

2009-09-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your tips. Sometimes I draw directly on the eraser. Most often I trace around the eraser on my sketch pad, and work out a design first. When I find one I like I'll draw it directly onto the eraser.
Sometimes you can remove the printed on labels with some nail polish remover on a rag.

You can make tranfers using graphite paper or there is an oil method where you print out a design on the type of printer that leaves ink on the paper, then place it ink side touching the stamp and rub a rag with mineral oil on it (I think it's mineral oil but it might be turpentine). It's been a long time since I did any that way but it gives a high level of accuracy if you are doing portrait stamps). And of course you can always take a carved stamp, stamp it on a blank stamp, and carve it all over again. Each one will come out a little different but facing the opposite way.

I use all sizes of erasers, even the eraser tops of pencils for mini stamps. I've never noticed them being grainy. I get most of my erasers at the dollar stores or right before school starts there are a lot in Target, Walmart, and other department stores that have school supplies or office supplies. Then I stock up. If you want to carve big stamps it's better to just order carving blocks by the sheet from Nasco or Speedball or another supplier.

Archery, Grumpy Fairy and Handmade

2009-09-19T00:36:00.000-07:00

I made three stamps today out of eraser stock.

Monkey Fever

2009-09-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I set out to carve a monkey stamp, and it was so much fun I stamped the stamp on a clean eraser, and carved another monkey,then another. Now I have a whole barrel full of monkeys.

I also carved a steampunk stamp, then forgot to take a photo of it. I'll have to do it today.

Panda and Monkey

2009-08-13T02:24:00.000-07:00

I just carved 2 stamps for the Zombie Nanner Gang challenge. One is Punky Panda and the other is Drunk Monkey. We have a different theme each day.

Sealing Wax

2009-04-25T07:35:00.001-07:00

When I got back from my trip my boyfriend had 3 presents for me. I sure was surprised. He got me a kit with a seal and sealing wax, a tiny marblelized journal, and 4 pirate skeleton beads. The seal is of a harp to go with my last name 'harper'. So now I have more things to add to my art journal. So many things go well with rubber stamping. It truly does lend itself to mixed media. He showed me a tutorial on using the stamp and the guy said to lick the stamp first before pressing it in hot wax so it will release better. Never tried that one before. Not exactly sanitary...lol.

Somewhere from years ago I bought sealing wax and seals. I wonder where those got off too?

Bow, Arrow and Teapot stamps

2009-04-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm depressed I thought making stamps might take my mind off of things. But I kept making mistakes so I gave up after 2 stamps. The teapot stamp is okay, but the archery stamp originally had the word 'archery' carved on the bow. But the letters were too hard to read and I cut the leg off the 'R' so I ended up carving the letters away which left weird little ragged edges on the bow. On the string of the bow, on the very second cut of the stamp, I cut through the string (oopsy). And the arrowhead looked pretty good but when I was cleaning up around it, I knicked it. Sigh. I have other things on my mind and my focus is off. As is my coordination.

More Carved Stamps on Etsy

2009-04-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I found another cool blog by a stamper here: http://cupcaketreedesigns.blogspot.com/ I feel a little guilty because I haven't carved any stamps lately. Maybe I should go out on my patio today in the spring sunshine and carve some. It wouldn't kill me. I never lack for ideas, that's for sure. It's more a matter of time. So hop over and enjoy her blog. She has some great stamps for sale at very reasonable prices. I love the 'olive u' one. Knock knock who's there? Olive. Olive who? Olive you.

Address Stamps

2009-02-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

I need to make up some sample address stamps. I don't really want my home address on the internet so I'll have to make up an address or use one for a commercial shop or something. Hmmm.
I have so many ideas today my head is spinning. I almost envy people that can never think of anything to make. I have the opposite problem. My head is so bursting with ideas, it's hard to focus and finish anything. This morning alone I thought of a new amigurumi mouse, a necklace made with fiber 'cocoon beads', a wire Easter basket, and some more folk art paintings. Ack my brain is full.

When carving an address stamp, don't forget to carve all letters and symbols backwards.

2008-09-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for Tagfoot. http://ping.fm/lfV6m Come see all my links and comments and my wishlist.

2008-08-31T22:37:00.001-07:00

Want to join ping.fm too? Go to http://www.ping.fm.Use the code 'legendofping' and you could have the luxury of posting to all your blogs in one fell swoop like I do. Way more efficient than doing it one by one.

2008-08-31T22:34:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what 'ping my default' means but I guess I'll find out when I hit send.

2008-08-28T13:41:00.001-07:00

The week sure went by quick. I had a lot more planned but didn't have the energy to do it. My hands are still sore from woodcarving, and so I've had to lay off the knitting and crocheting. I'm looking forward to the weekend. My daughter may visit. We'll see.

2008-08-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

Come view my Flickr photo stream. Over 3000 photos I've taken are waiting there for your pleasure. http://ping.fm/3TTAi

2008-08-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for Ping.fm to make social networking more effiecient.

Stamp Carving Day

2008-01-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday at the Pasadena Arroyo carving stamps.

Kokopelli Name Stamps

2008-01-21T00:29:00.000-08:00

I carved four new stamps today. I gave one away. I took photos but it's too late to be digging around for my camera, so hopefully tomorrow I will remember to post them. They are of Kokopelli.

Boogie Robot

2007-07-25T14:42:00.001-07:00

A new stamp.

New stamps I carved

2007-07-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Three of the four stamps I carved yesterday. I've learned to leave on extra stamp material until the carving is finished. Yesterday I was carving an address stamp and I made the '9' and forgot to carve it backwards, but because I had a lot of eraser left under my address I was able to add a new zip code below my address, and cut off the one that I had botched. There is no photo of the address stamp because I don't feel like sharing my address with the whole world.

But here are 3 other stamps I carved. The branchlike one was inspired by a sculpture at the mall. I'm sure it will come in handy at some point even if it isn't a popular and easy to label image. That's the beauty of carving your own stamps...you can make designs that you'll never find in a stamp store because they aren't commercial enough for the masses.

Hand stamps

2007-07-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I carved some new stamps while waiting in the Harry Potter line. When I was cleaning up today I found these two life sized hand stamps I carved years ago for a poetry booklet. Both of the thumbs had broken off. So I laid them out carefully and phototgraphed them.

Go see more stamped art.

2007-07-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

There are some cool hand carving galleries over on Flickr. This is just one of them. http://flickr.com/groups/28928217@N00/

Stamping on hot melt glue.

2006-08-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

2006-01-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning house and found this stamp I'd carved stuck in a box of office supplies.

Tips and Techniques

2006-01-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

I feel like I get the strongest images when I use a Sharpie Marker to draw directly on the eraser. Bold images are the easiest to carve. The way you improve your drawing skills is to use them.
When I start carving, I may correct less than perfect lines as I cut. I may choose to cut a little inside or outside of a line to make it better. You can also draw in pencil first, and then go over it with the Sharpie. Or, if you really don't trust yourself, you can use carbon paper or graphite paper to put the design on the eraser. Remember the print will be reversed, so you have to write letters, names and numbers backwards. If you draw a dog facing left it will print facing right. Usually it doesn't matter which way animals face, but for your finished piece of art, you may need it facing a specific way. If you want two dogs ...one facing right, one facing left, then carve the first dog. Ink it well and stamp it onto a blank eraser. Then use that stamping as the carving lines for dog #2. And viola, you end up with two dogs that look pretty similiar but not exactly the same. This is also a way to save a design you loved that went wrong somewhere. And a good way to improve.

2006-01-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

Vampire Queen in red.

2006-01-04T23:35:00.001-08:00

Vampire Queen~another stamp I carved today.

2006-01-04T23:35:00.000-08:00

Paint shop pro 'hot wax' setting and color manipulation.

2006-01-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

Spiral for background.

2006-01-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

Negative image.

2006-01-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

I carved this stamp today.

2006-01-04T23:27:00.000-08:00

Mermaid and embossing feature on Paint Shop Pro.

2006-01-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

Mermaid manipulated on Paint Shop Pro.

2006-01-04T23:21:00.002-08:00

Mermaid.

2006-01-04T23:21:00.001-08:00

Celtic Knotwork border.

2006-01-04T23:21:00.000-08:00

Kiss me I'm Irish!

2006-01-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Hot Stuff

2006-01-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

The center image was used for an SCA site favor. They stamped it on wooden disks. I could have cut the background away but I left it because now the hare looks like it is sitting in a burrow. If you only want to print part of a stamp, clean it well, then ink only the part you want printed.

2006-01-04T23:16:00.002-08:00

It is fun to manipulate the stamp images with computer programs. This is the emboss setting in Paint Shop Pro.

2006-01-04T23:16:00.001-08:00

Sign made from alphabet stamps.

2006-01-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

Gold embossed postcard using about five stamps.

2006-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Bricks for backgrounds.

2006-01-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

bow (original is about an inch square)

2006-01-04T23:09:00.001-08:00

Archers and trees. (The trees are all the same stamp but the archers are 4 different stamps).

2006-01-04T23:09:00.000-08:00

Hand carved alphebet.

Stamp Lovers Only

2005-12-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've renamed the blog to match a business I tried to start once. Another store opened with a very similar name so I never followed through on my plans. Call it nostalgia, but it's good to see the old name back.

2005-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the tiki stamp on bluegreen tissue paper. Stamps can be used on wood, leather, gourds, glass, clay and fabric too.

Tips and tricks

2005-09-04T19:05:00.001-07:00

Say you just carved a left facing dog, and you need a right facing dog. Take a blank eraser, ink up your left facing dog, stamp it carefully on your blank stamp, and carve it. Viola! Now you have a dog facing the other way.

2005-09-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the final print, the way the stamp looks, and the ink pad I used. Be sure to use water based ink until you are done with the carving process. To clean your stamps, put two folded paper towel on a plate, spritz with water, and then spritz with window cleaner. Clean off excess ink by stamping on the paper towels, then rinse in clean water and dry with paper towel.

2005-09-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

Keep carving and doing test prints until it looks the way you want it to. The small holes under the eyes were done with the point of a toothpick. Normally I would trim off the border, but in this case I think it added to the effect. Some artists like to remove all excess carving ridges, while others feel that adds to the hand carved look. Remember, once you carve it away you can't put it back. If all else fails you can still clean it and use it as an eraser. Don't be afraid to start over...right now you are just learning anyway.

2005-09-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

I carved the entire stamp using the tip you see here. That is not typical though. Sometimes a piece of eraser will lay back down in its groove and fake you out. So I like to lay the stamp face down on scrap paper and rub it gently from side to side. That will grab the crumbs and clean them out of your stamp. If it gets really bad, run water over it and dry with a paper towel.

2005-09-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

Step 3. Ink your stamp and make a test print. Now you can see more easily what areas you have carved and what areas are left to carve. Remember, if you want a part of the design to be white (like the teeth) that's the part you need to cut away.

Step 2:

2005-09-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Step 2

Notice how I often carve 'around the lines' not on the lines. I also make corrections as I cut, compensating for blips in the drawing.

Step one

2005-09-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

Assemble all your supplies and decide what art you want on your stamp.
I like to freehand draw my art on an eraser with a sharpie marker. Most people aren't that brave. You can also transfer your design with graphite paper or carbon paper. Keep in mind that the final print will be reversed. On my design it didn't matter, but it will matter if you are carving letters or numbers, or need the art to face left or right.

Once you have the design drawn onto the eraser, you are ready to begin carving.

The tools I use are called Linozips. I got mine at an art supply store, but NASCO also carries them. I am getting ready to carve this Tiki image on a Mars Staedler Eraser. The ink label was removed with acetone (nail polish remover). Remember words and designs will be backwords when printed.

Carving Eraser Stamps

2005-09-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the early 1980's I got frustrated with the limited designs in the commercial rubber stamping industry. They were too cutesy...you could find all the bunnies and teddies you could ever want but try finding a feminist stamp or one that showed nudity or goddess images, and you were out of luck. Somewhere in that time zone, I started carving my own stamps out of eraser stock. Eventually the eraser companies caught on and started making large sheets just for us eraser carvers. Of course now-a-days you can find stamps on any subject, but nothing provides the same instant gratification that comes with thinking up a stamp design, grabbing a piece of eraser, and less than an hour later holding in your hands the very design you wanted! Recently at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival, I got to sit down and make a lithograph print. That reminded me of how much I missed making my own stamps. Then today I realized that since my main stamp carving days were before the internet crashed into me, that I'd never documented the hundreds of images I've carved. I thought it was high time to use my digital camera to document that body of work, and thus this new blog was born. Please visit my other blogs for more about the Sawdust Festival and my artwork.