Thursday, July 31, 2008

Hand Carved Stamping Tutorial: Part 1

Hand carving stamps is no biggy, but I'm going to have to divide this tutorial up into sections because uploading pictures is a pain. :)

Firstly, behold, my collection:

My collection


In today's tutorial, I'm going to talk about materials. The tools you use is perhaps one of the most important factors in the success of your stamps. :)



1. speedball linoleum carving set
Finding this carving set may be difficult, but it's worth the search! It gives you control and accuracy! :)

2. x-acto knife
I use my x-acto knife to cut the stamp carving material to the size that I want. Pretty nifty, versatile tool.

3. versaFine, versaMagic, and brilliance inkpads
I LOVE different inks, but my favorites are the above. *sigh* These guys are super expensive, but they last a while, and they give your stamped image more than you could ever imagine! I like the versaFine because you can use watercolor with it. I like versaMagic because it gives a nice shadow to your projects. And brilliance? Well, it's REALLY bold and well, brilliant.

4. speedball carving material
It's true, this stuff is soft, but it does a fantastic job getting the fine details of your image! I love it!!! Also, it's a bit pricey. Take that back, it's very pricey. However, it makes carving less about physical strength and more about the carving.

Here are some of the pieces that I've recently done (which are now in the shop!):



Tiger Stamp




OC Orange Stamp


By the way, thanks for all the kind words about the GRAND OPENING of our ETSY shop! It makes us so happy, you don't even know. ;)

11 comments:

Bunny B said...

You're so talented! They're adorable!!

Unknown said...

This is so cool!! Thanks so much for posting a tutorial on it!

bunzi said...

wow wow! soooo very cute!

Holly said...

I love that first picture of your drawer full of stamps...I examined all the little images forever! So glad you liked your little Christmas house. I hope it made it there in one piece. If the silver tinsel got bent, you can bend it back into place. Just be sure not to pull on it, or it will stretch out. ;0)

Holly said...

I love all of them!

Anonymous said...

your kitty stamp is super cute i really liked the tutorial too and i have never tried the speedball stuff cuz i bought some great stamp stuff from japan.. makes me want to carve more stamps!

MARLOU B. said...

Wow, your stamps are so adorable !!

Yuzu said...

Awesome tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to put it together! I'm saving it for future reference.

Rubyellen said...

OMG! I have been so out of it that I didn't even know you finally opened shop! it is about time you shared your wonderful goodies with everyone!!!

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Brim over I to but I think the collection should secure more info then it has.