Hello and welcome to my very first post on my new Green Garden Studios blog!
My name is Jessica and I've spent the last five years carving thousands of stamps as Green Garden Stamps on Etsy. I began as a self taught artist and learned tons through trial and error. I recently stopped carving stamps as the repeated movements on a daily basis began to impair my hand and wrist, and I need those for my painting. I've changed my Etsy shop name to Green Garden Studios and have a variety of new product lines in the works.
But back to carving stamps...
Now that I'm moving on to new things, I'm excited to share my knowledge and experience on the subject along with some trade secrets (mostly in the form of money saving tips). I've decided to put together a guide that's more than just a tutorial. Consider this a virtual class that will ideally cover EVERYTHING you could ever possibly need to know about learning to carve rubber stamps. This post isn't going anywhere, so feel free to read it in doses or gobble it all up at once!
First things first...
Who can do this?
Image via http://tthisisjusttosay.blogspot.se/
This is a craft that anyone with full use of both of their hands can do. If you have an impairment of some kind, there may be some work-arounds, so feel free to contact me and together we may be able to come up with something.
As far as age restrictions go, this is something I would leave to a parent or professional to decide. I think it really depends on each individual child's ability to pay attention and take warnings to heart, previous experience with sharp tools, and patience levels. The tools are VERY sharp and it is quite easy to accidentally cut yourself, especially when you are first getting started.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's begin with...
SUPPLIES
The number one other supply you'll need is a pencil - preferably a soft one - but really, do you need a link for a pencil? ;)
I am a big fan of saving money when and where I can. I also like to use what's available around the house when possible vs going out to buy some special "thingamabob". So I'll be sharing a lot of suggestions with this in mind for my fellow penny pinchers.
If expense isn't a concern and you'd like to jump right in immediately, you can go to your local Michael's or other major craft store and find all the supplies you need to get started right away. If you'd rather get a deal on every supply, I can recommend two discount art supply sites to try that I've personally had great experiences purchasing from: Jerry's Artarama and Cheap Joe's Art Stuff. There's also eBay and Amazon and if you've got Amazon Prime (free shipping), even better. I have definitely taken advantage of local stores when buying supplies too - but you'd better believe I always have a coupon ready at Michael's!
1. Carving tools
This is a case where I would not skimp on lesser quality tools - they're out there, but why bother when, as far as I'm concerned, the better quality the blade, the less likely you are to hurt yourself. (Still, I would stock up on the Band-aids - it's worth repeating that it is VERY easy to cut yourself, especially when first starting to get familiar with the tools/process.) That being said, go ahead and purchase a brand name X-Acto knife and the Speedball tool you see above which is...
...a Speedball Linoleum cutter - or "lino cutter" for short. It comes with several blades and... oh, why don't I just let this fine person tell you all about it.
Now that you've returned for more, that was a pretty awesome write up, right!? I could have shared virtually all the same points but why mess with perfection?
2. Carving rubber
Again, there are all kinds of products out there for carving rubber, but having worked exclusively with Speedball Speedy Carve for years, I can't help but promote what I know and love working with. My customers have told me years after owning my stamps that they have held up very well after being used again and again. I can't think of a better recommendation than that for this product!
Speedy Carve comes in different sized sheets, but one thing I've noticed from every size is that sometimes where the rubber has been cut, it can slant down ever so slightly along the edge. It's very subtle, and you'll only barely notice it if you hold the rubber up close and examine each side. I learned the hard way about this when I first began and drew a stamp design right towards the edge of a fresh piece of rubber. When I went to print it, the slanted edge never printed. All that work down the drain! I'd like to spare you that unpleasantness by suggesting that you check out each side and if you notice a slant on one, the opposite side probably has it as well. Use an X-Acto blade to trim just under 1/4" or so away. That should do it.
Also, the shrink wrap that the rubber is packaged in can leave indentations that will affect stamping quality (it will show up white, just like any other area you carve away). A lot of times you can just see these areas pretty obviously looking at a fresh piece of rubber. I like to draw in pencil over them so I know to avoid those areas. If you're concerned about subtle marks you may not be able to see with the naked eye, you can ink the entire sheet and flip it over on a piece of blank paper, pressing down across the whole surface. This way you should see any imperfections as spots or lines that don't print. Again, use a pencil to circle or draw over these areas on the rubber so you remember in the future not to use that portion of rubber. (You can expect some tiny amount of imperfections on any given sheet, but if it's got a TON, return it - you got a faulty product. I say this having never had to return one myself, but it's worth noting.)
3. Tracing paper
Remember what I said about being frugal? This is one supply where quality really doesn't matter, at least I don't think so. I've used plenty of cheap, generic tracing paper over the years and it works just fine.
In fact, when you are getting started, you don't even technically need tracing paper. You can draw right onto the rubber (*as long as you know you'll be getting a mirror image - this is especially important for letters!) or use any old paper to draw on in pencil and transfer to the rubber. However, regular paper isn't going to give you as clean a transfer as tracing paper, so do yourself a favor and pick up a pad for a couple of bucks.
4. Testing ink
The brands and types of ink out there are plentiful and varied, but let's just focus on what you'll need for carving and testing your stamps.
I use Craft Smart ink pads that I buy at Michael's (only when they are on sale, which they often are!) in some shade of red, deep red, or magenta. Why do I like this particular brand? Because it's washable and cheap. The purpose of the a testing ink pad is a. to have something to help you see where you've carved away, b. to be able to test print your work-in-progress over and over, and c. to wash away when you're finished, so it looks pretty, clean, and like-new. This may not matter to you if you're just going to use it yourself, but it's nice when you are planning on selling the stamp or giving it as a gift.
As for the ink you end up using with your completed stamp, quality definitely improves when you spend more. I happen to love the ColorBox brand and it was what I used for all of my product photography. This set is a perfect starter. All the colors of the rainbow, and each petal shaped ink pad pulls out to be used individually. The pointed tips are great for small areas when you are using multiple inks on one stamp, or the rounded edges can be used for larger areas. These pigment inks are very rich, and when you get a brand new ink pad, you'll see that a little goes a long way. ($ saving alert - this is a great item to use your 50% off Michael's coupon on!)
Now this may be jumping ahead a bit, but I think it's worth mentioning now. One of the biggest misunderstandings about rubber stamping is that you should tap your stamp onto your ink pad. Not so! Instead, lay your stamp flat and tap the ink pad all over the stamp to get a nice, even coating of ink. Hopefully this will answer anyone's question of "What if your stamp is bigger than those little ink pads?".
5. Self healing cutting mat
This is a great tool to have, but you don't need one. If you'd rather wait to see if you even like carving stamps first before purchasing this, you can use a sketch book or a notebook to work on. Something you won't mind getting a bit dinged up that gives you some protection between where you carve and the surface you're working on. Unless you really loathe your kitchen table, then by all means, feel free to work directly on it. ;)
Do we have everything? I think we do!
SETTING UP A WORK SPACE
When it comes to carving stamps, think of yourself as Goldilocks. You want a work surface that is not too high and not too low, but just right for you. This may end up being a crafting table you have set up in a special room, a desk, your coffee table or your kitchen table. You want to be seated comfortably and able to use your arms freely. Wherever you are comfortable drawing or writing in a seated position should also work for carving. Another thing to note is that you want to be quite still while you are working. If you've got a rambunctious pup or kiddo who is going to surprise you with a jostle, perhaps it's best to wait until you have a little more personal space. For me, I always liked working on my coffee table because it was the perfect height. But I'd sit on the couch and if I was sharing it with someone else, that was a problem. The subtlest movement from your couch buddy can disturb you. This may seem like overkill, but trust me, once you get started, you'll see what I mean. (A little sneeze and oops! There goes your stamp.)
HOW TO CARVE RUBBER STAMPS
Let's return to this handy image courtesy of Tian Gan. The position of her hands, and how she's holding the cutting tool is spot on. She's carving away from herself (carving safety tip #1!), keeping the blade parallel to the work surface. If you hold it at too great an angle, you'll drive your blade down into the rubber, when what you want to do is glide across the rubber.
Your other hand will be holding the rubber and moving it around while you carve. Some small cuts I make by holding the rubber still and gliding the tool along, but for most other cuts - especially long ones, curved ones, or detailed ones - it's easiest to keep your blade somewhat steady in place with your dominant hand and move the rubber with your other hand, the blade following your pencil outline.
Remember how I told you to trim off any slanted down edges of your new sheet of rubber? Well this excess material is great for testing out how to hold your new lino cutter and carve with it. Try out some simple, short straight lines to get started (remember to work away from yourself!). Then draw a curved line and see if you can follow it with your blade. Experiment with holding the rubber still vs holding the tool still and moving the rubber. Feel the difference between the two and just keep playing with it until you feel like you understand how to control it. A rule of thumb is to take a deeeep breath and relax. The art of carving is not a race. Try and speed through the process and you can almost certainly expect to end up stabbing yourself somehow. It takes time and practice to get the hang of it, but even once you do, you'll always have to do this in a slow and methodical way to get the best results.
Now that I've gotten that part out of the way, let me take you step by step through what my process has always been to create a new stamp design.
1. Draw your design.
I know it's tempting to start off with a bang, but I'd recommend beginning with very simple shapes as you build up your carving skills and I think a simple leaf shape is a great place to start. It's a natural, organic form so you can't go wrong! After you've done that, try a circle. A circle is a little more challenging because you'll have to make one continuous cut and reconnect with the spot you started with when you finish. Sounds easy enough, but it's a little tricky getting the hang of this to the point where you can't see any evidence of where that start/stop location is in the printed image. Begin with solid shapes and then play with carved details inside. Once you've done that, try carving the insides out so it is just an outline. You could spend hours getting familiar with this process working on just these tasks alone. By the end of your learning/experimentation session, you'll have a bunch of new stamps to mix and match and create floral patterns with - win win!
When you are drawing your design on paper first, draw it exactly as you'd like to see it printed. If you want to wing it and draw right onto the rubber, do this remembering that whatever you draw will be printed in reverse. It's essential to create a design first on paper if you are using any kind of lettering. (Unless you are a master at writing backwards. How do I know? Maybe you are!)
I like to keep a sketch book devoted to stamp designs. I'll doodle here or there and return to my doodles to see which ones I want to make a stamp of.
Here's where you get to see my non-manicured gardener/painter fingers and super used/scratched up cutting pad - yikes!
2. Transfer your design
I take a piece of tracing paper and lay it over the design, copying it in pencil (don't be shy, a faint transfer will be difficult to see when carving).
I then take the tracing paper and lay it pencil side down on top of what I know is a good section of rubber without any imperfections.
Holding the tracing paper in place with one hand, I use the other to "burnish" the image onto the rubber with... my finger nails. It works! Not the tips of your nails, like you are scratching at it, instead use the rounded "meat" of your nails (as seen above). If you'd like something more fancy, you can buy a burnishing bone, but really, fingers are free.
3. Cut around the design
Here is where having a self healing cutting mat comes in handy. If you don't have one and you're just working on a sketch/notebook, use the cardboard backing of the pad (or a slip of cardboard) under the rubber for this part.
Using your X-Acto knife, cut around the design, leaving yourself about a quarter inch or so of extra rubber surrounding the design. If you trim it too close to begin with, the carving process can feel a bit cramped. Alternatively, if you don't trim it and work with an entire rubber sheet, the carving process is clumsy.
4. Ink the stamp
Here is where I've seen I differ from some instructional how-to's. Not everyone inks their stamps right from the start, sometimes not until towards the end. I like to do this to really see what I'm doing the whole way through. Tap your ink pad (remember, cheap is fine! This part isn't for show!) onto the rubber to ink it, and then press the rubber down onto a blank sheet of paper. I like to work on the blank backs of printed pages set for the recycle bin.
One reason I do this before I even begin carving is to see if I missed any imperfections with the rubber. If I have, and if possible, I'll just flip that piece of rubber over and transfer the image again from my tracing paper. You may need to go over it again in pencil if that second transfer is too faint.
5. Begin carving
With your smallest blade, carve along the edge of the design, following your pencil mark. Using the leaf shape as an example, I like to begin my line right before where it actually begins and complete it just beyond where it ends.
Once I've got the outside lines carved, I carve the interior lines (if there are any). In the case of this stem, I begin with the longest line in the middle. When I go back in to carve the little lines on the side, I place the base of the blade inside that center line to begin. It's easier to do this rather than working towards the center line. You can easily carve too far and end up with a little chunk removed that makes it look, for lack of a better word, "wonky".
I test it again to see how that inside design turned out - looks good!
I come back in with the larger, U-shaped blade to carve a deeper chunk of rubber away from the sides.
Once that's done, I carve away the extra rubber with my X-Acto knife, working at an angle that will make the backside wider than the top. You want to do this so the image prints well once you've finished.
At this point, I ink it again and test it out. Most often there are very small lines that will appear along the edge (as seen above).
Using the small blade again, I carve those areas away. Remember when you are looking at your test print, the corresponding area on the stamp will be on the opposite side.
6. Finish the stamp
Once you've got a nice printed image, the last step is to finish carving away the excess rubber around the design.
Wash the stamp in warm water and liquid dish or hand soap. If you've got a little pencil residue, you can gently rub the stamp with the meat of your thumb as you are washing it. It may not all come off, but that's ok - handmade doesn't mean factory-cookie-cutter perfection, right?
7. All done, now what?
You can start using your stamp right away as-is, especially if it's a smaller sized stamp. I don't usually use any kind of mounting unless I'm working with a larger stamp (somewhere between 2"-3" and up).
However, in my years working with customers, I've found that many do not like the likelihood of getting ink on their fingers when working with an unmounted stamp. So with that in mind, let's talk about mounting...
8. Mounting your stamp
The biggest money saving tip I have for mounting is to buy a couple of clear stamp mounts - small and large - and a roll of double sided tape. This way you can use the same mounts over and over and save on storage space (especially if you are planning on creating a lot of stamps). I love that you can see through the mounts so you know exactly where you are printing.
If you want something pretty and permanent for a smaller sized stamp, I like to use flat wood rounds I buy at craft stores or online. A very striking alternative would be to use natural wood slices like these:
E6000 is pretty much the best craft glue I've come across for a variety of purposes, and I use it to glue stamps to wood mounts. It's strong stuff, so be careful not to get any on your fingers and if you are working with children, this is a step I'd reserve for an adult.
You can stamp the top of the wood mount before you glue the stamp on for a very pretty presentation.
Once you get some simple designs under your belt, you can keep increasing the complexity of designs you intend on carving. With time and patience, you can end up carving something like this!
Phew! We've come a long way, baby!
If you don't already feel overwhelmed with information, I'd suggest going to youtube to watch some carving in action. There are a ton of great videos if you simply search rubber stamp carving.
Have a question? PLEASE feel free to ask! Leave a comment, or write to me via my new Facebook page for Green Garden Studios. I'd love to see what you create!
Feel confident about your stamp carving skills? You can now purchase my designs as instant downloads to carve yourself! See them all in my shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenGardenStudios?section_id=17175996
