Carved Stamps

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 I spent a very calm new year's eve working (at an art studio) and carving the first side of my 6 inch by 4 inch piece of soft-cut block that I believe is made by Speedball (no affiliation). This first photo is the full stamp  and the second is a closeup that shows you all of my imperfect cuts.

I think that 2012 will be a year that I leave room that allows room for imperfections, since my focus will mostly be experimenting and exploring as I create. As processes emerge from my experiments, I will learn a lot. You can see from the stamp being covered with paint and how the stamp looks on fabric, there could be some improvements if I choose to make an absolutely perfect carved stamp. But I kind of like the less formal addition of personality that the imperfect cuts add to the piece. I also love the idea of 'allowing' the imperfections to be part of the work. Just like imperfections are part of us and part of life.

It was pretty easy not to fret over the lines that are not straight. I learned a bit about which tool might give me the look that I want and which tool scoops the way I need.

One of the best parts of using this soft-cut block is that it is thick enough to cut another design on the flip side.So once finished, I flipped it over and started a new stamp. I like it too.

Flowing lines and bubbles inspired by the Raw Art Journaling technique of Free-Floating Bubbles (p.77). Disclosure, yes, author Quinn McDonald is a good friend of mine and I love this book of hers. The openness of my lines and bubbles design allows for the addition of words after stamping. I will probably use markers or gel pens to add words to the fabric.




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And I can't sign off without wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year! May the year 2012 be one in which you realize your dreams and take some of those risks you have previously been hesitant to take.

R