Tuesday, June 1, 2010

How- To: Making Your Own Stamps!

 (Hearts Afire, 12" x 12", hand-carved stamps on heavy watercolor paper, 2007)

(This tutorial can also be purchased as an e-book from both Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel.)

Every artist needs primary source material. Primary source material is original images, sketches, drawings and photographs that the artist herself has generated without the aid of any outside sources. In other words, the shot you snapped of light reflecting off water, the sketch you made of your kitty, or the watercolor landscape you painted a few years ago is your primary source material.

Finding PSM becomes challenging (and often disheartening) if you're an artist like me who doesn't draw. I probably could draw. I've certainly doodled enough; I even took a face-painting class once and wasn't utterly mortified by my results. But generally speaking, I know next to nothing about drawing, shading, light sources and all the other mysterious, magical elements figurative artists must understand to create art capable of moving us.

That very fact alone nearly stopped me dead in my tracks years ago, when the desire for making art began to bubble inside me in earnest. I knew I needed original source material, I wanted it; from the beginning, I have been loathe to use anyone else's images or ideas in my own work. It feels wrong to me on a profound level, despite the intellectual understanding that there are "angel" companies out there that invite you to use their images, designs and artwork in your own artwork.

So how does an artist who can't, don't, or won't draw get original imagery into their art? Stamps, of course. And the best part is that they're easy to make, use and clean. Storing all the wonderful stamps you're likely to create in your lifetime is up to you, though- it's still something I struggle with myself!

Let's get to it. We'll start with one of the easiest and cheapest stamping materials you can use... 

Corrugated Cardboard Stamps

What You'll Need:
- 3-ply corrugated cardboard, recycled from old boxes or purchased in cut sheets at a local shipping store.


My favorite cardboard to work with for making stamps is 3-ply, which means it has three layers of flat, brown paper sandwiched between two layers of corrugation.

What You'll Do:

- For simple, clean line work, carefully peel off all the paper from one side of the cardboard only, revealing the corrugation underneath. For something a little messy and edgy, leave some areas of the paper intact and unearth only a little of the corrugation.
- To preserve these stamps for years (yes, literally years), paint them on all sides with a couple of thin coats of Gesso or acrylic craft paint. It will help stiffen the cardboard and also make the stamps cleanable with a slightly damp cloth (I keep baby wipes next to me in the studio at all time for jobs like this- and don't throw them out when you're done cleaning up- treat them as any other painted textile and use them in your work!) When the stamps eventually start to break down, celebrate their noble disintegration and continue using them... these are texture tools and any texture they give is a gift.
- To use: with a craft stick load a small sponge with craft or textile paint and gently pat the paint into the stamp. (The best sponges for this are sold in the automotive department and are usually large- use scissors to cut them down to any size you want- and yellow. These sponges can be important tools in your arsenal because they stay soft when dry despite repeated usage, but can also be used very effectively when damp.)
 

- Press firmly onto dry or damp paper or fabric and lift straight up. If you want a less crisp image, use your sponge to blur the image a little, rubbing over it very lightly until you're satisfied.
-Try using the backs and the edges or your cardboard stamp, too!


- And for something really fun, cut out simple shapes from cardstock or copy paper and place them down on the paper or fabric you're going to stamp. Load your stamp with paint as described above and then stamp on top of the shapes. The shapes will probably stick to the stamp, so peel them off, turn them over onto your fabric, and use them to take a "monoprint"!


To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth

Continuous Roller Stamps



Some of my favorite stamps to make and use are continuous roller stamps. A continuous roller stamp can be made out of any sturdy cylindrical object (except glass, please- safety first!)

What You'll Need:
- "Fun Foam" self-adhesive sheets
- "Fun Foam" self-adhesive shapes (sold in buckets in the childrens' aisle at the craft store.


- Scissors, sharp craft or utility knife, hole punches with various shapes.
- Cardboard mailing tubes, old acrylic brayers and rollers (used for rolling out poly clay), recycled lint rollers, wallpaper seam rollers, even old rolling pins from the thrift store!


What You'll Do:

- Make sure your roller is free of dust and lint by wiping with a damp cloth.
- For pre-cut shapes: peel the paper backing off the shape, exposing the adhesive, and press onto your roller in any pattern or configuration you like. Press firmly to ensure adhesion. I know it seems like these little foam bits will never remain stuck to your roller stamp, and on rare occasions one will pop off, but in general they adhere incredibly well and will stay put for years of usage.
- For fun foam self-adhesive sheets, simply cut any shape you like and stick it to your roller, pressing firmly. You can get remarkably fine detail and narrow shapes with the foam if you cut it with a very sharp blade.
- For use with hole punches, simply cut off a piece of fun foam from a sheet and start punching holes into it. Preserve each small piece as it comes out of the punch, peel the backing off each one, and firmly press them onto your roller.


- I use tweezers to pull the release paper off the back of the fun foam shapes. And if getting the tiny shapes out of your hole punch is as much as a challenge for you as it always is for me, use a pair of pliers to snap off the "lid" of the chamber that holds the scraps.


- And don't forget to save the fun foam out of which you punched your shapes! Adhere it to a piece of cardboard or foamcore and you have a whole other stamp!

- To "ink" these stamps up, load a dry sponge with paint as described above and then "roller" over it until your stamp is wet with paint. 


To Clean: roller gently on a damp cloth

Foam Printing Plates


What You'll Need:

- Scrap foam core board OR,
- Recycled styrene meat plates
- Pencil or ball-point pen
- Sharp craft or utility knife

What You'll Do:

- If using foam core (recommended for its durability and strength), cut a piece the size of the stamp you want to carve and remove the paper from ONE side only of the foam core. If the paper is stubborn, you can soak it with a little water, but usually the paper just peels right off. You'll be cutting into the foam side of your altered foam core board.

 

- If using a foam meat plate (the kind the grocery stores use under hamburger meat and steaks, etc), cut the plate to the desired size.
- Once your foam plate or foam core board is prepared, use a pen or pencil to lightly score the surface of the foam in the design you want. You can do this freehand, or you can print your favorite design on copy paper, cut it to the same size as your foam plate and hold it on top of the plate and score lightly through the lines into the foam below. If using a template, remove it and using your score lines as a guide, carefully cut with the craft knife into the foam along your score lines, deepening them. Be very careful not to cut all the way through the foam core paper backing or the stamp may fall apart!
- Load with paint and stamp!



To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth

Foam Core And Fun Foam Stamp

 

What You'll Need:

- foam core board, OR heavy cardboard, OR heavy bookboard, cut to any size and shape you like
- sharp scissors or craft knife

What You'll Do:

- When using pre-cut shapes, press shapes firmly onto form core board or cardboard. That's it! 
-Remember: you can cut up the pre-cut shapes and configure them in any way you like- a heart doesn't have to be a heart, it can be a curvy abstract shape... and large shapes can be "hollowed out" by cutting into them with a sharp craft knife and removing some of the foam!
- When using sheets of fun foam, cut any shape or design you like, and press them firmly to the foam core board or cardboard.
- If you like, you can prime these stamps with Gesso to help with their longevity, but I've always found that just using them with acrylic paints is enough to strengthen them.

To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth

Foam Core and Hot Glue Stamps:




What You'll Need: 
- Foam Core Board or Cardboard
- Hot Glue Gun (low melt is also fine)

What You'll Do:
- Cut foam core or cardboard to any shape and size.
- Heat hot glue gun and load with a glue stick. (NEVER TOUCH THE BUSINESS END OF A GLUE GUN WHEN IT'S HOT!)
- If you prefer, sketch or transfer a design on the foam core.
- Once the glue is molten and flowing easily, slowly trace your sketch lines, or free-hand a design in glue onto the foam core. 
- Let cool until set and use!

To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth 

Magic Foam Stamps



What You'll Need:

- Magic Foam Sheets OR Magic Foam Shapes (Please note! This is NOT the same product as Fun Foam! Magic Foam and Fun Foam are NOT interchangeable!)
- Craft Heat Gun
- Sharp Scissors
- rubber bands, twist ties, bubble wrap, plastic mesh, or anything you can think of! 

 

What You'll Do:
- If cutting Magic Foam sheets, use sharp scissors to create any size or shape you like.
- On a solid surface, arrange your rubber bands or other items in whatever way pleases you.
- CAREFULLY warm the Magic Foam with the heat gun. I move the heat around on the Magic Foam for about 30 seconds.
- Without delay, press into your arranged items with the warmed side of the foam. Hold the foam in place, keeping steady, strong pressure on it without shifting it around (which would create hesitant, insipid marks), for about 20-30 seconds.
- Lift Magic Foam off arranged items. Your stamp is now ready to use.




- The wonderful thing about this product is that when it's re-warmed, the impression on it will disappear, leaving you with a fresh surface on which to impress another design! They can be re-used like this endlessly.
- Try impressing the magic foam with one of your own carved stamps for a reverse image!

 

-Here I started with an old Magic Foam impression I was ready to change. I heated the foam and pressed it into the wood block stamp.

 

Voila! A new stamp!

To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth


Wood Block And Fun Foam Stamps



What You'll Need: 
- plywood scraps in any shape or size
- Fun Foam self-adhesive sheets or shapes
- Sharp craft blade

What You'll Do:
- If using foam shapes, simply place the shapes in any configuration you like. The stamp is ready to use!
- If using foam sheets, peel the release paper off the back to reveal the adhesive and adhere to the wood block. The wood doesn't need to be sanded or primed for this, but it should be dust-free.
- Carve into the foam, creating any design or shape you like, and peel off any unwanted pieces of foam. This will dull your blade after a while so if you're doing a large stamp, you may need to change blades!





- If at any time you want to change your image (and I've even done this YEARS after creating a stamp), use a new, sharp blade and cut away any of the image you don't want. Peel off the unwanted bits and discard. 


To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth.

MasterCarve Stamps



What You'll Need:

- MasterCarve Artist Carving Blocks, OR Lino Printing Blocks, OR inexpensive gum erasers in any size or shape.
- Carving tools or a sharp craft knife.

 

What You'll Do:

- Sketch or transfer an image to the Carving block using pencil or pen. 


- IMPORTANT! Read the material packaged with your cutting tools to learn how to change blades safely! They are incredibly sharp tools that can cut very deeply, very quickly!
- Using a "V-shaped" cutting blade and being very careful to always PUSH the tool away from you rather than pulling it towards you, sink the blade into the rubber block and begin carving. If you want to print an image of the negative space around your design, cut along the lines. If you want a positive image of your design, cut outside the lines and remove all excess material. 




-(Here, of course, I carved a stamp to print the negative space around my design.)
- If you want to carve letters and words, be sure to transfer the design (or sketch it) onto your block backwards!

To Clean: wipe gently with a damp cloth.

Helpful Tips

- Take care of your stamps, but don't obsess about keeping every speck of paint or ink off of them. The more acrylic that builds on them, the more interesting the texture they produce. Just keep the negative spaces clear of paint build-up!
- I demo'd all these stamps on white paper, but they work beautifully on fabric, as well- even already printed commercial fabrics!
- Try spritzing your paint-loaded stamp (or even your paint-loaded sponge) with a little water and see what kind of image you get.
- Try NOT re-loading your stamp with paint in between impressions. Some of the neatest texture comes from stamps that have almost no paint on them.
- Do NOT worry if you don't get crisp, clear images on every stamp- the idea is to add texture and build layers with these stamps. If you want clean images, go for it, but mostly, use these freely and stress as little as possible about making something "perfect".
- Layer your stamping and change colors frequently. Work intuitively and with a sense of fun and curiosity.
- Create masks with cut shapes, flat items, or masking tape and stamp on TOP of them. When you remove the masks, you'll have interesting effects.
- Use your stamps with thickened MX dyes on soda-soaked, dry fabric.
- Play, have fun and worry less- you can't make mistakes here because all you're really looking for are more tools in your arsenal that create depth and texture with paint, dyes and ink!

I hope this tutorial helps to fire your imagination. The possibilities for stamp creation are endless, once you realize that nearly everything can be turned into a stamp!

Happy stamping!

69 comments:

Norma Schlager said...

Wow, wow, wow! This is absolutely fantastic! Your instructions are wonderful and very clear, as are the pictures. I can't wait to try some of these. I especially like the continuous roller ideas. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.

janice pd said...

this is fantastic! A concise tutorial for anyone to go play. I'll be passing along to friends.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous tutorial, heaps of methods and ideas....how very generous of you. I'm printing this out for my reference, and will point friends to this blog. Thanks so mush

kathy said...

Excellent tutorial, Judy and some really great ideas!

Aileen Clarke Crafts said...

Wonderful post! (I'd say fantastic but that has been said already lol)
I've passed this on to some friends already : )

Rossie said...

This is awesome! I've bookmarked this post and will return to it again and again.

Rossie

Anonymous said...

How wonderful! I'll be using my home-made stamps again and again. Thank you so much for the tutorial.

Lori said...

This is fantastic. Thank you so much for putting this together and posting it. A very valuable resource!

elle said...

Judi, you most definitely are Approachable. This is just wonderful. Not only is art approachable it is do-able. Thanks so VERY much.

kathy bagioni said...

Great tutorial! Well done instructions and photos.

Another stamp material I've used is a foam type mouse pad.

Judi said...

Judi thanks for a great tutorial. I will be making some stamps using your suggestions. Judi

Unknown said...

absolutely marvelous of you to do this!!!! and just in time for my fabric paint sessions that will start soon. huge thanks for all of the inspiration! Hugs!

Lisa Walton said...

Thanks so much for such clear and varied instructions. You are very generous to share this information with us all.

Cate Rose said...

Fabulous tutorial, Judi. Thanks!!

wangpatch said...

It was super to get an update on stamps. Another one is using thick cardboard and making designs with PVA and letting it dry

Terri Stegmiller said...

Great post Judi!!! I really like that small plastic roller with the small flower/round shapes. I have a roller similar to that and some small shapes from foam sheets. Now you've got me wanting to go make one of those.

ann said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this fabulous tutorial. I know they take time as I have done a few simple ones. This is a wonderful resource for me to add to my fiberart skills.
ann

Anonymous said...

Awesome tutorial - thanks so much for taking the time to show us all this stuff! Muchly appreciated.

Susan Schweikhart said...

Thanks for the informative tutorial. I've carved with Speedy-cut and plumbers rubber gaskets and am always looking for new materials to stamp with.
Tomorrow I'm stamping with a friend so this is very timely.

DeBorah Beatty said...

Other things that make great stamps are toddler sneakers (use the sole), old tennis shoes or flip flops. Towards the end of the season, you can get flip flops and clogs at the dollar store. Examine the bottoms and you'd be surprised at how wonderful the treads can be. Dollar stores and thrift shops are great places for looking at everything! (Even waffle stompers (cold weather hiking boots) are great!)

Jonadele Fashions said...

Thank you so much for all of the great ideas. I can't wait to try them out.

Jan said...

Great post Judi! I am sure this is in the works for me and my creativity group, to do a full day of stamping using your wonderful tutorial. If the weather ever clears up enough to work out doors, that is. Thanks for this, I'm book marking it. You are very generous.

Silvia "OrkaLoca" Dell'Aere said...

fantastic! thank you very much for this tutorial!!! It's very useful!

Marlis said...

this tutorial is just fabulous! thank you so much judi!

Diane said...

THANK YOU--you rock!!

tami said...

I am so excited : ) I have always wanted to make my own stamps but it seemed overwhelming to me! THank you!!!! I'm off to play.

Joy V said...

Fabulous tutorial - very generous of you to share this information with the rest of the world. Thank you so much

Robbie said...

Thank you SO much for sharing your expertise with all of us! The pics and instructions were wonderful!!!

studio pashnada said...

WOW! Judi that must have taken a lot of time - thank you. I knew of some of those techniques but not all of them.
you did a great job of explaining everything. again, thanks

Eleanor Levie said...

What fun! It makes sense that you spell Judi with an "eye" and not a "why?"...more of a "why NOT!"

One question--why not use a glass bottle with smooth walls as a roller? I'd fill it with water and cap tightly for a heavier cylinder to roll over fabrics...And just be careful it doesn't fall on the floor!--Eleanor Levie, www.eleanorlevie.com

Anonymous said...

Awesome tutorial and photos! I want to try them all. You are so generous to take the time to put this together. Thank you, thank you.

Dale Kathryn said...

I hesitate to buy commercially-available stamps because I just don't like them. Your techniques make stamping seem much more appealing.

Thank you for sharing.

Peggi Yac said...

This looks like a lot of fun. I can't wait to try some of your techniques. Thanks for the information.

KathyF said...

This is GREAT! Thanks a lot for posting this. I'm one of those uncreative types of people who can follow directions, but can't ever seem to think this up for myself. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Judi, These are wonderful ideas! You forgot one tho . . .the next time you find a used wheelbarrow or kid's wagon tire at the thrift store, buy it! I did and it makes a great worn impression. I knew I had been grabbing all those brayers I've found at various thrift stores for a reason. I must have been channeling you! Thanks so much for the tutorial. I'll be sharing your blog with my art friends.

Bev said...

As usual, you've wowed me. This is an amazing tutorial and I continue to bask in your reflected glory. I love telling folks, "Yes, she really is my daughter." You rock!.......Mom

Unknown said...

Wow, Judi, so many methods to try out! I'm especially anxious to try the Magic Foam (which I've never before heard of.)
Many thanks for the time, clear instructions and photos that went into this tutorial.

Gina said...

Fabulous! OK, I'm going to make stamps and create fabric this summer! You finally pushed me into the pool. You write so beautifully you need to put this all into a book!It's fun to read even if you don't want to make stamps and dye fabric. Oh I love that "PSM" - much better than "PMS"!

Unknown said...

GREAT POST! I am excited to try some of these techniques.

Susan Brubaker Knapp said...

I've tried some of these techniques, but not all. Thanks so much for sharing, and providing such marvelous instructions and photos!

Beth said...

I love it. It's like one stop shopping. I think I will try some rolling stamps. And by the way, happy anniversary!

neki desu said...

absolutely brilliant! best tute in the history of tutedom.thank you.

Micki said...

Got link here through Gail P. Wonderful tutorial. Thanks so much for your generosity and sharing all this info with us.

Susan from the Pacific Northwest said...

Excellent tutorial with lots of great ideas. Thanks!!!

Pat O'Connor said...

Thank you oh great one...
just bought textile paints
yesterday & ready to cut
loose.

Louise said...

Thankyou so much, I have been thinking about making stamps and this tutorial is wonderful. I followed a link from http://milliande.ning.com/

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

How on earth did I miss this post; it's brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing these techniques!

Nancy Standlee said...

Wow..what great information you are sharing. I am teaching a 3 day watercolor journaling workshop in Texas in July and this is a great source to direct my students. I've used the mastercarve and taken a class with Anne Bagby but your information is very inspiring.

lindsay said...

WOW! What a great tutorial...I have been wanting to make some stamps and you've got so many wonderful ideas and they all seem doable! Thanks so much for your time and effort!!! lindsay

Veronique said...

Thanks for this wonderful course. I made a lot of stamps during the years and still your tips are very useful and inspiring!
Greets from Belgium!

Anonymous said...

Wow- this tutorial is fantastic. I also consider myself to have no ability to draw, but I still want to be creative. This tutorial gives me tons of suggestions. Thanks.

Carla (Color Heals Me) said...

This is such a great tutorial. Thanks

Murphy Doodles said...

How inspiring!

I just bought your book today.

I'm already trying out some of your ideas. I don't have a glue gun, but have decided to try rubber glass paint on perspex to get the same effect.

Thank you!

Victoria said...

Great tutorial!!!!!!!!
Thankyou.

Tammy Vitale said...

Wonderful - found you on Pinterest and shared you on Facebook and Pinterest - awesome tutorial. Thank you!

carla said...

I came here after seeing one of your photos on pinterest and am so glad I followed the link! Making my own stamps is something that I want to do more of (I've done a few) but you've given me lots of new ideas that I want to try.

That's a great idea about using the empty lint roller. I hate to throw them away, but didn't know what to do with them until now.

An empty masking tape roll - can you thing of a way to use it as a base with some kind of a handle to keep the fingers a little more ink-free? (That's a perennial problem of mine.)

Great ideas. Thanks so much for sharing them.

karenmariehansen said...

that is one of the most fantastic tutorials i have ever read. Im deeply impressed with your creativity and the way you make the readers mind filling with ideas just by reading about yours. wow!

Re Use said...

wow very interesting!

Darlene said...

Nicely Detailed Tutorial on making handmade stamps. I did a post about it:

http://cinnamonpink.typepad.com/cinnamon_pink/2012/08/making-your-own-stamps-from-.html

Foam-By-Mail said...

People are always surprised how easy it is to make neat patterns by carving thin sheets of foam into stamps. You can make some really intricate pieces too, especially with precise cutting tools like those super-sharp crafting blades. Just glue them on to a base and get busy!

Unknown said...

Such wonderful ideas !!!! thank you so much. Can't wait to start.Thank y
u1ou for sharing !!!!

Lynne said...

Thanks for this great tutorial. I will make some of these.

Unknown said...

Fantastic post! Thank you for sharing it!

Ain't No Ninny said...

I know this was an old post but I really wanted to comment. I just saw this on Pinterest and loved it! Your directions are straight-forward and easy to understand. You have been so generous with your knowledge here. Thank you so much!

Amy Maricle said...

HI Judi:

Wow is right! I do a lot of art journal classes and teach a lot of different hand made stamp methods. I never knew about magic foam, so I can't wait to try it, and this is a great resource for having all the methods together. Thanks sooo much for making art accessible!

Happy Holidays,

Amy

Sharon said...

Love this!! So helpful!! Thanks for sharing your creativity!!

Shelley Whiting's art said...

A lot of creative ideas and great shapes. A great how to tutorial as well.

Unknown said...

Thankyou !!! Very very in formative . All the best .

Unknown said...

Thankyou !!! Very very in formative . All the best .