Rubber Stamp Carving Learning the Basics
In today’s busy world, it seems little for people to find time doing some artistic stuff like rubber stamping. This is especially true for those who are living in the corporate world. But isn’t it rewarding to try out something creative and new even during your free time? Isn’t it cool to see some pieces of art properly set at the center or corner of your desk? What’s more if those pieces are made without you attending any art training? Well, many of those who realized that people need time to relax and enjoy something new are now trying out rubber stamp carving. The best thing to know about their experiences is that the craft did not only give them time to explore something creative, but it gave them enough courage and confidence to say that they have the talent.
Rubber stamping is rapidly emerging as a form of specialized art. It is currently enjoyed by thousands of people from different areas in the world regardless of their age, sex, and experience. As mentioned earlier, the craft is practiced even by those who have no formal art trainings, and perhaps one of the major reasons that rubber stamping is becoming so hot is that it is easy and fun to do. It is this fact actually that allows the craft to be appreciated by both the small and large scale art forms, including mail art, greeting cards, pins, and even scrapbooking.
Being so popular, it’s no surprise to know that you can find and get rubber stamps in just about any forms or style you can think of. You can also adapt some stamp designs that were once made for several purposes, be it for business or personal use. But although that possible, there’s still nothing capable of thrashing the great possibilities that carving your own rubber stamp designs can give.
So if you are thinking of designing your own rubber stamps, you’ll probably be happy to know that it’s so easy to do. You can start experimenting on your rubber eraser, but make sure to prepare all the needed materials and tools for the carving. Want to know the details? If yes, then continue reading.
Basic Materials and Tools Needed
Before you can create your own rubber stamp designs on a piece of eraser, you need first to prepare all the materials and tools needed for carving. The first thing you’ll need, which is already given, is the eraser. You can find a lot of them from small to large stores in your area these days. They come in different styles and colors, and they differ much in quality and price. But knowing that they’re just a piece of a school supplies, you can find them pretty affordable.
But in terms of size, the erasers usually come in small sizes. These sizes then fit only to smaller designs. So if you are thinking of stamping a pretty large image, you need a larger piece of eraser. The good news is that, most manufacturers of rubber erasers have already created huge erasers for the rubber stamping artists. They still come with different qualities, though. Some are brittle and are more susceptible to breaking, while others are hard and strong. There are also others that feature those bubbly particles, which for artists is not a good character of a good eraser. With these differences, it would be best if you’ll spend enough time figuring out which is best. Every person has a particular preference for specific materials in mind, so if possible, do some experimentations on as many materials as you can to really determine which of the available carving erasers are perfect for your artistic piece.
From erasers, you need to transfer your attention to the carving tools. Well, you can obtain just a simple kit of the carving tools in one of the craft stores in your area. Most carvers and rubber stampers employ a small knife for cutting certain areas. There are also others who use the so-called “V-gouge” and “U-gouge” for clearing out some big parts of the carving material. The V and U gouges have been around for a number of years now and it’s nice to know that they are known throughout the craft industry as the most valuable tools for carving all types of materials, be it a rubber, wood blocks, or linoleum blocks.
In case your rubber stamping designs contain holes that need to be poked in, you can use nails, screws, or paper clips for such purpose. These tools can also be used for forming the texture in your rubber eraser.
Also prepare some pencils, tapes, and a tracing paper. These materials are needed for transferring a particular design onto the rubber or eraser. This step is basically what signals the start of carving.
A brayer and certain forms of mounting blocks may also be needed for the image printing. Just like the rest of the materials, these too can be obtained from a craft store near you. And, since transferring the design into the rubber is somewhat tricky, you need to prepare some tools that can help you transfer the image from your tracing paper to the eraser. A spoon can work on this. Just rub the back of your tracing paper to allow the image to stick onto the rubber. Most professional rubber stampers use a baren for this particular aim.
The materials valuable for rubber stamp carving are not only limited to what are previously mentioned. Fact is, your rubber stamping project won’t be successful if you don’t have the ink. Yes, the ink is one of the most important materials needed for a successful rubber stamp carving project, and just like the rest of the tools, this too comes in different types. You can find ink pads that are dye based, while there are others that are metallic, embossing, fabric, and pigment based. Whichever you may choose, it is always best to pick up ink pads that can be re-inked. In this way, frustration is out of your way in case you run out of the color you wanted to apply.
The traditional printmaking ink can also make a great alternative for your rubber stamp carving project. However, you will need a piece of a palette knife and a brayer in order to spread the ink on your material. You can go for the water based, or for the oil based inks, depending on your preference. And, since they can pose certain dangers if not handled properly, it is important that you’re aware of their basics before you use them. For instance, the water based inks need only amounts of water for the clean up, while the latter type needs solvents.
Finally, you’ll need to prepare a piece of paper. Not the tracing paper, but the one you’ll use for the sample stamps. The good thing about using this material is that paper now comes in a number of textures and colors. If you are just testing some stamps for a small project, try to use the inexpensive ones. While for large projects, you can try the ones with slick designs and matte surfaces. This kind of paper is said to be perfect for the specialized craft of rubber stamping simply for the fact that most stamping inks tend not to dry in surfaces that are glossy and silky.
Tips for Carving
So you’ve got all the materials and tools needed for the carving. Ready for a much exciting task? Before you start doing all the carves, note that rubber stamping artists and carvers, regardless of their level of experience and age, have one single aim in mind when carving – to leave and scratch away anything they don’t want to appear on print. So once you have sketched your design on the eraser, figure out which side of the block you’ll place the first cut.
Use only the most appropriate tools for carving. You can use a craft knife to begin the cuts. You can use this tool for cutting the image out of the rest of the eraser. However, the knife only works best for straight lines. So make sure to do the cuts at the right angle to make the edges of your block not vertical. And, since most of the craft knives are very sharp, extra caution should be observed. If possible, strike your carves away from yourself.
When carving, it is always common to see the blocks slipping away from the ground and this, obviously, is very risky. So to keep the block steady, you can employ a bench hook. This tool is designed specifically for carvers to use and it works to hold a particular material in place. If you want to make the carving easy, then the hook can truly help you. But when doing the carves, don’t force the cutting tool to cut away some parts of the block. There are some carving materials that are hard to cut, while there are others that break so easily. If you’ll push the carves so hard just to make a good cut, the tendency is that certain damages may occur especially if the material is so soft. If in case you are having trouble with a particular cut, use a much sharper cutting material to solve all the problems. One important thing to note when carving is to carve only the portion of the rubber or eraser that does not contain the image you’ve designed.
Once the carving is done, inking comes next. This is where you use the appropriate ink and color for your stamp. If the result of the initial carving needs for polishing, then do some carvings again. Test it once more to see the changes until you feel satisfied.
Mounting the Carvings
Most carvers and rubber stampers prefer to mount their carvings on a certain material or block to make them easier and lighter to use. Well, mounting the carvings into a preferred block is not actually a very necessary requirement in rubber stamping, but if you want your work to become more fun and easier, the idea can help. It is for this realization that many of the rubber stamping enthusiasts are spending extra time looking for the right blocks. Typically, the blocks are made of wood, but there are also others that are crafted from different materials like cement.
In mounting the carvings, you can use a rubber cement type of adhesive for putting the mount, the rubber stamp, and the cushion together. This material also works even for the acrylic mounts. Nevertheless, if you prefer to just mount the stamps temporarily, you can use certain materials capable of keeping the stamps on a mount just for a short time. You can use a scotch tape for this matter to hold the stamp to the block you have prepared, be it acrylic or wood.
What’s with Printing
Printing is a necessary process in rubber stamping and carving. It is important simply for the reason that it determines how effective or ineffective your carving is. Simply put, it is only printing that you can see the fruit of your labor.
The printing of the stamps is as simple as picking up a particular carve and placing it on a pad of ink and then pressing it on paper. However, the work can be complicated if the stamp involved is much bigger than the ink pad. In this case, it would be effective if you’ll lay the block down first with the carvings facing side up. You can press the pad around this area while forwarding through the others parts until the entire design is filled with ink. For a much easier application, take the ink off from its pad and apply them to your stamps with the use of the brayer.
It is typical for a first try to produce not-so-good crafts. If you happen to see your initial prints uneven, then don’t despair. There may be some problems on your carvings that make your design appear like spotty or odd. Lack of ink can be one cause. Yes, much of the new stamps typically need some ink for them to create good prints. It is here basically where the importance of re-inking comes in.
The poor result can also be linked to the poor quality of your paper. Most professional artists employ papers that boast a smooth surface knowing the fact that this kind can make a good print. So before doing the printing, try to look at the quality of your paper first. See if the paper has a smooth or a hard texture. Those with very hard surfaces will only make your print difficult, so throw them away. Also look at the area where your paper rests. It is common for a print to look odd when the paper is rested close to the ground. To eliminate the problem, place a few layers of newspaper, for instance, under the printing paper you are using. Also practice with different presses and stamps. Figure out the differences when you press the stamp so hard on paper, or when you just slightly exert effort to make the print. Of course, the force you exert on the printing will determine the quality of your prints.
Polishing, Cleaning and Storing
So you’ve made all the works, from the designing to the carving and to printing. Well, it’s now time to polish your printed works.
There are a lot of things you can do to enhance your stamps and carvings. One of the most important moves to take is to exert some time cleaning the pieces. But is before you do the cleaning and the polishing, note that how easy and light the task would be depends on how perfect the prints are. It may also depend on what type of ink you have utilized for the prints. Usually, the water based inks are much easier to clean than those oil based inks.
When cleaning the stamps with water, be carefully when switching from dark to light spots. There are some instances when the dark inks may blend with the light ones, and this may mean something negative. For a good result, try out some test prints first for the dark spots to wear off. This should be considered prior to doing some important prints.
If in case you are using an oil based ink on your works, the best thing you can do to make the cleaning proper is to read and understand what is directed on the ink’s label. This is so typical so don’t be surprised when you see your ink label saying everything about the proper solvents to use for the polishing and cleaning. Just review them instead, and follow what is directed. Don’t also forget to look for some safety precautions associated with the products.
In terms of storage, there are some rubber materials that react to plastics. So to make sure that no adverse reaction will occur, it would be best to store your rubber stamps and carvings in plastics lined with papers. The papers, in this sense, will serve as protectors from your stamps and their containers. In relation to that, don’t place the rubber stamps on top of each other. There is a great possibility for them to stick together and this happens usually when they are stored in plastic containers. So if you want to store stamps in a particular container without having to worry about them sticking each other, look for containers that are stackable. Just like the rest of the rubber stamping materials and tools, they are offered by hundreds of craft stores these days. Perhaps all you need to do to find is to exert even just a bit of your effort and time searching for the right one.
