I have been catching up on my Creative Cues. While I have been enjoying the free-motion sketches, I wanted to try something new.
I have only carved a stamp once before, and was not very successful, so I thought I would try to improve that skill. Two things I know:
- Carve away from yourself, and
- Turn the block, not the knife thing (not sure what it is called).
It's just hard to remember these things when you get excited about what you are doing. Luckily, my hands are intact! So, let me show you what I made.
Creative Cue 16, FULL I decided to do the rabbit in the full moon from the old folk tale, and this version includes the cooking pot.
Creative Cue 17, POCKET For this one, I made a stamp based on the pocket of Second Daughter's jeans. It should make an interesting border.
Creative Cue 18, BREAK For this cue, a stamp of a breaking wave.
There are a few things I would do differently. On the Full Moon stamp, I forgot to reverse my image, so it is backwards from the actual formations as you would see them on the moon. On the Pocket, I would change the way the lines interlaced in the center, for a more balanced look. For the breaking wave, I would adjust how the wave joins the circle. But overall, I am pleased with the experience, and plan to do more.
I have a question for anyone reading this who has carved these soft rubber blocks. The blocks tended to crumble at the edges. Is this because I was using too much pressure, or is it a directional issue, or something else altogether? If you have any tips on this, please leave me a comment.
Now, for something completely different.
This is Ginny and Weasley dissing a box that some new goodies arrived in. I can't show you what it was just yet (even though I really want to), because it might spoil the surprise for someone who reads this blog. But for a hint, check out Suzanne's beautiful work at the Flying Pig. I love her soft colors, and they are even prettier in person.
Hope all your boxes have treasures (or at least that they taste good).
4 comments:
Great idea to try interpreting the cues with stamps. I think you did very well with these. Thanks for sharing. I'm behind on the cues too and hope to catch up one of these days.
I was thinking Full Moon, too!
Nice job stretching your wings to try some new techniques for the others.
Nice wave, too! Reminds me of the old Japanese prints, but still your own design.
One night at my art quilt group, we experimented with a number of stamp block materials. Collectively, there were some materials we liked better than others. I think the crumble factor was one of the issues. Some we glued to a wooden backing to give more support. You might just try a different carving material ... Happy explorations!
How fun with the stamps!
Love that pottery too.
Bunnies and boxes. Always a good combination.
very useful advice for stamping and what lovely bunnies!
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