This week, I've been a bit consumed by the stamp-carving bug. I have the crazy idea that I'd love to stamp and paint wood (wood?! There aren't heaps of that lying around here in London!) and so have been working on some "natural" stamps that might go nicely with that kind of project: a mushroom, a flower wreath, a typewriter (?).
Inspired by Gennine and her book Making an Impression, as well as my thorough enjoyment of this stamp-carving malarkey, I decided to carve one of her larger stamps that I've had my eye on for a while: a butterfly.
There have been little bits of pink carving rubber flitting to the floor all weekend.
And eventually, if all goes well, it's going to look like one of these.
I also made one little change that made a world of difference to my stamp-carving activities. I ordered a Speedball Lino Tool. Yes, it had to come all the way from America because they're completely out of stock in the UK but oh it was so worth the extra hassle.
The Speedball #1 tip is a thousand times neater and easier to handle than the one I had - the Essdee. The tip is thinner, making details a lot easier to carve too. I'm definitely going to go back and neaten up some of the stamps I've already carved. All in all, an excellent WIP for this Wednesday!
