Stamp Makin' and Stick Puppets

Last night I started on what I hope will be the mastercarve dog stamp that I'm going to use for my New Years postcards. Ever since I saw the fantastic stamps Hillary made for her wee ornaments I've been itching to give it a try. But man oh man, I struggled with it.  AND I managed to stab myself twice! So far I've done all of the outer edges, and I'm feeling really nervous about finishing the inner ones.

In Buddy crafting news, we made some small object inspired stick puppets. I found some pre-cut wooden people and animal shapes at the craft store and Buddy painted them and used Sharpie pens for the face details. Quick, easy and fun. Here's a shot of his little guys visiting a lava flow on the Big Island.

Comments

[justJENN]

Holy crap - those puppets are going to burn, RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE PUPPETS!!!

[jan]

I've carved a lot of stamps in the past and my one piece of advice is to carve each side of the design lines at an outward angle to provide a sturdier base for the design. If you carve straight up & down or at an inward angle, the design will eventually crumble from the pressure of stamping. Cute design!

[chris]

Your dog stamp is so adorable! I can't believe that you CARVED that!! You blow me away yet again- so impressed. I can't wait to see your postcard. ;-) Those finger puppets are so cute- I'm going to try making those with Bossy and Stinky. They look like such a fun project. Buddy's definitely an artist, just like his mom. ;-) Take care, Myra! :-)

[tracy]

That dog is the cutest! I am an avid rubberstamper and I'd buy that stamp any day! So, so, so cute. More! :) -tracy

[mary]

that dog is adorable - best of luck with the rest of the carving. i know challenging it can be!

[hannah]

if you are made of wood, should you be visiting a lava flow? those are some daring puppets! im loving your little doggie stamp! looks fabulous!

[Beth]

Hi, I'm not sure if it is the same type of material, but when I did linoleum carving for printmaking it always helped to warm the linoleum slightly with an iron. It makes it much easier to carve smooth lines.

[Samantha]

I love your stamp - adorable!

[Hanna]

your dog is way cute, please be carfull when you continue to cut the inside! :-)

[Anna]

When I used linoleum for carving, I gave myself a couple of impressive stab wounds -- I've been fine since I switched to the Mastercarve blocks, though.

I use a very sharp, but quite small V-shaped blade and go along all my lines first of all, then go back and make the lines bigger with a larger blade. Finally, I carve out the big blank areas with a wide, U-shaped blade.

I'd really recommend this slightly tedious process, because if you try to carve too deep on the first go, you have to apply more pressure, which increases the chances of skipping off the block and doing yourself some damage.

Good luck! The dog's adorable!

[sarah n.]

Ha! I love that the girl seems to be only one slightly alarmed. :) And can't wait to see that pup!! I see a few stabs into his middle--hope it goes well..

[pyglet]

I have tried these too...I am envious of your edges. They are so perfect.

[susanne]

great job on the super cute dog stamp! and your edges are so even!!! hehe, i would have done a stamp too if i'd have signed up for the swap :)

[natascha]

Your dog is wonderful!! I love him!!! And what a fuuny puppets!!

[Frizz]

Love the stamp. Can't wait to see the final. Your cuts are so smooth, mine look like they've been chewed out by a mouse (he he)!!

[Marieke]

ohhhh your doggie is the cutiest dog ever.

I haven't found those carve blocks around here yet, but I will keep on looking cause I love to do some stamp-making myself too. You really got me inspired here!