Carvin Ma Stampy
I decided to do this project because it allowed me to try something completely new for me. I saw someone doing this on social media and after looking into it more decided I wanted to try it. I used a starter kit from a company called "Speedball" to get the tools and then I bought extra of the carving blocks.
The carving blocks come in multiple sizes and they are just pieces of rubber. So, I started with just the plain blocks and would cut some into smaller pieces using an x-acto knife.
Firstly, I found all of the designs I wanted to do and that ranged from simple to more complex. Then I traced the designs on tracing paper from my phone screen and then would push the design into the block so the pencil lead would transfer over.
To start, I did very small pieces and made simple shapes to get the hang of it. So, my first two designs were the HackBerry symbol and a graduation cap. I used the carving tool that the kit came with to then carve out little chunks and layers our of the block where the lead was.
Next, these two would be a step up from the simple ones but also were not too complicated for a beginner. I really loved the diamond scenery design and then the bumble bees were super cute but very hard since they were so small.
For my last two designs, I decided to use my biggest piece to make a dinosaur because I love dinosaur and thought it would be fun to make. Then I did a more complex cactus scene that turned out really well!
The last step to turn these into functional stamps was to use the ink and roller that the kit came with and apply a thin layer of ink to the blocks. This way the ink only got on the areas that I did not carve. Then I could take the blocks and turn them over face down onto a piece of paper to make a stamp.
