Rubber Stamped..

So, I joined a hand carved rubber stamp swap. Now THAT was an experience.

I didn't do so badly in the beginning.



Started thinking, okay, I can do this!



All went downhill from there, though...




If you can't tell, this was supposed to be Pon, of Pon and Zi :



WOW, that did not work. (How much do I adore Pon and Zi?????)



I have done lino carving before, and I have to say, I MUCH prefer using that, instead. You can SEE how much better I do with it!!




I was particularly proud of how close to the original I got with this pic by Edward Gorey! All freehand, too! :D





I'm going to keep going with the rubber (mostly cause I still have 5 erasers sitting around, waiting to be used, lol), but oh, how disappointing how bad I went!!

I am SO procrastinating.....

Poking around my sewing room, rather than anything else I am supposed to be doing, I found the first stamps I ever carved. :p



The leaf was the very first one, and is actually all smooth and curvy lines, not choppy like it looks. The ink is messing up the pic, lol, but I like the red contrast, so I am not removing it. The beetle was the second, and it def is choppy, but still fun.

I made them with the scrap that my friend gave me to kick start my carving career. :p

Off to find new ways to avoid doing anything constructive. :D

Final installation...

Okay, one last item for the 20's swap...I am already sooo late, that what's a little more, to make the package more appealing?? :eyeroll:



I have LOVED seeing other peoples' handcarved stamps, but was intimidated by it for sooo long. But then I discovered my friend, who happens to be the mom of my ds's best friend, is a ummm...I dunno what her official title would be, lol, but she does printmaking, of all sorts, the real kind, not little homemade stencils and stamps, lol. Anyway, she encouraged me to have a go at lino carving (she does BEAUTIFUL lino carving!), and gave me my first sample of lino to work with...would have lent me the carving set, too, but I had already screwed up the money and courage and bought myself one. So I had a try, and OMG, I LOVE doing it!! I am not an expert by a longshot, but the beauty of this stuff is it is BUILT for looking imperfect, and totally adds to the charm! Or so I tell myself, anyway, as I survey my latest creation. :p

The other reason I am so proud of it is that I totally freehanded the drawing out of memory, no referencing anything else, like I usually have to do, and it still came out exactly how I pictured in my head! (relatively, anyway :p ) Ignore the blotchy ink...apparently, my stamp pad is drying out...anyone know how to revive them? This one is practically new...it shouldn't be that dead yet!

Better.

Now I wish the carving was better. :rolleyes:

Moral....

WAKE THE F*** UP!!!!