I’m about two weeks into the January daily pattern challenge. When I started carving stamps this month, I thought I would like doing it, but didn’t realize how fast I would fall for the process. Pulling back the stamp from the first imprint is always like magic. For someone who tends toward being a control freak about creating, this process is perfect. I can’t totally control what the outcome will be, and the image always looks a little different than I thought it might. Maybe in time I’ll learn more precise control over the carving tools, but for now I’m enjoying just playing around and seeing what comes out.

I bought some block printing ink last weekend, but I haven’t used it yet. I’ve been using cheap stamp pads, which has produced some inconsistent inking. It’s very convenient and easy for nights after I’ve worked and I’m tired. I’m going to give the block printing ink a try tomorrow when I have more time to clean up, and will use some of the stamps I’ve created to see if they look better with a more consistent coat.

I really liked making these little stamps out of square erasers. I liked that they were already in a convenient stamp size, and that I could carve both sides of the eraser. I found a pack of 24 for $6.10 at Blick, so at 25 cents each, I could do a lot of experimenting.

In other printmaking news, I started my first printmaking class today at a community college about ten minutes from my apartment. I’m excited to go buy the rest of the supplies I need tomorrow. My teacher seems very enthusiastic about the process, and showed us some of his recent work at the end of class. It’s a very diverse group of people in the class, so I’m looking forward to seeing what my classmates make. I also need to research some imagery and make sketches tomorrow to try to figure out what I’m going to make for my first print. I’ll post an update after I make my first print at school.

Signing off for now to watch some Downton Abbey and work on a surprise project for my boyfriend. Hope you all are enjoying a creative weekend!