Monday, September 8, 2008

Stamps


STAMPS
I cut four different designs into white erasers...
nail, or carpenter's cross, Toulous Cross (Roman Catholic Inquisition), rusted cross shape from span of rail bridge, and Compass Star. I used 1/4 of each shape, positioning the centre point on one corner of the eraser. Once the shape was drawn on the surface, I used a craft knife to cut away the excess, or non-design portions, taking care not to undercut the suface. On the back of each stamp, I drew a directional arrow, which will make it easier to orient the
stamp as I work. A stamp or stamp block blank the same size as each stamp enabled me to space or "gap" when the pattern required the spacing. I also found that each stamp had a "press point" in the corner where there was the largest uncut area. By pressing the cut block on that point, I was less likely to imprint the background of the block as I worked.
The papers to the left have been stamped with the compass star stamp onto tissue papers, using various spacings and rotations.


I found this to be a fascinating exercise.