Stamp Carving 101

Transferring the Image: Part I

Transferring your image to the carving medium is simple as rubbing it on with a thumbnail

Trace the image you want to carve with a No. 2 pencil

With your selected image in hand, it's time to transfer the image to your carving block.This tutorial will describe one of the oldest, easiest, and cleanest methods available: Tracing.

First, make sure your pencil has a sharp point for a crisp, clear copy. Once sharpened, lay the tracing paper on top of your image and trace all of the dark parts of the image.

If you plan to combine several images, move your tracing paper to the second image—text, perhaps, with the name of the letterbox—and trace the new image in the correct position relative to your original image. For particularly complex stamps, you may need to repeat this step several times.

Finally, to transfer your design, put the tracing face-down on your carving block, holding the paper securely in place while rubbing the back of the design with the back of your fingernail or other blunt object. Be careful the tracing paper does not wiggle around under the carving block while you do this, or the image will come out blurry! When you lift up the tracing, you should have a clear image of the stamp you want to trace.

While designing a stamp, remember that the image you carve will be a mirror-image of what the stamp actually prints. Fortunately, in the process of transferring the image to the stamp, this mirror-image view is automatically done for you! With pictures this isn't much of an issue—the picture will be facing left instead of right. No harm done. With words the issue can be a serious problem if it's done the wrong way! Never write words directly onto the carving medium for this reason. Always write them onto another piece of paper and transfer it to the carving medium to orient the image correctly.

A Letterboxing Community

Stamp Carving 101

Transferring the Image: Part I