PREVIEW: How to Make Marks with Stamps and Simple Print Plates – s03e02

The first time I heard the phrases “mark making” and “print plates,” I assumed such things were reserved for bonafide artists. Because I nearly failed the one and only “real” art class I took in high school, I avoided subsequent art classes like the plague!

After years of exploring all kinds of creative arts, I discovered something. My entire life was an art education! Whatever I created was MY art and as long as I enjoyed the process of making things, outside validation was irrelevant.

Looking back I notice marks that seem to always show up in what I do. They are like my little signatures. They say, “Barb created this thing.”

What about you? Do you see noticeable marks in your art journal, scrapbook pages or fabric art? Are there certain marks that you always incorporate in your painted canvases?

Making marks individualizes projects in the same way that handwriting displays aspects of personality on a page. In this class we’ll be creating a mark making tool as a hand carved stamp. You’ll learn about carving materials, tools, designs and how to achieve the results you desire.

Printmaking, on the other hand, is a process quite different from mark making. Although prints bear individual characteristics of the creator, each print is pulled singly. Each one is an original, due to the variables in paint or ink application, pressure applied, etc. To do this, you need a plate with a design. Creating your own plate will reflect your frame of mind as well as your sense of balance and pattern.

In class, in addition to carving a stamp, we’ll explore how to make two different types of print plates. Once you have an idea and the supplies to create your plates, it’s fun and easy to turn your concept into reality.

Magic happens the first time you stamp your very own hand carved stamp and print from your personally designed plates. Inking your stamp for the first time, rolling the paint on the plate and pulling a print makes your heart beat just a little bit faster. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

It’s time to get started. Don’t forget to download your notes and I’ll see you in class.