Category: Stampeaz Blog

Need to know the latest happenings at Stampeaz? This is the spot for you. Updates, announcements, site maintenance info or even sales will happen here, as well as general wanderings, tips, tricks, tutorials and other foolishness.

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Bits and Bobs

I have mentioned this on the general Stampeaz blog, but I thought it would be a good idea to post it here as well. Not only will reach more people, it will help me keep my (early New Year’s) resolution to start posting more regularly on the Stampeaz site to let people know what’s new and maybe I’ll even get around to posting some tutorials and such.

Carving Material Bits and Pieces

I have generated quite a pile of bits and pieces of carving material over the years. Some of them are material trials that didn’t go into production, others are small pieces cut off my more recent, larger carvings, yet others are pieces of material with images already transferred to them that I have decided I’m never going to carve. Those transfers can be removed with a quick acetone wipe or sanding, or you could simply flip the block over and use the other side. I’ve come to the realization that I am generating pieces like this far faster than I can use them and thought it would be fun to send them out to anyone who might want to try out some different carving media. There’s everything from old PZ Kut (yes, really), OZ Kut, Firm Kut, Tan-Z Kut and trials that didn’t make the manufacturing cut (no pun intended). These are mostly smallish pieces that would be great for anyone carving inchies, small bits of text, fleas, hitchhikers, etc.

So, if you’d like to try a few pieces of something different, just let me know when you place your order and I will make it so. Since I’ll be sending goodies your way, anyway, it won’t cost anything for either of us and seems like a win-win. This offer tended to get lost in the general posts on the other blog, so I thought I would post it here where people might see it when they’re shopping. It stands as long as I have any to share.

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Puffins, Printmaking and Pawprints!

I already posted this on the general blog (over at stampeaz.blogspot.com), but I thought it might be fun to share it here, too. I thought it would be good to try and train myself to use the Stampeaz site blog more regularly, so I’m going to learn the ropes. (Perhaps a New Year’s Resolution starting a little bit early? We’ll see how that goes.) What better way than to wish everyone the very best of the holiday season — and the coming year! Besides, there are puffins!

Puffins, Printmaking and Pawprints!

The linoleum blocks were carved for Christmas cards by my mother many years ago. So, you see, I come by my printmaking obsession honestly!

And, of course, the pawprint is Baloo’s big foot. He had to keep a paw in the festivities!

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Memorial Day Thoughts and Thanks

War Memorial

On Memorial Day, I like to take Baloo walking out by the lighthouse and the old stone war memorial. Every time we walk out there, I stop and take some time to read the names and think of all the brave souls (both the soldiers and their families) who have sacrificed – and continue to sacrifice so much for the freedoms I enjoy and cherish. I hope that, wherever they are, they can sense the gratitude for all they’ve given.

So, with gratitude in mind, I also think about all the intrepid folks who have stuck with me through product development, a website crash and rebuild, a pandemic and a surprising amount of family stuff, where my attention has been scattered (at best). Thank you for being there!

So, I’m trying something out (still learning to work with parts of the new website…) as a bit of thanks to all of you. If everything has been done correctly (hah!), Tan-Z Kut should go on sale this weekend, from Saturday through Memorial Day. You’ll also find that I have (finally) added modified Speedball cutters back into inventory. I think Kirbert must have been wondering if I’d been abducted by aliens or something – it’s taken forever for me to get them listed!

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Pick a Block – Any Block

I’m not sure why, but the picture suddenly reminded me of a hand of cards. Then, it occurred to me that finding the right density carving material to match one’s hand strength and carving style can be a bit of a magic trick! Hence, the odd title.

I have been asked to put together a sampler package of the different soft block carving materials at Stampeaz and this is what I came up with. Reading the picture from left to right you’ll see:

Yellow Japanese Carving Block – the softest material I carry
Beige Japanese Carving Block – a medium-soft option
Speedball Speedy Carve (the pink stuff) – falls pretty squarely in the medium density category
Stampeaz Tan-Z Kut – is a step further in firmness, making it a medium-dense material
Stampeaz Firm Kut – is the highest density material in the soft block category

As a general rule, the more firm the block, the higher the level of detail a carver can achieve and the longer the block will hold up during multiple printing sessions. That being said, I know carvers who can get incredibly detailed images using softer materials, so the ideal plan is to find the block that feels best under your knife or gouge. That’s the one that will give you the best results (and the most fun!). Hmmm…. Is that a little like the wand choosing the wizard?

So, if you want to try a little of everything, or if you are looking for the perfect gift for someone who is just starting out on their carving and block printing adventures, this sampler set may be just magic trick you’ve been searching for.

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A Puffin Rising from the Ashes

With great trepidation and excitement, I am hitting the magic button and hoping everything goes as planned.

Many thanks to everyone for your patience while I built this new site out of the ashes of the old one that crashed so spectacularly at the beginning of the year, with special thanks to those who were actually brave enough to buy something from me without a site to browse!

Puffin in a Cup

(This is a very old carving, but it seemed appropriate, given how many cups of tea and latte I have consumed as I worked on the new site!)

The plans for this new blog include tutorials, tips, tricks, and best practices. I hope they end up being useful. 🙂