RUBBER STAMP: THE MINIATURE MATRIX BY RAND HUEBSCH

(above and left) Brayer-inked with oil-based black ink, then hand-printed as rubber stamps. They are among the 18 chapter headings, used actual size (2"h x 4"w), for the young-adult novel The Telling Pool (Harry N. Abrams, 2005).

When I first learned to However, the best carving carve rubber stamps out of block is Mastercarve, pro- soft-polymer blocks, I duced by the Staedtler Mars enjoyed the process so much company from the same soft that it was my sole printing polymer used for its erasers. technique for a year.As The block cuts like butter; miniature relief blocks that unlike some others, it is nei- are inexpensive to make and ther rubbery, impeding the easy to print, stamps are cutter, nor does it crumble ideal for introducing to stu- along the edges of the dents such printmaking carved line. The 4" x 4" size concepts as the multiple is often the most economical image transfer, inking varia- and can be cut into smaller tions, stencil cutting, and pieces with scissors or an X- color registration. acto knife against a ruler held firmly on a carving Materials block.All of its surfaces can Carving blocks be carved.You can also buy Linoleum-cutter set the small erasers made by (one handle and various Staedtler Mars and then use interchangeable blades) several together for a com- Soft-lead pencils or - posite image. tip pens Stamp pads Drawing and Smooth Carving a Stamp Please note: There are a First, stamp a light color number of blocks that can onto the block. Stamp off be used,and,for that matter, any excess so that when you so can erasers, such as start to carve, there will be a Artgum, which have the helpful contrast between the advantage of being easily colored surface and the obtainable at stationers. white of the carved areas. 18 BOUND & LETTERED Paper stencil (actual size and printed from a carved polymer block) used for overlap printing. The print (4"h x 6"w) shows a school of fish and was made using water-based stamp pads, with crayon additions. See inside front cover for color illustration of school of fish. Next, either draw your design away from youself and keep the directly on the block or do an steadying hand to the side of the image transfer, for which tracing pointed end of the linocutter. paper works well. Trace the out- line of the block onto the paper Carving Tips to provide a framework within To increase the width of a line, which to draw.When the draw- so that more of the paper shows ing is done, reposition the block in the print, use either the same within that outline, press it blade in a second stroke along Pencil sketch for image transfer to carving block. (The transferred against the drawing, and repeat- one edge, or a thicker blade. For sketch reversed on the block to correct itself for printing.) edly tap or press all over. If the a curved line, turn the block transferred image is faint, you while carving, as in can reinforce it before carving. engraving; the slower the carv- For carving, some people grip ing motion, the greater the con- the cutter’s handle as they trol. For a tight curve, turn the would a pencil. I prefer to hold block more quickly it so that my palm is under- While lines and dots, rather neath and my fingers curl than crayon-like gradations, are around it. In either case, hold best suited for relief images, you the cutter so that it is at a diago- can create some tonal areas on nal to the block, and the “u”of the block by selective sandpa- the blade is right side up. Place pering.At various stages of the block on a solid surface, like carving, test-print the stamp; a table top, and steady it with draw with white pencil onto the your free hand. proof,then study that to see Engage the blade into the whether to carve away the cor- block, and then very slightly responding area on the block. move it upward in the material when you start to carve. Don’t Inking and Printing press too deeply.Each width of To ink the stamp for printing, gouge makes a distinctive mark, place it on a stamp pad and, like a brush. Try varying the using medium pressure, tap it carving pressure, to produce a all over. I prefer the felt pads to widening or narrowing line. I the foam ones. -based inks use an X-acto-like blade only may be less fugitive than other rarely, for neatening the interi- kinds. Some of the inks are ors of corners. Broader blades water-fast, so that once they or gouges are good for clearing dry, watercolor washes can be large areas. It is important to added and the print will not Title-page image (4"h x 3"w) from relief-rolled block, printed remember that these blades and smear. with oil-based etching ink. gouges are sharp.Always carve BOUND & LETTERED 19 Look at the block to make sure in a different color. Print one that there is an even coverage of Anthologies of woodcuts can provide many image ideas. It section at a time and don’t ink then press it onto the print- will help to keep in mind two basic relief-printing concepts: (1) remove section A from the paper ing paper. Holding the block in the image on the block reverses on the paper and (2) only the until you have positioned sec- place, use that same tapping un-carved areas will receive ink and thus create the printed tion B next to it. Or assemble all motion, but with more pressure, image. For design planning, draw with white pencil on black the inked elements, face up, and to transfer the ink. It can help to paper, to approximate carved areas on the block. This white-line then place thin paper on top and have the paper on a slightly carving approach is very direct, as it involves a single stroke of use the baren to apply pressure cushioned surface, such as a the blade. Prints by Thomas Bewick, originator of wood engrav- and print. blotter.Although smooth-finish The rubber stamp is well suit- ing, are good examples of white-line images. provide for the most ed for repeat printing within a even printing, also try textured Albrecht Durer’s woodcuts are remarkable examples of the composition or to augment ones, especially if the image is black-line approach, which requires that material be carved existing images.When the bold. away on both sides of any line that is to print black. (For a stamp is used in this way, it is You can instead place the black-line image from a white-line carving, use opaque white best to carve the surrounding stamp face up, put paper on top, ink on the block and then print on black paper. Reserve a bor- polymer down to a level that will and apply pressure with a disk der of uncut block around the image, so as to have a white bor- not receive ink.Among the more or baren*,as is done in tradi- der when the block is inked.) Many artists like to use both obvious images for repeats are tional Japanese woodblock approaches in an image, as the German Expressionists often did leaves,birds,plants,and archi- printing. in their woodcuts. tectural details, as well as Before printing in another abstract elements.With a single color, stamp off all the ink to stamp, you can also obtain a register by eye, or make an L- avoid contaminating the next Variations great variety of multiples, by shaped cardboard jig that is pad.When finished, clean the For traditional multi-color printing it in different colors, placed on the paper and in the block with soap and warm printing, make a block for each directions, overlaps, and “ghosts” corner of which each inked water. color in the image, by means of (a second printing without re- block is positioned successively. Transferring ink from pad to separations.All the blocks inking). For me, one of the plea- The jigsaw block, such as stamp by brayer usually gives a should be of uniform size. Use sures of printmaking is the Edvard Munch used, is another more even coverage. It also the outline of one of them as a paradoxical option of using the multi-color approach. Plan the allows for a larger-size block framework for the prototype same matrix for printing varia- image so that different sections than could be fitted onto a color drawing (in designing that tions. will be of different colors. Carve, stamp pad.You can also put a prototype, make use of the fact For an overlap effect (as in a then cut the various sections thin strip of water-based block that an overlap of two water- flock of birds or school of fish), apart (with X-acto knife or scis- ink, such as Speedball, onto a based inks produces a third first make a masking stencil by sors), so that each can be inked sheet of Plexiglas or shatter- color). Then draw the outline of stamping on paper or thin proof glass, roll up the brayer, the same block and apply to the stamp. Take on tracing paper. care not to over-ink and fill in Place that sheet the carved lines.Adding acrylic over the proto- retarder to the ink on the slab type and trace can slightly delay its quick dry- the outlines of ing time.As oil-based block all the areas of inks dry more slowly, they are the same color. easier to use, and they also pro- Transfer that vide a more opaque printed information to image. Clean-up for them is the block for easy with vegetable oil, then carving. Repeat soap and water.You can also ink the process for the blocks selectively with each color block. water-based crayons, such as Once all the Caran d’Ache, that have been blocks are made, dipped in water. Magic markers you can experi- can be used too, but they dry ment with differ- very quickly on the block. ent color combi- nations. For printing the Bestiary, composite print (8"h x 11"w), relief-rolled blocks, printed with oil-based blocks, either etching ink

20 BOUND & LETTERED Mylar, then cut away all the Tunnel books, also known embossing. Once the clay material surrounding the image. as peepshows, can benefit Making an Inset Book Cover has hardened somewhat on Place that stencil on top of a from stamp images.The to Display Your Plaque the face-up side, turn it over, print of the same image; then tunnel structure consists of To display your plaque in an inset as the underside tends to print, either with the same a series of parallel image- book cover, first cut two pieces of board stay damp.When the piece stamp or a different one, so that bearing panels, all contain- to the same size. One of the pieces can has dried thoroughly, you only part of the stamp is on the ing cut-out areas, except for be of museum board, which is easier to can add color selectively to paper and the rest is on the the rear solid panel. The cut than book board. Place the the raised areas by rubbing masked-out print. Remove the panels are attached on two embossed clay piece onto the lighter them with oil or water- masking stencil and you will see sides to accordion-folded board and draw the plaque’s outline. based crayons held at a hori- that the first stamped image strips, so that they can Then cut away, with an X-acto knife, the zontal to the surface. Use appears to overlap the second.A stand upright when those material within the outline. Adhere the sand paper as needed to Mylar stencil lasts longer than a strips are extended, to form two boards to each other and place smooth out areas, including paper one and has the advantage a multi-dimensional scene. under weights to prevent bowing. When the back of the piece. of letting the underlying image Using the same stamp on they are dry, glue paper or cloth onto the When carving stamps for show through for positioning of each accordion-strip inter- side with the recess. Press the paper or embossing, keep in mind the stencil. val between panels helps to cloth into the recess and wrap it around that the block’s recessed consolidate a scene. to the inside of the cover as normal. lines will appear as raised Using Stamps in Books Similarly, printing the same Apply all-surface glue to the underside areas on the clay.(To easily Stamps, in all their variations, stamped images on more of the plaque and position it within the make a plaque with recessed are ideal for use in artist’s books. than one panel can serve to covered recessed area. This framing lines, you can carve a Excellent for unique pieces, unify time and place. In premise can also be used for presenting recessed-line stamp, print it they are also very efficient print- Night Desert,for example, embossed tiles or relief pieces. on clay, and then use that ing elements for editions, often the cactus image appears in plaque as the matrix for several panels. Conversely, “embossing”onto a second to indicate narratives (such as a exploit that aspect, print the suc- the tunnel-book’s multi-panel piece of clay.) Use a wider blade tree that has many leaves on the cessive accordion intervals with structure can imply a sequence and cut more deeply than usual first page of the book and grad- stamp images that vary slightly of time or a metamorphosis. To for this technique. Experiment ually has fewer and fewer). In from each other,in the with blades of different widths my accordion book manner of Eadweard in the same image, for example, Lexicon,there are Muybridge’s photograph- a thicker blade for the outline of three stamp images ic studies of motion. on each page, to a leaf, and a thinner one for its form a composite. Plaque Insets for veins.As you are creating a bas- Throughout the Book Covers relief piece, study the stylization book, most of the in carvings from various cul- stamps are repeated It is also possible to tures. Look at Egyptian and in various emboss with carved Aztec friezes, Medieval ivories, combinations. For blocks onto air-harden- and Renaissance commemora- example, image A ing clay, to make tive medals, and apply to your may appear on one light-weight, plaque work some of their figure/back- page with images B insets for book covers. ground conventions.If you plan and C, and on Make a ball of the clay, to use glass on the dried another page with keeping in mind the plaques,to give them a glazed images E and F. dimensions of the stamp quality, try first applying several Entire bodies of to be used. Flatten it with layers of shellac to seal the clay, text can be created a rolling pin, to make a so that it doesn’t absorb the on a block, or 1/4-inch-thick slab. Press . image and text can the carved block into the clay and then slowly be combined on the *A baren is a complex and somewhat same piece of carv- remove it with a slight obscure tool used in printmaking. ing material, as was rocking motion, so as Originating in Japan, the traditional baren not to damage the is made from nothing but scraps of paper done on wood for and shreds of bamboo skin but is one of the printing 15th-cen- impression. Excess clay most sophisticated tools available to - tury block books in around the image can be men anywhere. When using a finished trimmed away with an baren, one can “feel” the woodblock right Europe. Stamps can down through the disk and coil. Look for also be used to X-acto knife. Try both more details about the printmaker’s baren Composite image (4"h x 3"w) printed with water-based inked and un-inked make book plates. inks. in the next issue of Bound & Lettered! BOUND & LETTERED 21