Stamp Carving - Tools and Supplies

In preparation for the video on carving stamps to use on fabric, I am going to show you the tools and supplies I use.
First of all you will need some carving tools. 
My favorite is a Speedball Lino Cutter. I bought it with a blade assortment, but I typically only use two of the blades.

This is the larger of the "V-grooved" blades.  This blade is great for removing sections.  The smaller blade like this is my choice for getting into corners and tight spots. 

Another tool you can use is an exacto or hobby knife.

I have the cheapo version from a discount store.  It came with two handles and several blades.

Another option is to find some cheap wood carving tools. 

My friend who carves cypress knees says that these are useless for wood.  However, they are good for carving stamps.

You will also need something to carve into a stamp.  My favorite is the MasterCarve block. It comes in several sizes.

There are other options such as "SpeedyCarve and SpeedyCut" by SpeedBall.  

Or you can carve a rubber eraser.  The white ones do pretty well.

I have carved many stamps over the years.  Here are some of mine:

Notice the  self portrait stamp, I sometimes use that on envelopes just for fun.  The tree stamp, near the middle, was used in the painting in the previous post. (you can see the stamped version fo the self portrait HERE)

I have also used these stamps to imprint polymer clay for making jewelry.

Of course, since we will be printing on fabric, we will need some type of textile paint or dye.

I bought this pack of Jacquard Textile colors.

There are of course other options.  You can just search for textile paints or even use acrylic paints if you thin them with textile medium.  However, I find those to be just a bit stiff in the finished product.  I did a test piece with the Jacquard colors shown above and was VERY happy with feel of the fabric after it dried. 

As soon as I can, I will record the carving video and post it.