Image Selection

The easiest way to come up with an image is to draw one yourself. Use a ball-point pen, permanent marker, or pencil to draw directly on the carving medium, keeping in mind that whatever you carve will stamp in reverse.

If you are not confident of your artistic ability, there are many places to obtain public domain clip art. The Dover Pictorial Archives is an excellent resource, and many rubber stamp companies use images from there. The Internet provides easy access to downloadable clip art. Use a search engine to search for clip art. Check my Links page for some Web site suggestions.

You can use photographs, but preparing them for transfer to the carving medium requires knowledgeable use of a computer graphics program. I hope to add a section to the site that covers detailed information for this process.

When you find an image you like, use a photocopier to enlarge or reduce it to suit your needs.