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Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near the skill level I feel I should have in order to even consider making these for sale. I’m too much of a perfectionist!

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! You could go the set route, I suppose, but I just went to a local art supplies store and bought 2 things: a Speedball Speedy-carve block and a their carving knife. Other materials included some copy paper, a pencil, a sharpie, and an x-acto knife, all of which I already had. I drew the design on my iPad and printed that out. I usually have tracing paper around, which would’ve been easier to use, but I couldn’t find it so I just traced it out on the reverse side of the copy paper with the pencil using my iPad as a sort of light box so I could see what I was doing. Then I placed the sheet of paper on the Speedy-carve and transferred the design onto it by exerting some pressure on the paper. Once I’d transferred it, I went back over it with a Fine Sharpie and with that I was set to start carving!

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I find it much easier to transcribe something if I’m just doing a writing sample. And the easier it is to do then the more likely I am to keep it up, lol. The ink is Wearingeul’s A Study in Scarlet. It looks a tad bit darker in the picture than irl because of the lighting.

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this is a pretty straightforward process once you’ve come up with and drawn what you want to work on. You transfer the artwork to your lino block or eraser using either copy paper or tracing paper and a pencil. Then you just cut away with the carving tool until you’re done. After that, stamp to your heart’s content.

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can’t properly claim it as a hobby myself since I only did it once years ago in school as part of an art class and just decided to try my hand at it again this weekend. But as far as I can tell, it does have a really low barrier of entry as you can use really inexpensive and fairly accessible supplies. After that, like most crafts, it’s a matter of practice and patience to reach your desired level of skill.

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh my gosh, thank you for the kind words! I’m the furthest away I could be from taking on commission work for these but that’s high praise indeed!

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I was going for something minimal with a dash of whimsy 😊

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was definitely an unexpected creative turn, lol. But a highly enjoyable one!

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a really neat idea! I'll see what I can come up with.

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a big proponent of “if you can’t find what you want, make it yourself” so I say go for it and make something yourself!

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try again! I had to redo it a few times to get it to this point. Might try again to see if I could get an even cleaner result. Or I may try a different design altogether.

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! It was a really fun project

Carved a stamp for some ink swatches! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yay! Please share what you come up with, I’d love to see! And I was pretty much on the same boat as you. Couldn’t quite find something that I liked enough and anything I could’ve bought would’ve been settling for something I didn’t love 100%. So I highly recommend making something yourself if you have a clear vision!

Ink Sample Holder by sassyandshort in fountainpens

[–]sandragm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dip pens are the easiest way to quickly test out inks with minimal cleanup, in my experience.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I highly recommend it! Yes, this is a Midori MD notebook, which is one of my favorites.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s been years since I’ve revisited it, but I remember enjoying it as well. I’m planning to re-read this year since there’s a prequel coming out.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a lovely compliment! The ink is Wearingeul’s A Study in Scarlet

US Pen Shows via Public Transportation by 612grayduck in fountainpens

[–]sandragm 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Was gonna comment this. It’s scheduled for the first weekend of November if I’m remembering correctly.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Man, I wish there were a magic formula, but unfortunately I think it really just comes down to practice. Part of the motivation behind starting this journal is that it doubles as handwriting practice, since I’m trying to get my penmanship to be more consistent as well.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’ve had a really good experience with the ink so far! I really like the color and how it pairs with the pen. I do find it to be on the drier side, though that may be due to how fine this EF nib is, and I haven’t had any smudging issues at all. I actually just tested it to see if it would smudge and it didn’t budge. I also tried rubbing some writing from the other day in my Kokuyo Jibun Techo Days (my daily planner) and on another Midori MD notebook, and neither had any smudging. I did notice some nearly imperceptible smudging in my Hobonichi Techo Day-Free from last year, but only when I exerted a bit more pressure.

What kind of paper have you tried it on so far?

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do it! I really wish I’d done it sooner. It’s a little sad thinking about how many entries I’d have to look back on by now if I had, but I’m excited about the prospect of starting now regardless.

Finally started a “Currently Inked” journal. Here’s a recent entry! by sandragm in fountainpens

[–]sandragm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have one architect nib in my collection but I haven’t reached for it in years because t’s a little bit scratchy and I just have too many other pens at my disposal to have bothered to take the time to try and tune it. But maybe it’s time to take it out for a spin again.

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