Fellow Fellow

So, it turns out I’m not quite ready to be finished with little stamp houses yet, I hope you don’t mind :) I’m so happy with how this little artwork turned out! And it’s even EASIER than the last one, if you can believe it, with no special carving tools needed at all. There are so many things that can be formed from geometric shapes, so by creating a bunch of geometric stamps (squares, rectangles, triangles) in different sizes, we can then get creative constructing all sorts of different buildings! I’m sure this isn’t a new idea, but jee it’s fun :) There are endless possibilities! So lets get down to it shall we? Here’s what you’ll need:

- Stamp block (if you’re in Singapore, I got mine from Daiso, but Jo also sells really nice ones here)
- Pencil
- Scalpel/knife
- Ruler
- Paper/card to print on
- Stamp pads/ink (most of mine have been bought at markets, or given to me as gifts, so unfortunately I’m not really sure of the best places to get the exact same ones!)
- Lino tools (optional)

**If you’re interested in creating something exactly the same as mine, here’s a PDF of the shapes I used, and you can find the ink colours I used below**

Step 1. I started by planning my shapes on a piece of scrap paper (you can download them here). Remember that rectangles and triangles can be rotated to create another variation. I also found it useful to create triangles to fit one edge of the squares/rectangles. This way your roof will match the base of your house.

Use your pencil and ruler to mark out squares/rectangles/triangles in various sizes on your stamp block, then use your knife to carefully cut them out. My block was thick enough that I didn’t need to mount the stamp onto anything, but you can if you want to.

Step 2. Take the paper/card you want your artwork on and, using no ink to start with, lay out the first row of houses to get a feel for placement. Play around with the shapes, be creative! Once you’re happy with the placement of the first line, you can start inking and printing. I’d recommend keeping a damp cloth next to you to clean off each stamp between printings. Also – be very careful when handling the inked stamps! I ruined my first artwork attempt by dropping an inked stamp onto my page by accident. Such a bummer!

Step 3. Continue laying out and stamping your little houses until you’re happy with it. Don’t forget the details like doors and windows!

And that’s it! You’re done. Frame it and stand back to admire your work :)

I’m hoping to share some more suggestions of what you can create using these geometric stamps in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for that! :)