Eraser stamps engraved with designs of your choice provide the enjoyment of creating handmade items with materials within arm's reach. If you hone your skills, you can work to pursue an artistic quality that resonates with profound charm.
"Faded ink and lines that are misaligned can bring about distinctive characteristics of a work of art," eraser stamp artist eric said. "They [eraser stamps] have different sort of charm than that of drawings, and provide a 'pretty good' feeling."
If you take a good look at the imprint of an eraser stamp, the outline is slightly blurry. Artist eric said that she engraves lines in a wavy manner intentionally to give her work a softer touch.
She then showed me how to make an eraser stamp. First, she drew a rough sketch on a piece of paper. Next, she placed a piece of tracing paper over the sketch and carefully traced the lines with both a mechanical and regular pencil.
The artist then turned over the tracing paper and placed it over an eraser. Erasers that she uses to create stamps have an adjusted hardness to make carving easy. Such erasers are available in places such as art supply shops and stationery stores.
The sketch was then transferred onto the eraser by rubbing the tracing paper with a spatula or a similar tool. Cutting off the edges of the eraser with a box cutter also makes it easier to carve.
Carving is usually done with design knives, as such a tool is suitable for more detailed work and is also used in art involving the cutting of paper.
"If you mess up by carving all at once, you can't go back [and fix it]. Especially when carving more detailed parts, so it's a good idea to proceed little by little," eric said, adding that while the practice of carving requires perseverance, she can achieve a state of mental detachment through the work.
In terms of drawing meticulous patterns or letters, the key is to carve them shallowly -- no more than 1 millimeter deep. The margins of the eraser should be about 5 millimeters deep to prevent ink from sticking. Being able to change the depth for each part of the eraser is the real mark of an artisan.
Quick-drying ink is recommended. The artist's favorite color is navy, saying that she likes the color because it mellows out the overtly cute nature of eraser stamps. If eraser stamps are applied to smooth paper, their imprints will come out clearly.
eric said she often selects nostalgic items, such as a radio-cassette player or a black telephone, as subjects for her work, in addition to her favorite stationery items.
"I think that it would be great if people could enjoy using stamps that they created themselves," she said.
With this in mind, eric gives lectures on stamp making both at home and abroad. It seems that more people are likely to discover the charm of eraser stamps.
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