Balzer Designs

Carving Stamps for Patterning at The Ink Pad

On Saturday I shared all of my stamp carving secrets with a wonderful group of women at The Ink Pad.

Not only were the stamps they carved absolutely amazing, but their enthusiasm and generous spirits made my day!

I will be returning to the Ink Pad for a two-day art journaling class on October 19 & 20.  You can also take in-person classes with me at CREATE: New Jersey in July!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bernina & We All Sew Fabric Design Contest

I recently stumbled across a contest that Bernina and their webiste We All Sew are running.  It's a fabric design contest!  You can find all of the information here.  I've always dreamed of having my own fabric line and so I sat down this weekend and digitzed a few of the repeating pattern stamps I've carved over the years. 

Take a peek:

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I have to admit that I love them!  

As a side note, if you like these patterns, this is the kind of carving that I'm teaching at my upcoming stamp carving class at The Ink Pad (May 4) -- repeating patterns!

You can vote for your "fan favorite" by repinning it from Bernina's Pinterest board.  If you want to vote for mine, I've put the links under each image.  That said, there are a lot of wonderful and inspiring patterns to see.  Be sure to check it out!  

Thanks for stopping by!

3-in-1 Baren Lino Cutting Kit

The good folks over at The Ink Pad sent me a new toy to play with.

It's called the 3-in-1 Baren Lino Cutting Kit.  

The little baren (a baren is used for block printing, particularly on large images) comes apart into three pieces.

The black part is a dish that holds the chuck for the carving blade and all the little blades.

The carving tool is easy enough to put together.

For my first project I decided to carve a small stamp from Speedy Carve. 

The carving tool is somewhat smaller and lighter than I'm used to, but otherwise it worked exactly the same as my trusty Speedball one.

Next, I tested out the baren.  I used a large commercial stamp for my test.

I'm used to a baren with a slightly different grip, but this one certainly did the trick!

Finally, this kit came with two small linoleum disks, which stick to the bottom of the baren.  I carved a face into one of them.  You can see the blank disk just behind the tool.

I'm not going to lie, this was one of the most difficult and unpleasant carving experiences of my life.  Linoleum is tough to cut in any situation.  Making it a tiny slippery disk was a nightmare. I managed to gouge myself three times and it took an awful lot of hand strength to get this stamp done.  That said, I love the way it turned out!  But I think I'm going to stick to my nice soft Speedy Carve in the future.

All in all, I like this little tool.  It's super transportable, which is great.  I like that there's a dish for all the little blades -- it's easy to lose them.  Definitely something I'm delighted to have in my stamp carving arsenal!  

If you'd like to learn more about stamp carving, consider taking my online class "Stamp Carving 101."

Thanks for stopping by! 

May 4: I'm Teaching at The Ink Pad!

I'm teaching at The Ink Pad, here in New York City, on Saturday, May 4, 2013.  It's an all-day class from 10:30am to 5:30pm with a one-hour break for lunch.  

Here's a bit more about the class:

CARVING STAMPS FOR PATTERNING

Date: May 4, 2013
Time: 10:30am - 5:30pm
Price: $119
Info or to sign-up: 212·463·9876
Please note that this class is NOT held at The Ink Pad, but at the Westbeth Center:
55 Bethune Street (Between Washington & West).

This class is all about carving patterning stamps – ones that can be used over and over to create beautiful repeating patterns! Along with the basics of transferring images, carving stamps, and printing, you will learn tips and tricks for carving stamps that create complex seamlessly repeating patterns depending on how you print them. Gain loads of fresh new ideas for methods of printing repeating pattern stamps. I’ll even show you how to make your very own custom colored ink pad!

Here are a few samples:

I taught this class at CREATE in New Jersey last year.  And the students (some of whom had never carved stamps before) carved some extraordinary stamps.  Here's a peek:

You can see more photos here.

I hope that you'll join me for all the fun.  I have a real passion for stamp carving and pattern making and I'd love to share it with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Visit to Colorado

On Superbowl Sunday I flew from NYC to Denver, CO.

I spent three days and four nights in Fort Collins, CO.  Most of my time was spent at the photography studio, doing the step-out photos for my upcoming book on stamp carving (to be released by Interweave, Fall 2013).

As you might imagine, there were lots and lots of stamps...

And lots and lots of carving...

I had been a little worried when I left NYC that I was underprepared for the shoot.  I wondered if I had prepared enough step-outs and packed everything that I needed and all that jazz.  The good news is that the shoot went smoothly and my preparation and organization paid off!

But, it wasn't all work and no play.  I managed to sneak in some thrift store shopping...

...a dinner with Lori and Lorri from Art Camp for Women (btw: better picture on their blog)...

...saw an amazing sunset...

...when dining alone, I managed to find a way to entertain myself with some crayons...

...and there was even a mirror in the hotel elevator so I didn't have to miss my daily selfies:

On Thursday morning Ronda picked me up in Fort Collins and took me to her beautiful home and AMAZING studio just outside of Denver.  And due to Snowmageddon, I ended up being her houseguest for an extra 2 nights.  But, that's a story for tomorrow....

Thanks for stopping by!