#CarveDecember 2017: 6 Questions with Andrea & Ozge
March 08, 2018
Today I'm sharing some more profiles of artists who participated in #CarveDecember! First up: Andrea Clement.
Q: How many times have you participated in #CarveDecember?
A: This was my first time.
Q: Why did you decide to participate this year?
A: I had taken part in the Jackson’s xmas lino competition and was lucky enough to win this year so I was already in “carving mode” and with the gift vouchers I won I bought some Pfeil cutters that I’ve wanted for a long time. #CarveDecember was the perfect opportunity to give them a proper road test!
Q: How would you describe your stamp carving skill level?
A: I would say intermediate, I’ve come a long way over the past couple of months with my carving but I still have lots to learn through practice.
Q: What is your favorite thing about #CarveDecember?
A: The sense of community, what a lovely group of people taking part - it was lovely making so many new friends.
Q: What are three things you learned from participating in #CarveDecember?
A: The first thing is that things don’t have to be perfect when you’re hand printing something, people appreciate the fact that you can see it was carved and printed by hand and not mass-produced so don’t obsess over perfection ( but then that’s true of most things in life) or you’ll never get anything finished. Secondly that not all carving blocks are created equal. I did do some lino carving during #carvedecember and I’ve already found that I prefer polymer lino to traditional lino but I’d never really tried stamp carving blocks before so I ordered various ones to try and was quite surprised at the difference in quality. Thirdly, no matter how careful you are unless you wear gloves ( I can’t wear gloves when I’m working - I find it impossible) or use a backing block for your stamps you are going to have inky fingers for the entire month of December!
Q: 3 favorite prints from #CarveDecember:
I carved more than one hare because I absolutely love them so had to choose at least one to be in my top 3 favourites. This little chap was so enjoyable to carve and I loved the way he looked in majestic blue.
This was the for day 1 of #CarveDecember I don’t think I’d been feeling very well but was determined to produce something to post so I kept things simple and that’s what I love about this one - the simplicity.
I carved this one using polymer lino and really enjoyed the process. I love pheasants and I just love the cheeky look on his face!
Next up: Ozge Basagac, aka yerdenizstudio_ozgebasagac:
Q: How many times have you participated in #CarveDecember?
Three times.
Q: Why did you decide to participate this year?
I wanted to try my stamps on a different medium (ceramics) with a certain theme (Turkish traditional china patterns). Thus, i needed new stamps :)
Q: How would you describe your stamp carving skill level?
I am still a beginner if you ask me. I do not actually carve my stamps but rather cut them and melt away the excess parts because i use foam.
Q: What is your favorite thing about #CarveDecember?
I love the inspiration from the community and i learn so many things every year.
Q: What are three things you learned from participating in #CarveDecember?
* You can print on ceramics with stamps just like on paper or fabric.
* Save some of your ideas for later or it gets very overwhelming.
* Sometimes the simplest stamps may create the biggest impact.
Q: 3 favorite prints from #CarveDecember:
I made the stamps of the hand, flower and leaf on separate days and brought them together on this plate named “Fortune”. I used ink to stamp the figures first, then went over with underglaze paints. I was worried about the ink and underglaze paint combination. But i am really pleased with the result.
Here is another piece where i carved the stamps on separate days and brought them together on this plate named “Point of View”. I designed my stamps through December so that i can interchange them to create new designs.
This is my first attempt at making an interlocking stamp. It is a traditional china pattern from 14th century but looks so contemporary to me.
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Andrea and Ozge! I'll have lots more profiles of #CarveDecember participants over the next month or two. Also: If you participated in #CarveDecember 2017 and you'd like to be profiled, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a questionnaire!
Thanks for stopping by!