Etsy's Handmade Blog
How-Tuesday: Make a Stamp with Art Mind
Story by ArtMind, daniellexo
Published on May 5, 2009 in How-To 		Photo by

ArtMind on Flickr

Are you looking for an easy way to make your own stamp? Handmade stamps are the perfect addition to scrapbooking, greeting cards, packages and more. Belgian Etsy seller Mitsy, aka ArtMind, would love to show you how to get started! First, gather your tools and materials. Here's what you'll need:

stamp1.jpg

stamp2.jpg

Step 1:  Trace the design with a pencil.

stamp3.jpg

Step 2:  Flip the pencil drawing over and rub it onto the gum.

stamp4.jpg

Step 3:  Trace the pencil outline on your block with a Sharpie marker.

Step 4:  Cut away all of the gum, except for the black outlines.

stamp6.jpg

Step 5:  Put some ink on the stamp and press onto paper.

stamp7.jpg

Step 6: You can clearly see that the stamp needs to be cut more. All of the black marks can be cut away.  You can either use the lino cutters for this or a little scalpel knife.

stamp8.jpg

Step 7:  Repeat the process of stamping again to see if it looks better after cutting away some more gum.

Now you can glue your soft stamp to a block of wood or acrylic and stamp away! 

ArtMind created this Babuschka stamp to help brand the packaging of her mini sculptures, 99 Feelings.  They are amazing, so make sure you check them out!

Don't have the time to make your own? Check out these handmade stamps from our lovely Etsy sellers...

More crafty project downloads can be found in our How-Tuesday series on the Etsy blog! And did you know that you can buy Supplies on Etsy?

Tags Art, ArtMind, Belgium, block printing, DIY, HOW-TO, How Tuesday, How-Tuesday, linocut, lino cut, packaging, projects, scrapbooking, stamp, stamping, Supplies, tutorials
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166 comments     Login to add your own!

May 5, 2009 at 1:18 p.m. bananaicecream

Very Cool!!

May 5, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. VintageEye

I love to learn how to do new stuff!

May 5, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. BululuStudio

Nice!!! I'm gonna give it a try...

May 5, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. ketartstudio

This looks like so much fun! Plus, that would come in handy for making labels and tags. I remember linocutting from middle school - I want to go buy the tools right now. Any excuse to go to the art supply store!

May 5, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. staroftheeast

Yaaay for ArtMind :)

May 5, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. baconsquarefarm

Oh my goodness, ones never to old to learn new tricks, this is awesome~ Thanks for sharing ArtMind and Daniellexo.

May 5, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. juurceka

fantastic. thank you, mitsy.

May 5, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. aBreathofFrenchair

Thanks for sharing. This is something I would love to try!

May 5, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. jcrabbit

ok that's just plain neat. I didn't even know people did that by hand!!! I am amazed once again.

May 5, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. enchantedpond

brilliant well done Mitsy !!! and you are featured in storque

xxx

May 5, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. ingermaaike

Yayyyy for Art, I love her tutorials and those feelings!

May 5, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. ZsBcreations

Fantastic tutorial, Mitsy, brilliant job!!
Congrats on the Storque feature :)

hugs,
Zsuzsa

May 5, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. akane

I love carving stamps... I use them on fabric, wood, and paper of course:)

May 5, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. karlita

wooohooo, a famous belgian :o) Feel like i have to try my hand at stamps some day!

And yes, the 99 feelings are amazing!!

May 5, 2009 at 1:29 p.m. 1dream

Uggsh!! Amazing tutorial. Congrats Artmind!!!

May 5, 2009 at 1:29 p.m. blueberryshoes

oh i am SO gonna get into this now...great article! thanks!

May 5, 2009 at 1:31 p.m. adoreneko

Terrific tutorial and wonderful stamps!

May 5, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. TreeHuggerStudio

that's awesome!

May 5, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. alibli

Great Idea! I'll try...

May 5, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. julieincharge

I love this tutorial. Great job, ArtMind! Thanks for sharing.

May 5, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. ArtMind

Thank you all! I love tutorials and I love sharing the proces of making something. So happy too that you are all going to make stamps now! :)

May 5, 2009 at 1:39 p.m. GaffeyArt

Very useful AND cool!
annegaffey.blogspot.com

May 5, 2009 at 1:39 p.m. ExoticFlavour

Absolutely brilliant, amazing work!

Thank you ^-^

May 5, 2009 at 1:43 p.m. thePhotoZoo

how cool is that!! thanks for the tutorial!!! (saw this on twitter!!)

May 5, 2009 at 1:44 p.m. annarubyking

what a great tutorial! the world cannot have enough stamps!

May 5, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. missindie

Awesome! That is too cool, can't wait to make some! :]

May 5, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. topsyturvydesign

Fab tutorial - I *love* your 99 feelings series ArtMind!

If you are not up to busting out with the linoleum, so to speak, www.Corrabelle.etsy.com makes awesome linos!

May 5, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. SilverSynergy

I'm certainly going to give this a go!

May 5, 2009 at 1:51 p.m. EJPcreations

What a great demo!!! Thank you!

May 5, 2009 at 1:59 p.m. Ozknits

This looks so fun! I'll have to try it to see if I can do it injury-free :)

May 5, 2009 at 2 p.m. OffTheHooks

very cool- these would be a great way to save paper- instead of getting business cards printed on new paper, you could just stamp recycled bits of paper!!

May 5, 2009 at 2 p.m. melaniefavreau

Nice! I'm gonna make some to customize my packages. Thanks a lot Miss Danielle :)

May 5, 2009 at 2:03 p.m. dumbo

OH, BRILLIANT!!
SIMPLE.
EASY.
COOL.
CHEAP.

May 5, 2009 at 2:07 p.m. juicychristians

i love it!

May 5, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. kaoruwerk

Awesome. I totally want to try it.

May 5, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. karuski

Thanks for a great info with clear description & pictures! Her feelings project is just amazing too!

May 5, 2009 at 2:20 p.m. beautifulbridget

Excellent! I always wondered how stamps were made!

May 5, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. bellasparty

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

May 5, 2009 at 2:22 p.m. LaveMeSoapCo

interesting

May 5, 2009 at 2:23 p.m. kateleestar

I just love etsy.

May 5, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. Huismus

You busy bee! :-) What a great tutorial and clear explanation..
Check out her shop, those 99 feelings are amazing!!

May 5, 2009 at 2:34 p.m. visart

Wonderful tutorial, thanks!

May 5, 2009 at 2:39 p.m. themefragrance

oh good! time for to buy more art supplies!
thanks for another fun lesson!

May 5, 2009 at 2:39 p.m. yaelfran

cool Mitsy!!!!!!

May 5, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. clubviv

nice I love it
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May 5, 2009 at 2:54 p.m. PetitPlat

Oh wow that's awesome!

Thanks a lot Mitsy ;)

May 5, 2009 at 2:54 p.m. FashionFauxPas

Looks like fun! I'd love to try it out!

May 5, 2009 at 2:56 p.m. SteveJaviel

Beautiful work. I love them!

May 5, 2009 at 3:04 p.m. FlanneryO

Totally inspired to make some stamps...just bought a Richard Nixon stamp for a friend!

May 5, 2009 at 3:05 p.m. ModFarmgirl

Awesome! Thank you for sharing! I really have to try this!!!

www.autumnwhispers.etsy.com also sells some awesome handcarved stamps. She can even carve your portrait in a stamp!!!

May 5, 2009 at 3:06 p.m. youheartus

this is fabulous! thanks.

May 5, 2009 at 3:08 p.m. clothpaperstitches

Oh, thank you for sharing this...I've been wanting to learn about this lately, and I'll definitely try it! Thanks.

May 5, 2009 at 3:10 p.m. thestapeliacompany

I love stamps and I never knew how to make them. Thanks to this, I do now! :)

May 5, 2009 at 3:15 p.m. humblebea

Well, that is way too cool! Thanks for sharing, Mitsy!
Great article, Danielle! (-:

May 5, 2009 at 3:15 p.m. norakaren

thanks for the tip!! I love everything customized!

May 5, 2009 at 3:23 p.m. myhearttoyours

Awesome! I was just looking for stamps today and couldn't find any that were unique! GREAT TIP! Thanks!

May 5, 2009 at 3:29 p.m. themagicalbean

I love making stamps!! Thanks for the information and tips.

May 5, 2009 at 3:31 p.m. Humanidad

very cool!

May 5, 2009 at 3:34 p.m. DewberryVintage

Wow! I cant wait to give this a try :)

May 5, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. lovelygifts

Great idea

May 5, 2009 at 3:52 p.m. lunaticart

Excellent tutotial!! Thank you Misty!!!

May 5, 2009 at 4:09 p.m. MGMart

Great tutorial! I want to try it now!!! Thank you Mitsy and Danielle :) xx

May 5, 2009 at 4:10 p.m. auleecreations

What a good idea... Thanks !!!

May 5, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. NatashaDesigns

I Love it ")

May 5, 2009 at 4:32 p.m. cabbagesandkingsArt

Wonderful Tutorial! Great Job Mitsy, and Danielle! :)

May 5, 2009 at 4:49 p.m. silentdisco

Thanks. Its simple... will try it :)

May 5, 2009 at 5:05 p.m. vadjutka

I love step-by-step tutorials!

May 5, 2009 at 5:10 p.m. DalkullanJewelry

Great tutorial. I was just thinking about making a stamp yesterday, and now I know how. Thanks so much!

May 5, 2009 at 5:35 p.m. IlluminatedPerfume

So inspirational!! Thank you this is fantastic.

May 5, 2009 at 5:51 p.m. Pumpkinpye517

wow this really makes me want to make a stamp! no more potato stamps! lol

May 5, 2009 at 7:06 p.m. branda

Great ArtMind!! We will try to make a stamp too!!! :-) :-)

May 5, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. tanisalexis

way to go artmind! :) I love what you do. and your 99 feelings are creating an awesome following. WOO HOO!!! :D

May 5, 2009 at 9:25 p.m. ZombieIrish

LOVE it... I've been wanting to do this forever! :D

May 5, 2009 at 10:37 p.m. littlepinkpebble

wow~!! great~!!

May 5, 2009 at 10:40 p.m. paperpatternsilk

I love love love those mini feelings sculptures, I showed them to a designer friend and he thought they were really great and clever too. : )

May 5, 2009 at 10:53 p.m. zeropumpkin

oh man this is super cool! :D

May 5, 2009 at 11:10 p.m. gretchenmist

great tutorial mitsy, thanks for sharing!

May 6, 2009 at 12:21 a.m. VintageScraps

Fantastic! I was wondering :)

May 6, 2009 at 12:26 a.m. peaseblossomstudio

Love it! I can't wait to be back to carving stamps soon. :-) I am going to teach my 6 year old niece how to carve them when I am up and running again!

May 6, 2009 at 1:51 a.m. BlueTerracotta

Thanks for this great tutorial! I'm definitely going to try this!

May 6, 2009 at 1:53 a.m. AFarmersDaughter

funny I was just thinking I need a stamp...Awesome

May 6, 2009 at 1:57 a.m. Blakenetizen

Wow This is very cool! STAMPS ROCK!

May 6, 2009 at 2:01 a.m. Blakenetizen

This is soo cool I just twittered it :)
http://twitter.com/blakenetizen

May 6, 2009 at 2:30 a.m. lilimandrill

Snif snif!
I am so sad! You forgot my stamps:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

I also make CUSTOM FACE STAMPS:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

Please visit my flickr gallery to see the results of custom orders:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilimand...

Thanks for stopping by!

Lise

May 6, 2009 at 2:50 a.m. vaeda

Love this!

May 6, 2009 at 2:59 a.m. mojospastyle

I started to use stamps on my handbags and you can create so many cool designs. Great article and found some really good stamp stores to buy from.

May 6, 2009 at 4:02 a.m. sophiestansfield

Fantastic tutorial - very inspired to create my own! :)
Thank you!

May 6, 2009 at 5:15 a.m. WrenWillow

oh i love stamps!! i used to make them in college and this has inspired me to try them out again... thanks!

May 6, 2009 at 5:51 a.m. sandali

I absolutely LOVE 'How-to-Tuesdays' -- it's such an inspirational day when it incourages all of us to try something new -- Happy Days ;)

May 6, 2009 at 6:24 a.m. Iammie

I want one. So cute!

May 6, 2009 at 6:32 a.m. LilyBaySoap

Neat-o!

May 6, 2009 at 7:59 a.m. Boxtreasures

Thank you so much! How cool is this! Always new & fresh ideas!

May 6, 2009 at 8:06 a.m. jennifersquires

This is so inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

May 6, 2009 at 8:22 a.m. AwApplesauce

This is crazy! I just finished making my own stamps a few days ago! It's a lot of fun, I'm totally going to start doing more.

May 6, 2009 at 8:41 a.m. Mimiandlola

Thank you for sharing!

May 6, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. ellecools

So fun! I want to go stamp some stuff right now!

May 6, 2009 at 9:47 a.m. Morado

This is real nice! I'd love to make my own stamps...im surely going to try. thanks!

May 6, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. CollectionObsession

I didn't think I could make stamps. Maybe I can - I'm gonna try. Thanks for the encouraging tutorial.

May 6, 2009 at 11:02 a.m. LoveLeeSoaps

I have always wanted to try making stamps!

May 6, 2009 at 11:08 a.m. sucree

I love stamps and have been wanting to make some. Thanks for sharing this ArtMind!

May 6, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. shecological

Thank you so much! that was very cool!

May 6, 2009 at 11:15 a.m. ArtMind

I'm getting all giddy that you are all going to make stamps! It's so fun, cheap and useful! Have fun & if you want to share your stamp, you can post a picture on Flickr. There are numerous groups for stamp making, here is one I like a lot:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/rubberst...

May 6, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. ireneagh

very cool! great idea! :)

May 6, 2009 at 11:41 a.m. polkadotsoup

terrific how-tuesday! i can't wait to get some supplies and get started :)

May 6, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. LittleCritters00

Oh! this is great. I've been wanting to do this. thanks

May 6, 2009 at 1:20 p.m. CutieDynamite

Oooh! I used to love making stamps as a kid!

May 6, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. gothfoxdesigns

Fabulous Tutorial!
Funny this should come up since i bought stamp making supplies just yesterday. I haven't made a stamp since Jr. High.

May 6, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. redyellowandblueink

I love hand cut rubber stamps and blocks.

May 6, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. dropsofjupiter

This tutorial helped me to make my very first own stamp - I love it :) Thank you so much for making this, Mitsy!

May 6, 2009 at 2:01 p.m. nikkiprince440

This is a great idea. One I hadn't thought of. I'll be sure to try this. It'll add a unique touch to my scrapbook pages. Check out this blog they have really great ideas as well Scrapbooking Blog, Scrapbooking Tutorials and Ideas

May 6, 2009 at 2:02 p.m. nikkiprince440

http://www.capturedmomentsblog.com/

May 6, 2009 at 2:02 p.m. nikkiprince440

This is a great idea. One I hadn't thought of. I'll be sure to try this. It'll add a unique touch to my scrapbook pages. Check out this blog they have really great ideas as well http://www.capturedmomentsblog.com/

May 6, 2009 at 2:13 p.m. toosis

Artmind you are so creative. I love the article.

May 6, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. HazelnutDesigns

I had a custom stamp made so I can create my own fabric lables... made by foryoo.etsy.com
Love it!

May 6, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. pixiepaper

Great tutorial, very easy to follow directions. Thanks for sharing Mitsy!

May 6, 2009 at 4:06 p.m. bluelala

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

May 7, 2009 at 1:07 a.m. beladonna

It's an awesome tutorial! Congrats Misty!

May 7, 2009 at 3:32 a.m. martice

How cool! :)

May 7, 2009 at 5:50 a.m. meltemsem

Mitsy, this is great! Thanks so much for sharing us !

May 7, 2009 at 5:56 a.m. ilovemysewingmachine

i loved doing this in school - im soo going to try it again!

May 7, 2009 at 7:01 a.m. poetsdaughter

Very cool! I have to try this :)

May 7, 2009 at 7:32 a.m. winemakerssister

Great tutorial! Thanks for including my leaping lamb stamp.

May 7, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. FebystanDesigns

Thanks for the tutorial, Artmind! It looks fun.

May 7, 2009 at 8:55 a.m. bodaszilvia

wonderful idea!! thank you for sharing!

May 7, 2009 at noon waisze

i love this. I use rubber stamps all the time. Thanks for the intro into the world of stamp making!

May 7, 2009 at 12:57 p.m. nanouke

I love stamps and I love ArtMind, so.. wonderful combination!

May 7, 2009 at 2 p.m. PrairieFairyDesigns

Sweet stuff, I remember using a potato and knife to make a one use stamp in elementary school. . . . also works very well and is cheap as cheap can be.

May 7, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. mochachild

Great idea! It will definitely add more originality. Thanks for sharing!

May 7, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. monkeyandsquirrel

pirate bunny... arrrr!!!

May 7, 2009 at 11:38 p.m. blythestuff

I love this. I will follow and make some.

thx~

May 8, 2009 at 3:24 a.m. raghousenternational

Very, very cool. Before etsy, I just never knew how much creativity there is out there and I am just awed at this! Really cool work.

Ren

May 8, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. jenta2b

I love it, that you could share this with others. THANKS!

May 8, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. littlemoandfriends

cool! cool! I'm definitely going to give this handmade stamp a go! Thanks for sharing!xxx

May 8, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. cthings

Great tutorial!! Thanks for sharing this! You make it look so easy.

May 8, 2009 at 6:35 p.m. GlamBlasphemy

Great!
I always have been wondering how to do that, but I didn't knew what tools I may be needing..

Thank you!!

May 8, 2009 at 9:16 p.m. OSEC

Thanks for sharing. I will use it.

May 11, 2009 at 2:51 p.m. Tepuisjewelrys

Thank you , very cool ,Thanks for sharing Love

May 12, 2009 at 12:19 a.m. FableBay

i love learning new things!! i would like to give this a try

May 12, 2009 at 3:20 p.m. Jemppa

Thanks! This is very helpful and it looks so easy. Most definitely I'll have to give it a try.

May 12, 2009 at 4:53 p.m. SavonShoppe

Thanks for the great tutorial. Easy to follow w/ great pics. Another craft to try "stamping"...adding to list.

May 12, 2009 at 5:44 p.m. MantaWave

Fantastic!
Thanks so much!
~G

May 12, 2009 at 6:45 p.m. CamillesCloset

WHat a fab Idea!!

May 12, 2009 at 8:55 p.m. samsstuff

Great idea! (love the little pirate bunny too!) Thanks for the tutoral

May 12, 2009 at 10:29 p.m. Paw2Reflect

That is really cool! Thanks for the great tutorial! I can hardly wait to try my own! Sharing is so much fun!

May 12, 2009 at 11:05 p.m. applesaucedesigns

Thanks for the lesson I have made a stamp before but used a wood block I never considered gum, which is so much easier to work with, thanks so much.

May 13, 2009 at 12:11 a.m. LavenderField

amazing! thanks for sharing! :-)

May 13, 2009 at 1:53 a.m. patriciasaabdesigns

Useful and fun! Thanks much!!

May 13, 2009 at 3:11 a.m. JiaStyle

very useful article!!!

May 14, 2009 at 12:35 a.m. sheenajewellery

I have been thinking about making a stamp...nice to see this little tutorial. Now just to squeeze in some time!

May 14, 2009 at 6:55 a.m. NaomiKimhi

`really great article ,
Thank you

May 14, 2009 at 9:53 a.m. TheNightjar

thats great, i have wanted to know a simple way for a while now, yeah!!

May 14, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. Wellofcreations

This definitely gives me a better appreciation of this type of art.

May 15, 2009 at 1:06 p.m. LolasCraftShop

How cool is that!

May 15, 2009 at 5:35 p.m. Morado

These stamps are precious! I wish i cud make one

May 15, 2009 at 5:49 p.m. sjane

hey thanks for including one of my stamps!

May 17, 2009 at 2:06 a.m. tinyspace

super cool, wanna try it at home now!

May 17, 2009 at 2:13 a.m. wendyjang

gotta go buy erasers ^^

May 19, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. variation

I've tried many times (all in vain) to carve my own stamps. I'm impressed by anyone who can do this! Thanks for sharing.

May 19, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. lassandaliasdeana

perfect tute!!! lovely! thanks ;)

May 31, 2009 at 11 p.m. pandabunny

awesome! this looks like tons of fun!

June 12, 2009 at 11:39 a.m. BirdWatching

These are so cute. I made my own stamp once, maybe I will try it again!

June 13, 2009 at 2:35 a.m. amicafe

Sweet craft !!!
I love it so much! Thanks:P

July 1, 2009 at 5:11 a.m. lemonlinn

Great job. I like your idea!

Aug. 22, 2009 at 3:26 a.m. plasticmoon

cannot wait to start mine :-) thanks for the tips !

Sept. 8, 2009 at 8:02 p.m. Achromatic

I'm efinitely going to try this out! Very helpful...thanks for posting these tips!

Oct. 20, 2009 at 12:33 a.m. LoveLeeSoaps

I have been thinking about trying this forever. I come back and look at this post all the time. I FINALLY just ordered.
:)

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