Creating Rubber Stamps Using Fun Foam

www.carolingrammoore.com ~ www.artisansofthegap.com www.facebook.com/CarolIngramMoore

I was preparing for an art class in using household stuff to make art, when I saw a pile of fun foam. I had been making stamps out of erasers for an art swap. I thought fun foam seems like a thin bit of rubber. The four rectangles above are fun foam. I got them on clearance at Michaels thinking one day I will use these.

 I cut the foam to about 1/4 of the sheet. I used a pen to draw a heart with dots around it.

                               I cut foam away from the design leaving just a bit of an outline.

                         I inked up the heart with black ink. These are the images from the heart.

 To make the eraser stamps, I had been reading a lot of books on creating stamps. This one is my favorite.
If you feel like you can't draw, there are some samples for personal use in her book.

 This is the image of the houses. I traced it on paper (see below) with a pencil. Then you turn over the drawing and burnish the pencil drawing onto the foam. It leaves an image.

 Using a pen, draw over the burnished design. I changed the original design and left out all the lines on the roofs of the houses. I did add a few of my own designs.

 The result of the house image with the moon and stars. I will go back over the lines with a pen to make them bolder so that the image is stronger.

A flying insect or a moth or butterfly cut from foam created 31 images before I ran out of ink.

As I create these stamps, I am learning to cut away on some and leave some foam around the edges on others. This is a great craft for kids to enjoy this summer. You can also use fabric paint and make all sorts of original clothing, bags, or curtains. Because the stamps are unmounted you can also use them on clay pots.