Lookin' back for inspiration.

So, the problem - as inconsequential as it is - is regaining the ability to carve the lettering I want to carve. The solution is simple: Practice. Ha! No rocket science there! But, I find inspiration always helpful :)

Here's some lettering inspiration from a long time ago:

2.25" across; c. 2010

My favorite lettering to carve is my own handwriting ... why? No idea. But, it is my go-to, rather than a font (probably because it requires no computer!). I have seen some very impressive carvers, especially those knife-carvers, that are so precise with their carving that the stamps look store-bought! Amazing! I'm not like that - I guess I am more of a folk-art type of lettering carver. 

The stamp above was from the last month-long road trip Samsonite (then Padawan) and I took with our homeschoolers. We used it as both an exchange stamp and to log into found letterboxes.

2.25 x 3.5"
An example of font carving; I am always fascinated with word clouds

2 x 3.25"

Not sure if I still have this stamp (of a wonderful park on the Washington side of the Columbia River) - but, I am sure I carved it for an LTC swap of some sort. Carving the letters 'into' the background can be quite challenging.

Above is some of the last carving I did before ducking out of the hobby, captured in my carving log. That cuckoo clock was carved for my dear letterboxing friend, Kuku, for her amazing birthday event. It was so fun, even if my personal life was falling apart at the time. 

But, check out that lettering on those 'thank you' stamps! Those lines are so thin! (Did I really do that??) Both stamps are my own handwriting. More lettering up on the Anakin & Padme stamp, again in my own hand. (And, it doesn't have lettering but I still love that little inchie of Padawan in the lower left corner.)

Above is lettering practice from yesterday, using Tan Z. Despite the challenge of lettering, I am starting to feel pretty comfortable carving with the Pfeil and Flexcut tools. My favorites are evolving to be the Pfeil 1mm v-gouge, the Pfeil 0.5mm u-gouge, and the Flexcut palm tools from the micro set. I just bought another Flexcut palm tool, this time the 5mm u-gouge, to replace my Staedtler large gouge which I have always used for cleanup. The new Flexcut tool is a deeper gouge (than the Staedtler), so it works really nice for smoothing the edges of the stamp, as well. 

This last stamp is one I carved for those first 'inchie' swaps so long ago. This Yoda-ese sums up my thoughts about carving - both back then and now. It continues to prompt me to challenge myself with images I initially think are out of reach. Maybe it will inspire you, too.