Unconventional Art Supplies

Jumbo erasers in Target's $1 bins

More often than not, art supplies can be found in some unsuspecting places. One day while wandering aimlessly around Lowe's Home Improvement, I found that a silicone sink liner worked as an amazing stamp! I picked it up for around $7. 

Today I want to share with you how to make a wonderful stamp from a jumbo eraser. I was so excited about creating these stamps that I popped up out of bed at 4:30 this morning with nothing else on my mind, I headed out to the studio with my coffee and my dogs. 

most artists have this handy tool in a drawer somewhere

These erasers are soft, flexible, and they carve like butter with traditional linoleum carving tools. I bought several of these jumbo erasers (I love that they are "jumbo" because we all know that bigger is better), I figured that I could not go wrong for a dollar. When I got them home I took them out of the packaging and sanded off the screen printed images of cats and pigs and peace signs with household sand paper I had tucked into a drawer in my studio. These images were insanely distracting and who knows what kind of things that ink would do when covered with acrylic paint. Better safe than sorry, or distracted.

Images sanded off quite easily, leaving me with a clean slate for carving

I had a very easy and good time carving the eraser material

 These erasers come in round, rectangular and square shapes, I bought a few of each for variety and size of stamps. I also switched the carving tool tips for a variety of thick and thin lines in my stamps. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the spiral, so of course my first stamp was concentric circles!

Stamp inked with acrylic paint I spread on a disposable palette sheet

I figured in homage to Target, I'd print this up in red. I mean really, THANK YOU TARGET. I transferred the acrylic paint to the stamp on a sheet of palette paper for a nice even coverage on the surface of the stamp.

Some great effects, I really like the distressed look of the line

Now, most artists learn techniques from sharing swapping, and DVDing other artists. This idea is not my own original concept. I must give kudos to my mother-in-law Tricia Nelson, fiber artist, for not only sharing this wonderful technique with me, but also for purchasing the original pig stamp for me so that I could try it myself. Of course I went back and bough six more! The circle is my favorite. 

Good luck and enjoy!

Do you have some unconventional art supplies you'd like to share? Leave some in the comment field. I'd love to hear about them. It just might keep me up at night.