Printing By Hand: Crafty Book Review
June 22, 2009 | By
With the abundance of websites dedicated to crafting, it’s a wonder that authors can still get published these days. But there’s something to be said for having a beautifully bound reference book readily available at your fingertips. It’s certainly easier to flip through a book than to look up information online while shuffling papers and messy art supplies at the same time.
While many craft books run the danger of being joined only by the author’s whim or a certain aesthetic, designer Lena Corwin’s Printing By Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens manages to be both focused on its subject while wide-ranging in its instruction and ideas. The author provides concise, step-by-step instructions for several different methods of hand printing: stamping, stenciling, and screen-printing. Covered in the projects is everything from creating the tools to choosing materials to technique. The author also provides recommendations for specific products and resources, and illustrates how the versatile medium can be used for embellishing clothing, linens, furniture, cards, and more. Using clear photographs and inspiring projects, she educates her reader while inspiring at the same time.
Test Project: Carving Rubber Stamps
I decided to try my hand at carving stamps using both wood-mounted linoleum as well as two different rubber synthetics. Using the materials and methods in the book, I discovered it was quite easy for a novice to transfer a sketch using nothing more than a pencil, paper, and bone folder. The next step, the actual carving of the material, was the most time-consuming—but also the most rewarding. The joy of cutting into material with simple tools took me by surprise, and I spent several hours happily experimenting with carving techniques and materials. The first and worst material I used was Speedball’s Speedy Cut white block; the material crumbled away far too easily, and none of the attempts to salvage it were successful. The linoleum block took the carving well, but the wood mounting was rough and blistered my fingers after awhile. I found that I liked Speedball’s Speedy Carve’s pink rubber block the best. It was firm enough to hold up to repeated whittling while smooth enough to cut like butter. I was quite excited to move onto the stamping process using acrylic paint, and am still experimenting with different fabrics and textured papers.
Overall, Printing By Hand provides illustrations of many beautiful projects for inspiration. The author’s easy narrative style combined with simple, concise instructions makes it easy for any crafter to follow along, and I’m looking forward to exploring the other techniques described.
Printing By Hand by Lena Corwin
ISBN: 1-58479-672-3
144 pages, hardcover spiral-bound
Price: $27.50
Crafter Information
Skill Level: Beginning – Mid Level printing
Usability: Excellent
Notes: Over 100 full color photographs, plus templates, charts, and resources
Photographs courtesy of Henry N. Abrams and Mimi Guethe.
Recommended Reading:
Test Your Knowledge of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Are You a Rebel Book Lover?
There’s One in All of Us: Where the Wild Things Are
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi Guethe is a writer, crafter, and former film publicist who lives with her husband and three cats in Los Angeles, CA. Her work has appeared in numerous publications across the country, including The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly magazine. She spends her days dreaming of living by the sea.
Visit Mimi online at the happy honeybee to see her handmade plushies, embroidery, and more. For the most up to date information, feel free to visit her on Twitter at @JustForFunHMN or @mimiguethe.
You may also view this complete list of all Handmade News articles by Mimi Guethe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi Guethe isn’t afraid to admit it: her children’s books outnumber her grown-up ones, she has an unfortunate weakness for her own killer fried chicken recipe, and she learns something new everyday on the Handmade News site. Please visit her online at the happy honeybee.
All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior
written permission of HandmadeNews.org.
