Stamps! Prints! Books! by Sarah Matthews

Beginner | 3 hours

Taught by Sarah Matthews

Artist, printmaker, and educator Sarah Matthews demonstrates her vibrant signature style of layering stamps to create graphic prints. Throughout each week of this daily practice, you’ll design, carve, and print your own stamps. Then, you’ll bind the resulting prints into four different book structures. The month is rounded out with additional techniques that you can use in any book art project. Sarah’s playful, low-pressure style and dynamic approach to color creates deceptively complex designs that radiate energy.

Learn how to:

Design, carve, and print Soft-Kut stamps
Make a two-color stamp
Make a flag book
Make an accordion book
Sew a five-hole pamphlet stitch
Make a Turkish map fold
Insert a pocket

What you’ll get:

Expert guidance from Sarah Matthews on how to carve and print stamps and how to bind your prints into books
32 HD video lessons you can access online anytime, anywhere
Downloadable PDF with photo resources
The ability to leave comments, ask questions, and interact with other students

Chapters

Stamps! Prints! Books!
Overview00:47

Week 1 - Make a geometric flag book
Day 1 - Materials and how to use carving tools05:21
Day 2 - Carve and stamp a circle04:31
Day 3 - Carve and stamp a second layer03:13
Day 4 - Carve and stamp a pebble pattern04:03
Day 5 - Begin to print06:51
Day 6 - Layer colors and stamps08:22
Day 7 - Use prints to assemble a flag book23:20

Week 2 - Make a fruit sample book
Day 8 - Carve and print a banana stamp08:58
Day 9 - Carve and print an apple stamp09:25
Day 10 - Carve and print a bunch of grapes stamp13:40
Day 11 - Carve and print a lemon stamp08:13
Day 12 - Print a banana and lemon pattern05:56
Day 13 - Print an apple and grape pattern04:32
Day 14 - Use prints to assemble a sample book07:56

Week 3 - Make a floral accordion book
Day 15 - Carve and print a flower stamp05:14
Day 16 - Carve and print a tulip bouquet stamp10:45
Day 17 - Carve and print a maple leaf stamp06:10
Day 18 - Carve and print a cluster of fig leaves stamp04:40
Day 19 - Print a tulip and leaf cluster pattern01:45
Day 20 - Print a flower and maple leaf pattern01:43
Day 21 - Use prints to assemble an accordion book11:13

Week 4 - Make an abstract upcycled book
Day 22 - Carve and print first trash stamp04:58
Day 23 - Carve and print a second trash stamp03:42
Day 24 - Carve and print a third trash stamp04:04
Day 25 - Carve and print a fourth trash stamp02:57
Day 26 - Print a two-sided collage04:25
Day 27 - Print a two-sided collage03:07
Day 28 - Use prints to assemble an upcycled book09:48

Additional inspiration
Day 29 - Add a pocket to one of your books01:16
Day 30 - Add a Turkish map fold03:54
Day 31 - Show-and-tell07:54

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need:

Neenah Exact Vellum Bristol 67 lb paper cut to 5" x 10"
- Day 20 cut two sheets of paper to 5" x 11"
- Days 22-25 cut paper to 5" x 5"
One 9”x12” Soft-Kut printing block
Versafine Clair Stamp Pads -- Sarah is using Cheeful (yellow), Charming Pink, Rain Forest (green), Warm Breeze (turquoise), Tulip Red, and Chianti (dark red)
Versafine Clair Reinkers
Power Grip carving tools
Pfeil Swiss Made V Gouge #12 1mm and 1mm
Olfa Frosted Advantage Non-Slip Ruler QR-4S
18”x24” Self-healing cutting mat and/or 9” x 12” self-healing cutting mat
Ruler
Bonefolder
Scissors
Pencils - Sarah prefers Palomino Blackwing
Fiskars Paper Trimmer
Scoring board
Gaffer bookbinding tape
Double sided tape
12” x 12” Chipboard - Sarah prefers Silhouette American brand
Japanese screw punch or awl
Waxed binding thread
Bookbinding or embroidery needle
Baby wipes for clean-up