Gia Coleman

Sociology Major

Contact: gcoleman3@elon.edu

Sponsor: Tiffaney Coleman, Program Assistant for Cultural and Special Programs

What is it and Why????

I chose this project because it’s a fun, hands-on way to turn something small and ordinary, like an eraser, into something creative, useful, and sustainable. By carving stamps out of erasers, I’m taking a basic school supply and giving it a second life as a custom art tool. It’s low-cost, low-waste, and leaves a lot of room for creativity. Each stamp becomes a tiny piece of functional art, whether it's used for decorating notebooks, labeling things, bookmarks, or just adding a creative touch to everyday life.

The process

I used the same process for most of the stamps! It takes just a few steps:

• Trace your design onto your eraser, and make sure you remember the end result will be flipped horizontally from your original design. (Note: It does help to sketch what you want the final design to look like on sketchbook paper and then press the eraser onto it to get the desired design.)
• From here use carving tool with whatever tip works best and carve out the image! This part is easier than you think when it comes to most designs, so have fun with it.
• Next, put a small amount of ink onto your inking block (use a little more ink than you think you might need for most designs, or at least for the kit I used). Then use the ink roller to even out the ink on the block.
• From here you will simply press the carved eraser onto the block and apply pressure.
• Last step is to press the eraser to whatever surface you want!