Using the Camouflage Stamp

There are many leather stamps that can be used to enhance the looks of your project. Depending on how they are used, they can either make or break the looks of your work. I promise that I can tell you this from experience because of some of the mistakes that I have made and from looking at the top quality work that others have done. I may have said this previously, but I looked at the excellent work done by others whom I had the joy and honor of knowing, by which to set my standards. In this post, I will attempt to try to let you know how to best use the camouflage stamp and some of the mistakes that can be made with it.

I can remember many years ago when the “camouflage” stamp was called by a different name. It was called a “sunburst” stamp by some because that is what it resembled. With all the lines radiating out from the center, it looked like a sunburst minus the sun. If I did not mention it before, some people have called stamps by different names than what I may call them because of what they do or because of how they look. In other words, I have a tool/stamp that I made from the snap off portion of a concrete snap tie that I call an “undercut” beveller. Others will call it a “lifter” because it is used to lift part of a leaf or a petal to give the design a little more depth or dimension. It does not matter what you call it if it accomplishes the same task for you.

Like cars, camouflage stamps come in various sizes. I have one that I almost need to have a magnifying glass to be able to use it. I have a large one that is easy to see, but difficult to fit on some of the patterns that I use. Both of these stamps were probably unnecessary, but I do use them once or twice over a five-year span, maybe it is ten. That does not really matter in the least though. I have them, so I can use them if I would like or need. (By the way, if you want to accumulate some leather stamps you might want to go to yard, garage, or estate sales because you might be able to find some stamps that you might not need.)

One of the first times that I used a camouflage stamp was to do something similar to what is shown in the photo below. The carved pattern shown below is a whorl or a spiral design that represents or is similar to what may be seen on some plants. Notice how the camouflage stamp is used to give the whorl some dimension to its appearance. It also is used as a “stop” on the innermost end of the carved line. It is hard to tell from this photo, but I attempted to angle the stamp to the left when I did this. If you look closely, you might be able to see that it is a little darker than the right side.

Camouflage stamp used on a whorl

I have to admit, when I struck the stamp for doing this example, I hit it too hard. I free-handed the carved lines, which I know better than to do as well. I really need to trace a pattern onto the leather to carve it better than when I freehand it. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the whorl is not properly dimensioned. It is too wide for the stamp that I used and I should not have had the whole stamp showing. The way this whorl was carved it needed a larger camouflage stamp so that a pear shader could be used to continue the effect out into its body. I will try to provide an example of a properly carved and stamped whorl in another post somewhere down the line.

Another use for the camouflage stamp is to add texture to the center of a leaf by spacing it along a line carved in the middle portion of a leaf. I will not say the “center” of a leaf because of the manner in which many patterns are drawn. The line carved in the middle portion, maybe close to the center, or may be a little off-center to give a perspective that you are looking more at the side of the leaf than right down on top of it. The photo below shows how you do not want your camouflage to look on the center of a leaf. The spacing or placement of each stamp is within a reasonable distance, but the point of the left edge of the stamp is visible. To me, this is not how I want my finished project to look. I need to try to have only slightly more than one-half of the stamp showing. How is this accomplished? It can be done by leaning the top of the stamp towards the line more. It might be necessary to lean the top of the stamp past the center of the line to angle it enough to get the proper impression with the stamp.

Camouflage stamp not used in the best manner

Remember, just because a stamp such as the camouflage is a full semi-circle does not mean that you need or want to use the whole thing. It is a little like the story about the woman who made an eighteen inch long rhubarb pie because that is how long the rhubarb stems were. In addition, the right amount of force to use when striking a stamp can be learned with practice. It will take a few times of using a stamp to get the effect you are seeking. Another thing that can affect the way a stamp will appear on the leather is the thickness of the leather you are using. The photo below is somewhat more representative of the way you might want the result to look. 

Camouflage stamp used in a little better manner

If you look closely at this photo of the “proper” appearance of the camouflage stamp, you will notice that the fourth one from the bottom has a bit of a problem. I would like to say that I did it on purpose but that was not the case. I got in a hurry to get it done and it did not turn out as I would have had it. Another thing that I want to say before proceeding further with this discussion is that it is not necessary to bevel the side of the line being stamped with the camouflage stamp. I do like to bevel the opposite side of the line though and use a veiner stamp on that side of the line. I will give an example of this in a later post as well.

Another way to use the camouflage stamp is to more or less matte the stem of a flower or leaf. The photo below shows one way in which you can do this. I will say that this may not be the most attractive but it fit my mood at the time. You might like to have the different stages of your stamps deeper or a little more separated by a little more distance than what I have demonstrated in the following photo. The best and most attractive method for placing and the force with which you strike the stamp is all up to you. It is not what I say that is the best practice; it is for you as a leather artist to decide what you like the best. I am only giving you some suggestions to help you be successful

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Camouflage used to give a matted effect to a flower stem

You know, when I look at the stem in this photo I think that I would have done it differently. I might have done more stair stepping with the stamp and made the impressions toward the top of the stem a little farther apart and a little deeper. It is more than a little too late to change my mind on what I did here. That is where it is a good idea to have some scrap leather to practice on and learn what works the best for your style of tooling leather.

Because a stamp is generally used on floral patterns does not mean that it always needs to be used that way. Some people would tell you to, “Think outside the box.” I think that it is more appropriate to say to, “Use your God-given creativity.” The photos below are some ways that I have used the camouflage stamp on at least one project in the past. 

Camouflage back-to-back to be used as decoration on lettering or a border

Camouflage used as a geometric accent or decoration

Camouflage stamp can be used as a border accent stamp

Camouflage stamp used to create a larger geometric design

Remember, if you have any questions or comments please let me know. I will be glad to be of help if I can.

Have fun!

Using Background Stamps

As we continue the progression through the various stamps that I recommended for a beginners set, I thought it would be a good to discuss the stamps that can make or break your tooling project. That being said, we already discussed the bevellers, which I think is one of the two most important stamps that you will use. The second, and not of lesser importance, is the background stamp. I have seen some fantastic tooling on pieces of leather, which was degraded because the person doing the tooling did not take the time to do a good job on the background.

I used to scare the leather with my background stamp when I first started. In other words, I did not get the full, deep impression of stamp and make the background look as if it were lower than the pattern. The background stamp is used to do just that, make the area that it is being used in look as if it is the background. The idea behind the use of this stamp is to give more definition to the pattern. It is similar to looking at a flower in a field or in a flowerbed. There is always something behind it, whether it is the sky, another flower, or maybe some weeds. Although there may be only one-thirty-second of an inch between the upper layer of your pattern and the upper surface of the background, it will significantly define your project.

For this iteration of using stamps, I have used five background stamps and one matting stamp in an attempt to demonstrate how important it is to get the background stamped well. If you are wondering why I would have a demonstration of a matting tool I wanted to show how important it is to get it right the first time when using a stamp. Besides that, I freehand carved six boxes and I wanted to make it look like it was something that I had planned instead of one of those things that happen to us when we get up in years. It happens when the “OF” stuff starts catching up with us. (If you want to know what “OF” is the acronym for drop me a note.)

Carved boxes for background stamp demonstration

Before I proceed on with the photos of the boxes stamped with the backgrounds, I need to let you know that larger background stamps that are available. They are really great as long as you can figure out how to get them to work for you. The background stamp that I recommended for your starter set of tools was the A104, which is a teardrop shaped stamp with a sharp point for getting into smaller areas.

The larger version of the A104 background stamp is a rectangle that is a little longer and maybe a little wider. The larger size will save a lot of time, right? Not necessarily so. I bought the A106 background stamp because I thought it would speed up the whole process of stamping large areas of background. It may be the stamp that I got, but it actually made things worse. I could see each individual impression of that stamp because of the way in which it was made. Look at the photo below and you can see what I mean. 

Background stamped with the A106 rectangular tool

This photo is a little embarrassing because I actually tried to get it right the first time. Can you see the individual stamp impressions? Do you see the distinct lines between the rows? I found that if I used this stamp that I had the problem of developing a design in the background that was quite distracting from the main part of the pattern. You definitely do not want a pattern showing in your background. It should look as if it was all done by one large stamp that actually fits the area being stamped. After over forty years of doing leatherwork I have, yet to find a stamp that will accommodate that. I like to stick with the A104 stamp for all of my background.

The photo above shows the shape of the A106 stamp and my attempt to dress up the previous problems that I saw. I can still see the lines between the different stamp impressions. Another problem that I can see is that in some of the places where I overlapped the second round of this stamp is that there is more of a matting effect on the leather than I would like to see. Please bear in mind that the photos you are looking at are done with the ISO setting on the camera that I am using so they look large. The size of the boxes on this piece of leather are less than an inch square.

The A104 background stamp is teardrop shaped and covers less of an area than A106. To complete a stamping the background on a project is it necessary to have an A104 background stamp. This stamp was designed to allow the user to get into the tight areas that are “V” shaped and have sharp angles that require the point of the stamp to be used. I use the A104 background stamp exclusively. The photo below shows some of the issues that can arise with the use of this stamp.

A104 Background stamp improperly done

For me, the ease of using the A104 background is the seller. The photo above shows how easy it would be even with this stamp to have problems with its use. When I look at this photo, I almost cringe. I did a very poor job of stamping this background on purpose just to show you what you should be looking at and for when using the stamp. If you look just above the box, you will see the shape of the stamp. The stamping in the box looks a lot different. The background should look as much like the stamp as possible.

The photo below shows how much different the box would look when the stamp is done correctly. I res-tamped the background here to demonstrate how much better it would look if it were all stamped at one level. You be the judge and decide which you like better. Can you see a difference?

A104 Background stamp redone

Another background stamp that I find difficult to use is the A889. As you can see, the stamp is rectangular and allows the user to get more area done in a shorter time span. The problem is that you have to be very careful not to develop a pattern with it. A pattern is easy to get if you follow a curved line with the stamp for a few rows and then begin to follow another line and join the two areas of stamping together. Larger areas of background lend to this tendency.

A889 Background Stamp

The other problem that you can see from the photo above is that it is somewhat difficult to keep the pattern of the stamp flowing, as it should. I can see the edges of all four sides of this stamp when I look at this box. I do not know if it is the way the stamp is made or if it is just that, I am unable to use it properly. Looking at the top of the box that is stamped you might be able to see where I overlapped the stamp to attempt to make it look better and it did not work. It might just be me and it could be the quality of this particular stamp.

The photo below shows a rather lousy background-stamping job using the A888 stamp. I did this on purpose to again show you that a poorly stamped background can definitely take away from a project that was well stamped. This first photo does not show the shape of the stamp but the one that follows does. The A888 background stamp can present the user with problems similar to all of the previous ones described. What do you think?

A888 Background stamping poorly done - purposely

The photo below shows the square re-stamped with the A888 background stamp. This stamp is well made but a challenge use as well. Again, it is easy to develop a pattern by following the edge of a curved line, such as a leaf or flower petal. Notice how there is only a slight improvement in the quality in which the stamping was done. By the way, I do not recommend going back and re-stamping, especially when using any stamps unless it is necessary. In most cases, it will look as if something happened instead of something that was planned.

A888 Background stamping redone

The last background stamp that I want to discuss is the bar grounder. I find this stamp to be one of the most difficult and least rewarding stamps that I own. I love the looks of it when it is done properly, but that is a challenge. I face many of the same issues with it as I did with the other stamps, not being able to make it look as perfect as I would like. I do not think that the bar ground stamp will ever be one of my favorite to use simply because of the difficulty I have with making it look like I want it. This is another stamp that is easy to develop a pattern with that will take away from the other tooling.

Bar Grounder background stamp demonstration

One last stamp to take a look at is a matte tool. I do not even know why I have this stamp. I probably wanted a project to look just like the one that came with the kit I was planning to purchase. I did not have to try to make this one look bad. I believe that the stamp looks good but it has some issues with the ease of use, especially for me. Can you see where the basic shape of the stamp lends to the difficulty in use? 

Matte stamp demonstration

The last photo in this post shows the piece of leather that I used to demonstrate my inadiquacies in using some of these background stamps. I guess that I like things too easy and that I have been too lazy to practice using these stamps. Anyway, this little demonstration will allow you to see the difference between the appearance of the different background stamps that I own. There are other stamps that are available but I already have enough that I do not use.

Background and matte stamp demonstration

Have fun!