rubber stamps

Rubber stamps are used to print images on a surface and can be made out of vulcanized rubber. Commercially available rubber stamps fall into two categories: stamps for use in the office and stamps used for decorating objects or as children's toys. Rubber stamps for business are custom-made, showing an address, a corporate logo or something similar, and they are bought readily. They often have movable parts that allow the user to adjust the date or the word the stamp says. They are still often used to date incoming mail, memos and similar items.

Decorating stamps have become fashionable in the United States, more so than in Europe. While they are mostly regarded as children's toys in Europe, in the U.S. they are available in many intricate designs and are widely used to decorate various objects.

In the art world, there is also rubber stamp art. Sometimes the rubber stamps are self-made or even carved out of erasers. Today, companies in the US offer special, eraser-like rubber in larger pieces produced for this. This art is popular there, but virtually unknown in Europe. It is especially used by non-professional artists due to ease of use. It can mimic woodcuts, but is rarely used this way. The print from the carved rubber stamp is viewed as work of art on its own or one or several stamps are used to embellish a work of art with other components.

There are several possibilities to vary the look of those works. Paints, pigments and dye inks all create different effects, extending the use of rubber stamping from paper to fabrics, wood, metal, glass, and so on. This creates possibilities for mixed media art of all sorts.

Those works are often used in mail art or ATCs because they tend to be small and allow the making of series.

In fact ink etching art or linoleum carving is the same art using another carving material, but linoleum is much harder and so special tools are needed to work with it. In Europe it is widely used, other than rubber carving. Rubber carving material is available there now, but it's marketed as a children's toy and not widely used.

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