Oak and Aspen Leaf Stamps

 Last week I carved a set of two leaf stamps. I started with a simple oak leaf, somewhat inspired by a sketch I had made in my sketchbook. I opted for the inner part of the leaf to be the negative space of the stamp and I really love how it turned out. I even (maybe especially) like the little bits of line leftover that weren't fully carved away.

After that I opted for an aspen leaf. Aspens hold a special place in my heart because I grew up around them in Colorado. Also, we had just recently gone up to the mountains here to take a look at the aspens as they started to change color, so that was fresh in my mind. Again, I opted for the body of the leaf to be negative space and I'm not as sure I prefer it that way for this one, but I think it turned out well enough.

Together they made a nice little page of falling leaves in one of my sketchbooks.

Also this week I finally listed the last abstract hoop I finished (which happened months ago now), so it can now be found in my Etsy shop. And I sent off a piece that I sold one minute after I listed it (wow, that's a great feeling!).