mangosteenskin: lino carving

I 'm looking for linoleum block but I don't know where to look for it locally. Why lino? Of course la for my stamp carving madness. Many times I almost purchase it online, but always, after considering the price in our currency...I think it become pretty unreasonable. I learnt that lino is being used in printmaking and lino is also an other name for vynil flooring mat, or what we locally call as "karpet getah (rubber carpet)". I blogged in one of my previous post, asking help from anyone who happen to know where to get the lino (I mean the lino block for stamp carving), and that was when Skin, a nice young lady came to my call.

The lino sample arrived at my office yesterday and the first thing I have in mind was, "A flooring lino!". It came in a sheet form, rather thin compared to what I expected, and it got this woven fiber backing~~~I am unsure, but the look of the backing almost convince me that, "It's a flooring lino!~~~It's a flooring lino~~~It's a flooring linooo..."*echoing*

It cracks and breaks like biskut lemau when folded. I showed it to my hubby, he also thinks it a vynil flooring mat!

But, I am optimistic, as always, hehe...so what if it's a flooring lino? Wouldn't it be nice if it can be used to make stamps? I made an easy, quick stamp design for testing-testing. It's up to how you interprete it, either it's a sister and her brother, or a mother and son... it's up to you. Initially the boy got his bicycle at the other side of the tree, but I was too lazy to carve the bicycle. Sorry boy, I have to take your bicycle away.

Carving the lino is an interesting new experience. It reminds me of scraping dried, hardened Milo powder from the tin.

It's difficult to get a nice proof because this lino stamp is stiff and too thin to be handled, so I mount it to a piece of wood. I like stamps made of eraser better, but maybe it's too early to judge. I have a feeling that this lino stamp can last longer than rubber stamps, and less vulnerable than erasers.