Making Your Own Stamps
Custom stamps give your pottery a signature look that nobody else has. Stephen Jepson encourages every potter to build a personal stamp collection — it becomes part of your artistic identity. Start simple and add to your collection over time.
Carved Clay Stamps
Roll a small ball of clay and flatten one end into a stamping surface. Carve your design into it using a needle tool, loop tool, or knife. Remember that the design needs to be carved in reverse — what you cut away will be raised on the stamped clay. Bisque fire your stamps so they last indefinitely. Clay stamps absorb moisture from the work surface slightly, which helps them release cleanly.
Found Object Stamps
Look around your home and workshop for objects with interesting textures. Buttons, shells, screws, bolts, lace, burlap, leaves, bottle caps, gears, old keys, and textured fabric all transfer patterns beautifully to clay. Keep a box of found objects near your workspace and test new ones on scrap clay before using them on finished pieces.
Commercial Stamps
Pottery supply companies sell stamps in wood, bisque clay, resin, and rubber. Commercial stamps are consistent and durable, making them ideal for production work where you need the same pattern on every piece. They are also useful for learning stamping technique before investing time in carving your own designs.
Depth, Timing, and Technique
The Right Moment — Leather-Hard Clay
Stamping works best at the leather-hard stage. The clay is firm enough to hold a crisp impression but still soft enough to accept the stamp without cracking. Press the stamp firmly and evenly, hold for a moment, then lift straight up. If the clay sticks to the stamp, the clay is too wet. If the clay cracks around the stamp, it is too dry.
Controlling Depth
The depth of your stamp impression affects how it interacts with glaze. Shallow impressions create subtle texture that catches light. Deep impressions create pools where glaze collects, producing darker, more dramatic effects. For a consistent look across a piece, apply the same pressure to every stamp. For an organic feel, vary the depth intentionally.
Repeat Patterns and Borders
Create repeat patterns by spacing stamps evenly around a pot. Use a ruler or marked guide strip for consistent spacing. Borders work well around rims, at the foot, or at the widest point of a piece. Overlapping stamps create complex textures that look intricate but are quick to apply. Stephen Jepson recommends practicing your pattern on a flat test slab before stamping a finished piece.
Combining Stamps with Glazes
Stamped textures come alive when glazes interact with them. A dark oxide wash brushed over stamped areas and wiped from the high points leaves color in the recessed stamp marks, highlighting every detail. Thick glazes pool in deep stamp impressions, creating rich, dark areas surrounded by lighter high points.
Glaze Techniques for Stamped Surfaces
- Oxide wash — Brush iron or cobalt oxide over stamps, wipe the surface clean. Oxide stays in the texture.
- Breaking glaze — Glazes that thin on edges reveal the clay body on high points while pooling dark in recesses.
- Contrasting underglaze — Paint underglaze into stamped areas, wipe clean, then apply a clear glaze over everything.
- Layered glazes — Apply one glaze, then stamp through it to expose clay, then apply a second contrasting glaze.