Stamps can be used to add texture and pattern, or as a signature or potter’s mark.

There are a few things to remember when making stamps from clay.

• If you carve in to the clay (concave) it will stamp convex, and vice versa

• Whatever you carve will print in a mirror image. So if you want to print your initials, you need to write them backwards!

As you make your first stamps, keep the designs simple. Depending on the kind of clay you are working with, you may have trouble with tiny details. Make your lines as thick as a dull #2 pencil, and of even depth.