DIY - Buffalo Print

Hi there, it's Mariah from Everything Golden, back again for another DIY tutorial. I'm lucky enough to live in beautiful Montana just an hour away from Yellowstone National Park. One of the many gems in the park are the wild buffalo. Especially in the winter, they are a magnificent sight. One of our favorite wintertime activities is to head down to the boiling river for a soak and to watch the buffalo.




Here's how you make your own print...

What you'll need: 1. A soft carving block 2. An ink roller 3. Carving tools 3. Block printing ink 4. Tracing paper 5. Old spoon or roller

First you'll need to trace your image using a lead pencil. I found this silhouette of a buffalo online. Then transfer to the carving block by gently rubbing the lead onto the block.

Then, carve out all the area surrounding the buffalo.

Once your image is carved out, you can then roll on your ink. You'll want to roll out the ink on a piece of cardboard until the ink is even on the roller, then transfer to your block.

With the fresh ink on your block, place your paper over the block and being careful not to move the paper, use a wooden spoon to help set the ink on the paper. I played with using the block a few times before re-inking to create different opacities and a cool layering affect. You'll want to have plenty of paper to create lots of prints before you end up with that perfect "frame worthy" print. Once you've created your stamp there are so many things you can do with it, including stamping fabric(just make sure to use the oil based ink). Enjoy!