A lemon-half print turned into the two wheels of a drawn bicycleYellow or orange, 2 presses. An adult halves the lemon; blot it first. Draw the frame, seat and handlebars.
A rubber-banded bundle of cotton swabs dabbed as blossom on a drawn branchPink and white. Draw the branch in brown first. Dab clusters at the ends of the twigs.
A bird stamp printed along a drawn telephone wire with one bird facing the other wayBlack ink, 6 presses. Draw the sagging wire and two poles first. Turn the stamp once.
A bell-pepper half stamped as three-lobed clover leavesGreen, 6 presses. An adult cuts the pepper across. Print in a loose patch and draw a thin stalk on each.
A corn cob rolled in paint to print the bumpy back of a crocodileDark green, 2 rolls. Roll the cob once for the body and once for the tail. Draw jaws, legs and an eye.
A lemon-half print turned into the two wheels of a drawn bicycleYellow or orange, 2 presses. An adult halves the lemon; blot it first. Draw the frame, seat and handlebars.
A potato cut to a triangle and stamped into a forest of fir treesTwo greens. An adult cuts the stamp. Three triangles stacked make one tree; draw the trunks.
A potato heart stamped point-in as the wings of butterfliesAny two colors, 2 presses per butterfly. An adult cuts the heart. Draw a body and feelers between each pair.
A rose printed with the cut base of a celery bunch, stems drawn on in green penRed and pink, 3 presses. An adult cuts the celery straight across. Print the roses, then draw stems and leaves.
A square potato stamp printed as a brick wall with a cat drawn on topBrick red in staggered rows. An adult cuts the square. Draw the cat last, in black.
An onion-half print as ripples spreading round a drawn duckBlue, 3 presses that overlap. An adult halves the onion. Draw the duck in the middle of the first print.
Carrot-end dots stamped as the spots on a drawn giraffeBrown on yellow paper. An adult trims the carrot flat. Draw the giraffe's outline first and fill it with prints.
Halved-apple prints turned into a pumpkin patch with drawn stalks and vinesOrange, 5 presses. An adult halves the apple. When dry, add a stalk to each print and one curling vine.
Mushroom halves stamped as a row of umbrellas in the rainThree bright colors, 5 presses. An adult halves the mushrooms. Draw hooked handles and slanting rain.
Star flowers stamped from sliced okra across a painted meadowWhite and yellow. An adult slices the okra. Dot each center in orange with a pen.
Erasers and craft foam 12
A craft-foam fish stamp printed as a shoal with one fish swimming the other wayBlue. Print all but one facing left. Print the last in orange, facing right.
A foam cloud stamped in overlaps as a storm front with drawn lightningGray and dark blue, 7 presses. Overlap the clouds along the top. Draw one forked bolt in yellow.
A foam feather stamp printed in overlapping rows as a bird's wingBrown and cream. Start at the wing tip and overlap toward the shoulder. Draw the bird.
A foam paw stamp that walks across the page and off its edgeBlack. Print in left-right pairs. Let the last print run half off the paper.
A foam raindrop stamped everywhere except under a drawn umbrellaBlue. Draw the umbrella and its dry patch first, then print the rain round them.
A foam triangle stamp turned and printed into a pinwheel patternTwo colors, 4 presses per pinwheel. Turn the stamp a quarter each press round one center point.
A row of tiny houses from one eraser stamp, each with a different drawn doorOne ink color, 6 presses. An adult cuts the eraser. Add doors, windows and one smoking chimney in pen.
An eraser cut with a zigzag and stamped as mountain ranges in three shadesThree grays, 9 presses. An adult cuts the zigzag. Palest range at the top, darkest at the bottom.
An eraser cut with your initial and stamped as a seal on your drawingsRed, 1 press. An adult cuts the letter, reversed so it prints the right way round.
An eraser star stamped in white paint across dark paper as a night skyWhite on navy. An adult cuts the star. Press some firmly and some faintly for depth.
Pencil-top eraser dots that build a sunset in four colorsYellow, orange, pink and purple, many presses. Work in bands from the horizon up, letting the bands mix.
Three leaf stamps cut from craft foam and printed as a swirl of falling leavesRed, orange and yellow. Turn the stamp a little each time so no two leaves line up.
Found stamps 12
A cardboard tube pinched to a petal shape and printed five times round as a blossomPink, 5 presses per flower. Pinch one end of the tube to a point. Dot the centers with a pen.
A cork-print caterpillar with drawn legs and a face on the first circleGreen, 7 presses in a wavy line. Reload the cork every second press. Draw legs, feelers and a smile.
A honeycomb printed from bubble packing with a drawn bee and three cells colored inYellow, 1 press. Brush paint on the bubbles and press the sheet down flat. Draw the bee in black.
A rubber-banded bundle of cotton swabs dabbed as blossom on a drawn branchPink and white. Draw the branch in brown first. Dab clusters at the ends of the twigs.
A scrunched foil ball dabbed in gray as the rocky surface of a moonGray and white, many dabs. Dab inside a drawn circle. Draw a small flag and a lander on the rim.
A sponge cube printed as a castle wall with battlementsGray. Leave every other gap along the top row. Draw a door, a flag and arrow-slit windows.
A toy brick pressed in rows as the studded chest of a drawn robotSilver or gray, 4 presses. Print a block of studs, then draw the robot's head, arms and legs round it.
The edge of a card strip dipped in green and stamped as tall grassTwo greens. Lean the card left and right as you go. Draw a ladybug on one blade.
Fork-tine prints fanned into the spread tail of a peacockBlue and green. Fan the prints above a drawn body. Dot an eye on the tip of each print.
Real leaves printed vein side down as a row of treesGreens and one orange, 5 presses. Brush paint on the back of each leaf. Draw a trunk under each print.
String wrapped round a block and printed as a plowed field in rowsBrown, 6 presses side by side. Wrap the string evenly. Draw a tractor and a line of birds behind it.
Tire tracks from a toy car rolled through paint across a drawn town mapBlack, 3 or 4 runs. Draw the roads in pencil first. Add houses and trees beside the tracks.
Ink-pad pictures from one or two rubber stamps 12
A bird stamp printed along a drawn telephone wire with one bird facing the other wayBlack ink, 6 presses. Draw the sagging wire and two poles first. Turn the stamp once.
A cat stamp printed in a row with speech bubbles drawn in afterwardBlack ink, 4 presses. Leave space above each cat. Write one word in each bubble.
A fish stamp inside a drawn bowl with bubbles from a pencil-end stampOrange and blue ink, 2 fish and 6 bubbles. Draw the bowl, the water line and a little weed.
A flower stamp printed as a bunch using a paper mask for the overlapsThree inks, 5 presses. Stamp one flower, cover it with a cut paper copy, then stamp the next over the edge.
A heart stamp pressed four times round a dot to make a flowerRed or pink ink, 4 presses per flower. Points meet in the middle. Draw a stem and two leaves.
A shoe-print stamp climbing a staircase drawn in penBlack ink, 8 presses. Draw the stairs in side view. One left and one right print on each step.
A single leaf stamp turned round one center point to make a rosetteOne ink color, 8 presses. Mark the center with a dot and aim each leaf's stalk at it.
A snowflake stamp in three blue inks finished with white gel-pen dotsThree blues. Overlap pale flakes with dark ones. Dot white over everything when dry.
A star stamp pressed again and again from one inking as a comet's fading tailBlue ink, 6 presses from 1 inking. Each print is paler than the last. Draw a few speed lines.
A tree stamp printed pale and then dark for a forest with depthGreen ink. Stamp the back row after blotting once. Stamp the front row freshly inked.
One round rubber stamp inked in a ring to make a wreath, with a drawn bowGreen ink. Pencil a faint circle and stamp along it. Draw the bow at the bottom in red.
The word RAIN stamped over and over in falling columns under a drawn cloudBlue ink, 4 letter stamps. Let the columns drift apart toward the bottom.
Repeats for wrapping paper and cards 12
A birthday card front of stamped candles with flames drawn onFour colors, 5 presses. Stamp the candles in a row at different heights. Draw each flame in orange pen.
A checkerboard repeat: stamp, gap, stamp, with the gaps filled in a second colorTwo colors, many presses. Do every other square in the first color, let it dry, then fill the gaps.
A diagonal stripe repeat of triangles that point up and down by turnsOne color, many presses. Give the stamp half a turn for every second print. Follow a ruled diagonal.
A half-drop repeat of one stamp in white paint on brown paperWhite, many presses. Stamp a column, then start the next column half a step lower. Rule faint pencil lines.
A scatter repeat where the stamp turns a quarter with every pressOne color, many presses. No rows at all. Turn the stamp a quarter each time so no two prints match.
A set of four matching cards from one stamp printed in four colorsFour inks, 1 press per card. Same place on every card. Wash and dry the stamp between colors.
A sheet of gift tags cut from one page stamped edge to edgeTwo colors, many presses. Stamp the whole sheet first. Cut the tags afterward and punch a hole in each.
A thank-you card with a stamped frame of leaves round a blank middleGreen ink. Mask the middle with a paper rectangle. Peel it off and write inside.
An envelope liner stamped edge to edge with one small motifOne color, many presses. Trace the envelope flap on thin paper, stamp it all over, then cut it out.
An ombre sheet where one stamp fades down the page as the ink runs outOne ink color, a row of presses per inking. Ink once per row and stamp until it will not print.
Two stamps, a star and a moon, alternated in rows offset like bricksYellow and white on dark blue paper, many presses. Each row starts half a step along from the last.
Wrapping paper of stamped fir trees with a single red tree hidden among themGreen and red, many presses. Stamp every green tree first and leave one gap for the red one.
Borders and bookplates 12
A bookmark stamped with a tall stack of books, each a different colorFive inks, 5 presses of one rectangle stamp. Stack them slightly crooked. Draw page lines on each.
A bookplate framed by a rope border made from one curved stamp turned end for end each pressBlue ink. Turn the stamp end for end each press so the curves link like a twist.
A bookplate with a stamped owl above the words This book belongs toBrown ink, 1 press. Rule a box, stamp the owl at the top and letter the words by hand. Leave a line for the name.
A bookplate with a stamped tree whose roots hold a blank scroll for the nameGreen ink, 1 press. Draw the roots curling down round a ribbon shape. The name goes on the ribbon.
A border of stamped footprints that walks round the page and out through a gapOne ink color. Leave a gap at the bottom right as the way out.
A border of stamped leaves with a different stamp at each of the four cornersGreen ink. Stamp the corners first, then fill each side toward the middle.
A page corner of three stamped stars fanning inwardGold or yellow ink, 3 presses. Largest star in the corner, two smaller ones stepping into the page.
A recipe-card border of small vegetable stamps along the top and bottom edgesThree inks. Alternate two or three vegetables. Rule writing lines between.
A sheet of name labels, each a stamped initial inside a ruled boxOne ink color, 1 press per label. Rule the boxes first. Write the rest of the name beside the initial.
A stamped vine climbing the margin of a notebook page with tendrils drawn afterGreen ink, 8 presses. Stamp one leaf left, one right, all the way up. Join them with a wavy pen line.
A zigzag border from a single eraser chevron stamped in two inks by turnsTwo inks, many presses. An adult cuts the chevron. Butt each print against the last, colors alternating.
An award frame of stamped laurel leaves with a blank line for the winnerGreen or gold ink. Two sprays curve up from the bottom center. Rule the name line.
How it works
Each of these 72 stamp art ideas names the stamp and the picture it builds, then the colors and how to print it. Cutting a potato or an eraser is an adult's job.
Read the full guide
Start with the stamp you have
Potato and vegetable uses the kitchen: a celery base prints a rose, a mushroom half an umbrella. Found stamps needs no cutting at all: a cork, a fork, a card edge, a toy car's wheels.
One stamp, many prints
Ink-pad pictures builds a scene from one or two rubber stamps. Repeats for wrapping paper and cards covers a whole sheet, and Borders and bookplates frames a page or marks a book as yours.
An adult cuts the potato, the vegetables and the eraser. Found stamps holds 12 with nothing to carve.
Questions and answers
What can I use as a stamp?
A cut potato, a celery base, an eraser, craft foam, a cork, a fork, the edge of a card strip, a leaf, a sponge cube or a bought rubber stamp. The first four groups each start from a different kind.
What can you make with rubber stamps?
Ink-pad pictures holds 12 built from one or two stamps: a wreath from one round stamp, a comet whose tail fades as the ink runs out, birds along a drawn telephone wire.
How do you make a pattern repeat with a stamp?
Repeats for wrapping paper and cards holds 12. The half-drop starts each column half a step lower, the star-and-moon rows are offset like bricks, and the scatter turns the stamp a quarter with every press.
What are easy stamp art ideas for kids?
A cork-print caterpillar, a fork-tine peacock tail and tall grass from the edge of a card strip need no cutting. Each is one or two colors, a run of presses and a few pen lines after.