Hand Carved Stamps

In an effort to add a dash of originality to my cards I decided that I would like to carve some of my doodles into rubber stamps. I've been drawing little cartoon characters for a while now, but usually they just sit around in a little sketch book and there's only really my other half and I who look at them.

I bought a product called 'easy carve', which is a much more adaptable product that the traditional lino tiles that we used when I did my art A-Level. The rubber is much more pliable and doesn't crumble around delicate little areas. It's really simple to use too. All you do is press your pencil drawing into the tile, and carve away! The set I bought came with two cutting tools, one of which was super small and good for the detailed areas.

Here are the results!

What do you think? What are your experiences with carving your own stamps and how do you think the finished images compare to shop bought?