How to Carve Foam Block Stamps: From Design to First Print

How to Carve Foam Block Stamps: From Design to First Print

From Foam to Print: Carving and Testing Block Stamps in My Studio

Foam block stamp test prints showing Christmas tree and star designs in various colors
Test prints from my foam block stamps – exploring different designs and color variations for this year’s handmade Christmas postcards.

Every year I make handmade Christmas postcards for a short list of people, and each year I try something different. This year, I’m experimenting with foam block printing – a technique I explored earlier during a small residency project. It’s not traditional printmaking, but it gives some really interesting results.

Let’s explore the process, from carving to that first exciting test print.

Why Foam Instead of Linoleum?

Carving a linoleum block is a commitment. Foam blocks are different – they’re easier to carve, much faster to complete, and you can see pretty quickly if a design is going to work.

The trade-off? They’re not as durable, and you won’t get those super crisp lines. But that slightly wonky, imperfect quality? I kind of love that.

Artist Monette Satterfield carving foam block stamps at her studio worktable"
At work in my studio – carving foam blocks with simple tools and a lot of curiosity about what marks will emerge.

The Tools (Keeping It Simple)

For this project, I keep my tools minimal:

  • A good ruler
  • A very sharp X-acto blade
  • A pencil and stylus for impressing lines
  • A cutting mat
  • Foam (I use deli tray foam – about 1/8 inch thick)
  • Cardboard for mounting

I pre-cut my foam to 5½ by 3½ inches so it fits nicely on a 4×6 postcard with a good margin.

Carving the Christmas Tree Design

I had a few design ideas sketched out – a Christmas tree, a little gnome, some ornaments, and a night star scene. I started with the Christmas tree.

Instead of transferring a perfect drawing, I sketched directly on the foam with chalk. Whatever you draw will likely leave an impression, so I’m mindful about pressure – but I’m also not overthinking it.

Once I had my basic tree shape, I went over the lines with a regular pencil, pressing to inscribe them into the foam. The deeper you press, the better your lines will print.

For the ornaments, I used the pencil point to push circles back into the foam, crushing it down so those areas would print white. For the star at the top, I actually cut it completely out with my X-acto blade – multiple passes, not trying to force it through in one cut.

The key difference from linoleum: with foam, I’m not carving away large areas. It’s easier to have more of the block printing in color, with carved-out details creating the white spaces.

Completed foam block stamp carving of Christmas tree with ornaments and star cutout
The finished carved foam block – you can see the impressed ornament circles and the repaired now NOT cut-out star at the top.

Watch the carving process video:

Time to Test

This is always the exciting part – seeing if what I imagined actually works.

For testing, I set up with:

  • My carved and mounted foam block
  • Acrylic Paint and Acrylic Glazing fluid (A mix of pink and green)
  • A brayer for rolling out the paint
  • Studio ephemera paper for testing
  • A second brayer burnishing

I rolled out the paint, making sure it was evenly distributed on my brayer and palette. Then I applied the paint to the stamp, and placed it face-down on the paper, used the second brayer to burnish the back and rubbed to apply more even pressure, and then – the best part – peeled it back to see what I’d made.

Watch the testing process video:

The Results (And Happy Accidents)

That first print showed me immediately what was working and what needed adjustment. The Christmas tree shape came through, the ornaments printed as white circles, and the star was white as the background paper.

Hand-carved foam block stamp print of Christmas tree with gradient coloring from pink to yellow
The final that I’m going to use to make postcards.

But there was more white space than I wanted – it was unbalanced. The beauty of foam blocks is that you can always go back and refine. EDIT: I carved a separate star and glued it back in the space – that’s the final you see in this image vs the one at the top.

The Imperfect Beauty

I’m drawn to the slightly irregular quality these foam blocks give. The lines aren’t perfect. The prints show the marks of touch, time, and human intention – which is exactly what I’m after when I choose analog creativity in an increasingly digital world.

And yes, there are smudges on the backs of my test prints and even some of the final postcards. That happens. Frankly, if someone complained about a smudge on a handmade postcard, I might not send them one anymore.

This first block is a great start. I’ve got a couple more designs to try out, then I’ll experiment with variations and colors before my Christmas card open studio on December 7th, 2025. (I hold these the 1st Sunday of the month at 2 PM EST, they’re announced in my newsletter.)

The whole process – from sketching to carving to that first test print – reminds me why I love working this way. It’s immediate, it’s tactile, and there’s room for both intention and happy accidents.

Either this process speaks to you or it doesn’t – but if you’re curious about trying foam block printing yourself, it’s an easy material to start with. Grab some foam, a sharp blade, and see what marks want to come through your hands.

Carved foam block stamp with star design resting on blank postcards
An earlier foam block stamp design – these stars were part of last year’s artist residency.

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