Japanese pattern stamp - basketweave

Today I'm starting a week of posts about simple carved stamps that can be used to create complex and intricate patterns based on Japanese designs. I'm starting off today with this basketweave pattern.

The stamp used to create this pattern is extremely simple - it's just two parallel lines!

For all this week's stamps I used the same materials and technique. I used stamp carving blocks that I bought in Japan, but a common eraser serves the same purpose.

First I drew the design on the stamp, using a ruler to keep the lines straight, then carved away the excess.

Carving the stamp is easy, but it takes a while to stamp a whole page with the pattern!

You'll see that I've created two variations on the pattern here, by varying the spacing of the stamping. I like the closer together one best, as it gives a more realistic basketweave look.