hand-carved stamps

aka Ghibli vibes, as promised.

Firstly, thank you for being here. I’m stunned and humbled by the outpouring of love and support shown for my first newsletter. I’m grateful for you all <3

Secondly, I’d promised Ghibli vibes would make an appearance in these newsletters, and what better way than to post photos of Ghibli-related things I’ve been working on?

For those who know me personally, you know I’m a massive fan of Studio Ghibli. I love the hand-drawn art style, nature-and-the-hidden-magic-that-surrounds-us vibes, and endearing characters featured in Ghibli films and shorts. If you don’t know me personally, well… Now you know I’m a massive fan of Studio Ghibli. I’ve been showcasing this love in the hand-carved stamps I make.

Turnip Head from Howl’s Moving Castle (Ghibli film), hand-carved stamp by Shana Targosz

A quick brief on stamp carving: Hand-carved stamps are made with special cutting tools and a carving medium, such as rubber or linoleum. For the Ghibli series of stamps, I’m using Speedball Speedy-Carve block printing blocks. For carving tools, I use Pfeil palm tools. I won’t go too deeply into the process of carving stamps/linoleum—I’ll save process talk for future newsletters. Maybe process videos? Let me know if this is something you’d like to see!

One of the first stamps I carved was Turnip Head from Howl’s Moving Castle. Turnip Head is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I love him for his sweet, too-wide smile and unflagging devotion to Sophie. I adore both the Ghibli movie and the book by Diana Wynne Jones—there are vast differences in the stories, but each are brilliant.

This morning I finished the latest stamp in the Ghibli series. This one is the bakery-window sign from Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s one of my favorite iconic images, not only for the design but because of how it comes to be; the sweet and stoic baker makes it to advertise Kiki’s fledgling business of delivering packages for the local community. In a particularly lovely and moving (and very short) scene, Kiki comes home to the bakery and sees the sign hanging in the window; a surprise gift from the people who’ve welcomed her into their home and have come to care for her. We all need people like this in our lives—those who show care and support in different ways, telling us our work is appreciated and needed. That we are appreciated and needed. And that we belong <3

Bakery sign from Kiki’s Delivery Service (Ghibli film), hand-carved stamp by Shana Targosz

I’ve been working on these stamps for a month now, completing one Ghibli-themed stamp per week. I’ve been using them as happy-making decorations in my journal and on handwritten letters to friends.

To spread the joy (and send more Ghibli vibes into the world) I’m offering a giveaway to all subscribers to this newsletter. If you’d like mini-prints of the stamp series I’ve carved so far (there are four stamps in total—I’ll post photos of the others in future newsletters!), drop a comment below with *your* favorite Ghibli character of all time. I’ll choose a winner on Thursday, April 20th.

Book Recommendation

Thank you to Jenna for the suggestion to include book recs to this newsletter! What better book to screech about than Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones?

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

This book has all the cozy, magical vibes and features a snarky fire demon, more-than-they-seem side characters, wicked witches and wizards, and CURSES. And Sophie is one of the best MCs ever written—a girl with so much to prove who ends up saving the realm. Truly, a book after my own heart.

Thank you for spending a bit of your time with me <3