Tips to imagine your personalized bookplate stamps
Do you want to get a personalized ex libris, but don't know where to start? Here's a quick guide with some ideas to help you.
A monochromatic image, without nuances.
First of all, you should think that your image will be monochromatic, whether it is black and white, blue and white, green and white, etc. It will all depend on the color of your ink pad, but remember that there will be no shading. It is impossible to make a stamp from an image with a tone or gray scale. Therefore, the first thing to keep in mind when thinking about the stamp design is to imagine it without shades, clean, iconic, simple, black and white, no grays.
What use do you want to give to your ex-libris?
Obviously, the ex-libris is used to stamp the spine of book covers or the first pages of books to provide information about their owner. But when you want to order a custom-made ex-libris, you have your own motivations. What is your ex-libris intended for? Is it to celebrate a special occasion? To stamp your personal library? To mark a donation? Have you always wanted an ex-libris and have been thinking about the design for a long time? Are you in love with the concept and want to give an ex-libris to a loved one or treat yourself? Do you want an ex-libris just so the people you lend your books to will think about giving them back to you?
For you, what is an ex-libris for, or rather, what are you going to use your ex-libris for? If you want to reflect on these questions, here is the link to the article "What are ex-libris used for?"
A seal, a signature that speaks of its owner
You know why you want an exlibris, now it's a matter of knowing what exlibris you want, whether it's a gift to offer or an order for yourself.
The process may seem easier when it comes to your own ex libris. However, this is not the case for everyone. It all depends on your personality, your character. So here are some ideas for the undecided or for those who don't know where to start. The first question you can ask yourself: what do you like? In addition, you can think about the things that characterize you, your passions, an image you love, a unique moment in your life, a theme that obsesses you, an idea you share, an author you adore, a fetish object, a painting or a sculpture, an animal that represents you, the style of your favorite comic, a painter or an artistic movement, an era, a person you love, a place, a landscape, a season, a movie, etc. There are no rules when it comes to inspiration. Make yourself a nice tea, put on some music, take a stroll through Google Images or Pinterest and let yourself go.
If it's a gift for a reader, you should focus on the person in question, their personality, their style, their worldview, their tastes. I recommend that you don't think too much with your left brain and focus on your intuition - basically trust yourself!
