Built For It – a leather stamping study of animal adaptations (Volume I-B)

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies. Shops Waterfall, Volume I-B.

A September study.

Built For It is a small collection about animal equipment – the gear each animal carries for the one job it does best. We matched five of those jobs to five leather objects that do the same work.

First, the sandhill crane, which flies thousands of miles a year and lands back on the same ground every spring. We stretched it into full flight along the luggage tag and set COMES BACK EVERY YEAR beneath the flight line – the promise every suitcase should make.

Black-and-white die artwork of a sandhill crane above COMES BACK EVERY YEAR for the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

The black tag carries the crane in gold.

A black leather luggage tag stamped with a sandhill crane above COMES BACK EVERY YEAR, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

A blueberry leather luggage tag stamped with a sandhill crane above COMES BACK EVERY YEAR, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

A caramel leather luggage tag stamped with a sandhill crane above COMES BACK EVERY YEAR, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

Next, the keychains. The muntjac is a small deer that barks, and a keychain announces you from the doorway too – so we drew it mid-call and put THE DEER THAT BARKS underneath.

Black-and-white die artwork of a calling muntjac above THE DEER THAT BARKS for the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A forest-green leather keychain stamped with a calling muntjac above THE DEER THAT BARKS, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

A Sicilian-brown leather keychain stamped with a calling muntjac above THE DEER THAT BARKS, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

Then the porcupine, which carries its own sharp things everywhere it goes. On the toiletry bag the stamp reads SHARP THINGS INSIDE – true of the animal and of the bag.

Black-and-white die artwork of a porcupine above SHARP THINGS INSIDE for the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

Black and dark-espresso leather toiletry bags stamped with a porcupine above SHARP THINGS INSIDE, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

For the catchall tray, the sulcata tortoise. It carries everything it owns on its back; the tray holds everything you carried home in your pockets. We drew the shell ring by ring and set CARRIES EVERYTHING IT OWNS beneath the walking line.

Black-and-white die artwork of a walking tortoise above CARRIES EVERYTHING IT OWNS for the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

It looks genuinely beautiful pressed at this size on the golden tan tray.

An Arizona leather catchall tray stamped with a walking tortoise above CARRIES EVERYTHING IT OWNS, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

And finally, the great horned owl for the journals. An owl notices everything; a journal is where you write down what you noticed. Its gaze sits in the corner of the cover above the words MISSES NOTHING.

Black-and-white die artwork of a great horned owl above MISSES NOTHING for the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

An Arizona leather journal stamped with a great horned owl above MISSES NOTHING, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

A dark-espresso leather journal stamped with a great horned owl above MISSES NOTHING, from the Built For It leather collection, Volume I-B.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If these belong on your shelves and you'd like them made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.