Drawn From Life – a leather collection for close observers

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of stamping studies.

A September study – Volume II.

Drawn From Life is a small leather exhibition about the attentive eye. For centuries science kept its records by drawing what it saw, live and in front of the artist; these five designs press that habit of looking slowly into leather.

First, we hung the observer's out-of-office sign under a swift caught mid-flight – GONE OBSERVING, BACK WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGES. The design runs lengthwise along the tag, the way the bird crosses the sky.

The black-and-white GONE OBSERVING stamp plate for the Drawn From Life leather collection, with a swift in flight.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

The black tag carries the swift in gold.

A black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.

The deep green and the pale sea-blue press blind.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.

A pale sea-blue leather luggage tag blind-stamped with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.

Next, a pocket magnifier for the keyring. Inside the lens waits a moth most people walk past – LOOK CLOSER.

The black-and-white LOOK CLOSER stamp plate for the Drawn From Life leather collection, with a moth inside a magnifier.

On the black fob the instrument's brass comes back as gold.

A black leather keychain stamped in gold with LOOK CLOSER and a moth inside a magnifier.

The warm tan fob presses blind. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A caramel leather keychain blind-stamped with LOOK CLOSER and a moth inside a magnifier.

Then, the toiletry bag earns its title. A pencil and a magnifier cross into a small expedition crest – FIELD KIT – pressed blind into the bag's lower corner, honeyed russet over deep espresso.

The black-and-white FIELD KIT stamp plate for the Drawn From Life leather collection, with a crossed pencil and magnifier.

Honeyed russet and dark espresso leather toiletry bags blind-stamped with the FIELD KIT crest.

After that, we emptied a good day's pockets onto the tray and treated the contents as specimens – a feather, an old key and the rest, each pinned above its blank label – with the tray's verdict beneath: WORTH KEEPING. Golden tan, stamped at generous size.

The black-and-white WORTH KEEPING stamp plate for the Drawn From Life leather collection, with four pocket specimens.

A golden tan leather catchall tray blind-stamped with four pocket specimens and WORTH KEEPING.

And finally, the one we liked the most. The journal's corner carries an empty engraved frame marked PLATE I, with DRAWN FROM LIFE beneath – the drawing is left to the hand that owns the book.

The black-and-white PLATE I and DRAWN FROM LIFE stamp plate, with an empty engraved frame for a journal.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

One journal in deep wine, the binding of the old illustrated volumes; the other in pale warm greige, the color of the plate paper.

A deep-wine leather journal blind-stamped with the empty PLATE I frame and DRAWN FROM LIFE.

A pale warm-greige leather journal blind-stamped with the empty PLATE I frame and DRAWN FROM LIFE.

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 you'd like any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

A second view of a black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.

A second view of a forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.

A second view of a pale sea-blue leather luggage tag blind-stamped with GONE OBSERVING and a swift in flight.