Westering – an Occidental, California leather stamping study

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of stamping studies on real-world places.

A September study. Volume I-A.

For Occidental, California – a little town in the redwoods on the Bohemian Highway. Its name is the old word for western, so we pressed a small collection into leather and called it Westering.

First, the sun. Occidental is the old word for the side of the sky where the sun goes down, so we set one going down – a half sun on the Pacific horizon with its light broken on the water, and OCCIDENTAL riding above. The luggage tags carry it lengthwise, in forest green and in pale gray sand.

The black tag carries the sun in gold.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Black-and-white artwork of Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection for the Westering leather collection of Occidental, California.

A black leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A forest green leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A gray sand leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

Next, the trees. A coast redwood drinks a good share of its summer water straight out of the fog, so we drew three trunks with the fog banks passing clean through them and set FED BY FOG underneath. It goes to the corner of the toiletry kit, stacked in country gray over dark espresso – fog over forest floor.

Black-and-white artwork of three redwood trunks crossed by fog with FED BY FOG lettering for the Westering leather collection of Occidental, California.

A country gray dark espresso leather dopp kits render stamped with three redwood trunks crossed by fog with FED BY FOG lettering, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

Then a joke that happens to be true. The tallest tree on earth begins as a cone the size of an olive, so we drew the cone at its real size and wrote ACTUAL SIZE beneath it. Pressed on a keychain fob, in caramel and in forest green, it stays exactly as big as it is.

Black-and-white artwork of a redwood cone above ACTUAL SIZE lettering for the Westering leather collection of Occidental, California.

A caramel leather keychains render stamped with a redwood cone above ACTUAL SIZE lettering, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A forest green leather keychains render stamped with a redwood cone above ACTUAL SIZE lettering, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

And finally, the one we liked the most. The railroad town of Occidental was established in 1876, which makes 2026 its one hundred and fiftieth year. So we drew a redwood round – one ring for every year, from 1876 at the heart out to 2026 at the bark. The trees have kept that kind of count all along; we only borrowed their way of writing it. It goes to the lower corner of the journals, in dark espresso and in pale gray sand, and fills the base of the golden tan catchall tray.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white artwork of concentric growth rings with the dates 1876 and 2026 for the Westering leather collection of Occidental, California.

A dark espresso leather leather journals render stamped with concentric growth rings with the dates 1876 and 2026, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A gray sand leather leather journals render stamped with concentric growth rings with the dates 1876 and 2026, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A arizona leather catchall trays render stamped with concentric growth rings with the dates 1876 and 2026, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

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 anything here made real, or anything changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

A black leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A forest green leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.

A gray sand leather luggage tags render stamped with Occidental lettering above a setting sun and water reflection, from the Westering collection of Occidental, California.