This post is the last in a series of different relief printmaking techniques that I have tried over the last twelve months. I spent a year on this for two principal reasons – firstly to experience the technique and secondly to decide what I would continue to use. Wood engraving was the last technique described by Susan Yeates in her “Introduction to Printmaking” course.
Tools & Materials
- End-grain boxwood engraving block (Lawrence Art Supplies)
- Wood engraving tools: spitstickers (fine & medium), lozenge graver (fine) and square scorper (medium) – (Lawrence Art Supplies)
- Relief printing ink – oil-based (Hawthorn’s Stay Open Dense Black)
- Palette knives
- Narrow roller (55mm)
- Glass slab for rolling out ink
- Newsprint (smooth surface)
- Wooden spoon for burnishing
- Pencil
- Leather sandbag on which to rest the block
In addition to the course book and videos, I recommend Simon Brett’s book (Note 1).
Here are some images of the five blocks I prepared together with the subsequent images. I used ordinary newsprint with Hawthorn’s Stay Open Dense Black ink mixed with a little extender. The ink was quite stiff due, I think, to the low temperature in my studio. The extender helped to soften the black ink. The blocks were from a sample pack from Lawrence Art Supplies and measured approximately 4 cm x 4 cm.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Note 1: Brett, S. (2016) “Wood Engraving – How to do it”. Published by Bloomsbury