Instruction

Woodblock Printing

Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images, or patterns that originated in China in antiquity as a way of printing on textiles and then paper. With a wood plank that has been carved in such a way to allow inking and subsequent printing, it continues to be widely used throughout East Asia. The […]

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Studio Visit

The School of Visual Art in Dawson (SOVA) is a new accredited art school with a terrific foundation year curriculum. Instructor Veronica Verkley (photo on the left) – a great artist in her own right – brought some of her students over to my printmaking studio the other day for some show and tell. It’s […]

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Spitsticker

Here’s another profile in the family of wood engraving tools – or cutters. Note that the sides are not straight but rather bowed like the hull of a boat. When incising a line with this tool a skilled engraver can vary the width of the line according to the depth of the cut. Some engravers […]

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Relief Printing Using Etching Press

Relief printing using an etching press offers a very doable solution. I don’t own a massive old iron press that I covetously see in some studios, like the famous Albion Press for example, or better still – a sweet Vandercook proofing press. Although I would love one of these for my studio, My etching press […]

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Gravers

This is the first of a series of articles I’d like to post regarding the different types of cutting tools used for wood engraving starting with the graver. In cross-section this is a lozenge or diamond shape. They come in various sizes but some are sharpened on different angles relative to the length of the […]

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