New Media

i really like this piece and like Annmaree says its the parts you can’t see are the admiring parts. i love the cross hatching on Lou’s forehead as well.
James.
P.s. could you possibly send me some information about you and your lino printing work, i’m studying lino printing and your work for my AS art course! Thanks.

i see why lou reed. . i see why that area on the right side but i dont like the way you did it. the face is perfect, though. stay well !

I am reading your site carefully as I really like it and intend to steal ideas!

Wow these are great! Were they all hand engraved or did you use a CNC machine engraver? I’m a graphic designer more of computer and digital media, have not done any engraving. I was thinking of getting a cnc wood engraver a small one. Then I could create the art on the computer and send it to the engraver to engrave it on wood, metal, plastic and things of that nature. I saw a small cnc engraver I think it was on visionengravers.com, I just was wondering if that is how most people do the engraving now a days. or if artist are still doing it by hand. and also if there is a market for using a cnc engraver to engrave the art.

Thanks
Mark

Wow Im looking at some of your engravings, it’s pretty awsome. The detail is beautiful. How many hours do you spend on them? I think I’ll try makeing some by hand first rather then just buy the VE-810 from vision engravers. Although I’m not sure I have the hand dexterity that is needed. Is it anything like drawing or painting?

They all look like a lot of work went into them.

Amazing, John. I thought it was a B & W photograph at first, couldn’t quite believe it was an engraving.

Thanks, John, for an introduction to Eric Bergman. I didn’t know his work, but I particularly like the cactus piece! Oh, great. Some one ELSE to spend my time Googling. 😉

hey John…I am curious about your recent photos…are you shooting 120 and scanning the negs? are you doing any digital manipulation? and are they printed on the epson? (the naturalism series) (they are really stunning by the way)

this swan feels like it is from some other time period. like before photography was invented! well done.

I like the flip book – use the format often!

Lovely work as always, too bad I’m too poor to buy anything … sigh.

Ha! How interesting. I think it s a great way to share the book and some of the information it holds. The sound provides an ‘book’ aesthetic that made me smile.

Just last week I signed an ‘old’ slide projector out of the library to do a presentation. The librarian noted how they are not often used much these days. I explained that for me there is no getting away from the “woook shek-shek” (haha) sound that is part of the observation piece. I digress.

The book looks like a book, sounds like a book, and now I’ll return to read some of the knowledge contained. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks!

My wife and I bought a framed print of this at the YAW Gallery in Whitehorse the weekend before last. We love it and what a lot of beautiful artwork you do, and for such affordable prices.

That is a really nice piece.

Hi, it’s very great to share your books about woddengravings ! The form provides a good feel of reading. The informations are good. Many thanks for sharing !

Hey John:
Not that I am into engraving but what a wonderful way to share out of print resources. Good job. How did you handle the copyright issue?
Rob

Hi John:

Just passing this along – I have the proof of your piece entitled “Obsession.” It is of an acoustic guitar player, is signed by you and dated 1977. It was purchased in the Yellowknife area by a good friend of mine who lived and worked in Yellowknife in the mid-to-late 70s. I’m a longtime guitar player and he purchased it as a gift for me.

I really love the piece and it has occupied a place of honour in all the homes I have lived in during the past 30+ years.

Thank you for sharing John Farleigh’s book. Having been motivated to dig out my long un-used engraving tools by a recent visit to an exhibition of St Jude’s Gallery in London, and now finding your book on the web, I feel well and truly inspired and equipped to have a go!

Very good! Thanks for sharing.

So what is Scott Sheerin up to these days? Say hello for me, if you will. Thanks.

Hi John

What a find your site is, I entered into the world of engraving about a year ago and I am still finding my way with it and amassing knowledge where I can. The flip book is excellent and has given me a few more tips on how to engrave (I know I will be coming back for more info)

Thanks again Jeff

Ah to be able to afford to use boxwood, I have been looking out for alternatives for a beginer to use that are cheep and affordable. The best I have found so far is Delrin which is a plastic composit used in the enginearing industry, it comes in a variety of thickness the best being about 20mm, and if you find a good supplier they will cut it to whatever size you want.

The downside is when staining the surface of delrin I use ohp marker pens that seem to do the job but can also be scrached away very easily. The end prints though are nice an clean just like box.

That is pretty neat. Is it all computer generated or did you have to paint it? In either case, it is among the most amazing images I have seen.

Wow!
I am a middle school teacher. I can’t wait to show the kids this. I have forwarded your work to our art teacher. Love it!

The line work on the shirt and collar have a great movement!
I bet the prints from this look great.

Very nice work!

Ah but where can I get hard Maple in Britain?

I also just discovered Landacre around the time you did, or early 2009. He’s great!

I found Scott, if you want to get back in touch email me [email protected]

I’m delighted to see that “Midnight Light” is available on CD. (I have it on vinyl.) Call me old fashioned, but I don’t shop on-line. If you would be kind enough to tell me the total cost of the CD, with taxes and shipping (to Burnaby, BC), I’d be delighted to mail you a cheque along with my mailing address.

I have never done wood engraving, but I have done wood block printing. I often work in scratchboard. I recently came into posession of some fairly large boxwood branches, some pieces are over 8″ in diameter.
I am interested in doing some small illustrations using polished rounds.
Do I need to let the wood cure? I also wonder, since I cant use it all, if the wood might have any value. the wood came from an 18th century home in Maryland. So I guess the wood is English boxwood.

Thanks for making this available – not easy to get this sort of info – lots of books have a brief overview of wood engraving technique, but not this kind of detail.

Cheers,

JM

The video of Ric Serena’s studio and his demonstration is really fabulous! Thank you for sharing. I had just finished my first reduction linocut and was hunting on the internet to find the proper name and ran across your site. Loved the video and Ric Serena’s artwork. What a marvelous direct style he has!

Can I purchase this amazing raven image as a jpg or png from you for use on a website?
Thanks, Tony

Hey TriciaKat,

"Yosegi is a sculpture technique, in which individually carved blocks of wood are joined together. The carving is then completed and the assembled sculpture is finished with lacquer and gold leaf or paint. This is the technique that Genkei used when creating all five hundred rakans at Gohyaku Rakanji (Temple of the Five Hundred Arharts). During the later portion of the Heian period (794-1185), the “single-woodblock construction” (ichiboku-zukuri) was replaced by “joined/multiple woodblock construction” (yosegi-zukuri). This came about do the spread of the Amida faith among the aristocracy, and growing demand for new temples and Buddhist images. The one who revolutionized this new technique of yosegi-zukuri was the sculpture Jocho. Yosegi-zukuri made it possible for sculptures to be made from several pieces that appear to be unable to interlock. This style was not only just a technical innovation but also aided, in the treatment of the Buddhist images’ faces and bodies, the trends and tastes of the times. Sadly, Jocho has only one surviving work, which is an image of Amida Nyorai in the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin near Kyoto."

Try these :

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolio/media/themes/Printmaking_Linoleum.html

http://www.monoprints.com/info/otheraspects.html

http://www.annlewis.co.uk/studio.htm

I hope atleast one of them is helpful 🙂

I like my dremel tool, you can get many attachments for it. plus it’s useful for lots of things.

Traditionally a very sharp set of chisels used as the clean cut requires little if any clean up afterwards it is however a slower process. A power tool like a dremel with assorted bits is faster in some senses and has a wide range of tools to smooth and sand a burred surface left by the gouge and similar bits used to rapid remove material.

A lot of this depends on how bold your linocut is. I tend to use the soft blocks, not the true linoleum mounted on wood, and cut very bold designs (not really detailed with fine cuts). For a very boldly carved block, liquid acrylic paint applied with a brush is easy to use. Speedball makes lots of inks for linocuts, these are readily available at the big art supply companies on-line, some regular art supply stores carry these as well.

For printing on black paper, try a metallic paint, these will show off really nice on a black background. My all-time favorite is Golden Fluids in the irridescent bronze. It’s a gorgeous color. The other option is an opaque ink or paint (white, grey, etc.)

natalie

i really cannot thing of any similarities, a lino-cut is a carving and then it is used as a stamp.
a stencil is is cut from vellum or the likes and used to fill in with paint or some such on your canvas or wall or whatever.

I think Arabic people did but I am not sure.

Graphic design is a much better major. Then you can work in advertising or similar areas.

Howdy,

As a print major myself I think its admirable to try and combine the mediums you are working with into a cohesive piece. I have had thought about innovative ways of hanging my prints, and to be honest It can get a little distracting, especially if the prints were not designed that way, as lets say as opposed to a wall installation or an artists book.

If the prints were made in and of themselves they should stand alone, because they were conceived as pieces onto themselves. If you try to embellish the work by adding other things, be it objects or other mediums it could belay insecurity about the work. Let the pieces stand on their own. ALTHOUGH, you should definitely design a set of ceramics works that address the printed pieces, conceiving this body of work as a response.

Its also important to remember that you are in an intro class and the primary focus will be on your technical skills, quality of your printing and the clarity of image. Your content will certainly be critiqued but generally in intro courses its the tech stuff they focus on most.

You sound like your on to a great start, and you should address your questions with a sample of your work so when you begin to plan your next piece and ask for help we can give you advice based on the work your doing, its hard to give suggestions when we dont know what the work looks like.

good luck, llama

If you know of a person with a good shop, you could get to work milling your own wood.

Dry, seasoned white fir is best. It’s the kind they use for scroll saw work. If you know of somebody with property with a stand of white fir on it, make friends and volunteer to help clear downed trees. Then you could store nice lengths of trunk for drying and seasoning and future milling.
Western Red cedar is also nice if you can get it.

I knew a man with a shop up in the mountains – he had a fallen cedar tree he took chunks off of and then milled (used a series of saws) to cut the wood into the pices he needed. He had a chainsaw for cutting lengths off the trunk, then used a table saw to cut the edges to shape, and a planer to get the board flat.

You want to mill your boards to at least 1-1/2" thickness for allowing for depth relief in your cuts. Anything thinner than 3/4" will crack as you carve.

Oak is too dense. Pine board is okay but can have problems with sap. Fir is best – it’s what they use for making white paper and for craft projects.

Good luck to you in finding what you need.

Both techniques result in contrasting inked and non-inked areas, and are generally best suited to bold, rather than shaded, designs.

However, linocut is produced by removing the areas of the lino where ink will *not* be transferred to the final image, whereas stencils are produced by cutting away the areas where ink will go through the stencil and be retained on the final image.

As a result, linocut allows the creation of images where non-inked areas are non-contiguous (not attached to each other), whereas the non-inked areas in a stencil need to be attached to each other, or else, positioned manually, on every instance.

It’s a technique for printing used widely throughout East Asia and had originated in China. It was used first to decorate textiles and later on paper.

The best known type of Japanese woodblock art print is moku hanga.

Wiki has a huge article about it. And a picture. Check it out.

The "master" or original is called the plate. A series of identical prints is still called a series. However you would number each according to the order they were pulled: e.g. 1/16, 2/16, 3/16 etc.

It’s called the matrix.

speedball art makes some nice kits and sells a wide variety of supplies, you can check them out at http://www.speedballart.com
Alot of their stuff is also available at Michaels Art and Crafts-inyou have one of those stores near you.

A great piece of social realism. The suject is powerful and just as timely today as in the great depression. The lines of downtrodden humanity stretching out to who knows where.
The buildings in the background show great control of the multiline tool. I’m just beginning to use them in my engraving and it is really tricky to maintain even pressure on a long cut. The figures in the foreground are supple and lively. I can only dream of becoming that skilled at cross-hatching.

Well, they would have been book size (whatever that means). Have a look at the British Museums print catalogue and see if there are any sizes included.

To spread beliefs of the time, such as humanism.

Most old books were printed on a type of paper that time and exposure to hostile agents – the sun, water, excess heat, &c – cause severe and irreversible deterioration.

If the plates are not too badly marked with water damage and/or foxing – the brown spots that mar some old engravings and book pages – then a fairly standard home scanner with simple scanning options such as variable resolution, lighten or darken the image produced by your scanner, vary the colour intensity, etc.

I use an HP1610 all-in-one to scan from and after checking the product of its setting might make some adjustments to get the best image.

If necessary, I manipulate the images, using Photo-Shop. I have version 8, and while it is a bit of an antique it works very well.

Saving the files as bitmap – filename.bmp – delivers the best resolution and sometimes liven up a dark or faded image.

Good luck.

QUILL

It’s not wood, since then it would become a woodcut. I think it would be safe to say it was originally engraved on copperplate.

A woodcut is more raw and you can usually see the structure of the wood in a print. A lino gives a fine print with thin straight lines.
woodcuts are mostly made by expressionism artists because of the raw looks it gives. Lino is not often used by artist, but more at schools, because it’s easier to cut in, it’s softer than wood.

This happens to be one of those wonderful images that so aptly describes man’s transition as an earth bound creature to one reaching out beyond the limiting atmosphere and exploring what lies beyond.

To paraphrase a Wikipedea entry on this; supposedly the astronomer Ernst Zinner claimed that the image was a work from the German Renaissance. He was unable to find any version published earlier than 1906. Further investigation revealed that the work was a composite of images characteristic of different historical periods, and that it had been made with a burin, the engraver’s tool, only used on wood for wood engraving from the late 18th century onwards.

I somehow doubt that a burin was used to make this print as opposed to regular woodcut gouges and chisels. The determining factor would be whether or not the block was cut on the end grain or not.

It’s democratic because unlike paintings, that can only be owned by one museum or collector, prints are printed in multiples and able to reach a broader audience. This was a very important element in the 1600’s and 1700’s when printmaking was a way to spread political and social ideas like with Hogarth and Goya.

Several artists produced works with that title, but I see you mean Dürer’s woodcut. ‘Christ in Limbo’, as it sometimes called as well, is included both in his Small Passion and Large Passion series, this website gives all the illustrations and sizes:
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/exhibitions/featured/passion/index.html

It depends on what you want.

But here is something to consider: Unlike most art classes printing needs pretty specialist equipment so this may be a unique chance to learn this. To learn the basics of printing is a must for any artist I believe. And it’s great fun.

printmaking is not a necessary class to have but it has certainly changed the way i make work. everyone i know who has taken a class in printmaking absolutely fell in love with it. if your really in doubt go to the print making lab in between classes and go have this chat with one of the professors there. they can tell you what you might get out of there class better than anyone here can do.

1841

Its origin can be traced to105 AD during the Han Dynasty.

Please see http://www.artelino.com/articles/chinese-woodblock-prints.asp

You can use the drypoint process on acrylic to make etchings and print onto wet watercolour paper.

The beauty and sincerity of Lankes’s prints is so inspiring! They really have the look and feel of wood engravings even if they are done in side grain. I count A woodcut Manual among my first and most important influences.

It all depends on what type of prints you want to make mono-types, lithographs, etchings and so on… Your fist step is to reseach why type interests you the most and then you can decide how to start printing at home. These forms of art have been around for years and most artists are poor or lacking funds to star,t so if there is a will there will definitly be a way for an artist to do their work!!!

yes. Use meat trays that you cut the edges off of and do a drawing and then place the drawing on top of the meat tray and then press into it with the pencil. Works great. I am an art student and have been teaching art to children for 6 years now. Also, I have done these amazing monoprints using crayon shavings and wax paper over them and them ironing them to the paper. It looks soo amazing. Also try layering cardboard shapes of objects at different times to create a multiple color relief print. Good luck. Also you can buy linoleum blocks and just use a roller and your body weight to press it turns out great. Just don’t try it with anything larger than 8 x 10.

Either ceramics or photography — maybe even printmaking.

I love ceramics because it’s just so fun! Clay, glaze, kennels and paint. What more could you want? Hehe, I just like it because it’s a 3D way to express yourself.

Photography I like. Some classes make it more of a technical class versus the actual art of photography.

I did monotype printing in my art class last year. I liked it, it was sometimes difficult though. Not with a woodcut or engraving though.

Commercial arts because you can take photography classes anytime.You can find those classes everywhere especially on the internet and it’s not that expencive either.But commercial art classes are more complex and they are harder to find.

PCC in Pasadena has great classes at night- reasonable prices and good for all levels of skill. Also, you can sign up with Self Help Graphics for classes- not sure of schedule. There are great weekend classes posted irregularly on the website for the Los Angeles Printmaking Society- http://www.laprintmakers.com

Actually, this question has been the subject of debate for centuries.

It is thought Dürer officially remained a Catholic throughout his life, but he was certainly sympathetic to Luther’s attempts to reform the Church. Some even say he died a good Lutheran.

As you mention, many of his earlier works focus on Mary and the saints, while his later, Lutheran influenced, works have more scriptural subjects.

The Reformation era was a turbulent time, and in Dürer’s day it was still hoped and believed that the differences between the Lutheran and Catholic parties would work themselves out in the end. The Lutheran Augsburg Confession makes a very strong argument that Luther’s teachings were in no way inconsistent with the Catholic teachings prior to the corruption of it during the Middle Ages. Many Lutherans at this point did not consider themselves as a separate demonination, but as a reform movement within the Catholic Church.

According to the website below, he was Catholic.

The Last Supper is just as much a Lutheran topic as it is Catholic or Fundamentalist Christian. Lutherans also have the cannibalistic theology of consubstantiation (the communion wafer is both the body and blood of Jesus and truly bread at the same time). It would be hard to distinguish Dürer’s affiliation just by the subjects he chose for his art.

I would guess you mean expressionist woodcuts by German artists.
You should look up particularly Käthe Kollwitz, but also:
Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, Heinrich Campendonck, Marc Chagall, Lovis Corinth, Otto Dix, Lyonel Feininger, Georg Grosz, Erich Heckel, Hannah Hoch, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Oskar Kokoschka, Emile Nolde, Max Pechstein, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

Basically it was a medium which was in favor with artists of "die Bruecke"
I had a short look and couldn’t find a good website within 5 mins, though there appears to be a book about the subject. I would guess you would get the best info if you go to the library and see what books you can get about expressionism and about a number of individual artists and what you can find in there.

I remember having to do something in a histoy lesson as a kid. Upstairs is heaven, Middle is limbo, and Hell is bellow. Those in limbo are awaiting judgement by God. I believe it has something to do with the middle ages. Sorry, I don’t know who drew it.

Today there are very many categories and subcategories of printmaking. However, we can basically break these into four major areas or principals. These are Relief, Intaglio, Lithography and Serigraph.

Relief:

Relief is the oldest form of printmaking. The earliest relief printmaking on paper goes back to the woodcuts of China, dating back to the 8th Century. Woodcuts appeared in Europe much later, in the 15th Century.

The basic principle of relief printing is to create an image on paper from the raised surface of the matrix. The artist draws onto a surface (the block or matrix) and then cuts away the areas that are not to form part of the image. These areas are the negative parts of the image, or the spaces around what we see generally consider to be the image. Thus the ink only reaches the areas the artist does not touch. The block is inked and a piece of paper laid over it. The artist then either rubs the paper using their hand or a hard, smooth object or runs it through a printing press. The image produced on the paper mirrors that on the block. Woodcuts and linocut are the most common examples of relief prints.

Intaglio:

Intaglio is the precise opposite of relief printmaking. In this process the artist carves the image onto the matrix and then rubs ink into these carved lines, making sure that the untouched areas are cleaned of ink. In the intaglio process the paper is previously soaked in water. When it is laid over the matrix and the squashed through the printing press, the soft paper is pushed into the grooves of the inked lines, thus transferring the image onto the paper. Many intaglio processes involve creating the grooves with acids that eat into a metal plate. Variations of the Intaglio technique include Engraving, Etching, Aquatint, Mezzotint and Aquatint.

Lithography:

The distinct advantage of lithography is that a large number of prints can be made form any single matrix, without the image deteriorating in quality. Lithography was invented by Aloysius Senefelder (1771 – 1834), in Bavaria. The concept of lithography is based on the mutual incompatibility of oil and water; the capacity of limestone to absorb and retain water and the disposition of oily substances to adhere to limestone. The highly polished nature of the surface is receptive to the oil that is spread over it. Senefelder discovered that by chemically treating the surface of limestone, and drawing onto it with a grease crayon, only the areas touched by the grease crayon would take the printing ink. Therefore, by drawing onto the treated stone in this way, inking it, covering it with a damp paper and running it through a printing press, the image is transferred exactly onto the paper. Nowadays the technique is applied using a metal plate.

Serigraphy:

All serigraphic prints are based on the concept of stencil. The stencil technique uses a thin sheet of impenetrable, durable material with a design cut into it. This is placed over a receiving surface (paper, canvas, etc.). Thus the paint or dye applied over the surface of the stencil only reaches the receiving surface where the design has been cut away.

The techniques of stencil developed into Screen-printing in the UK in the 1920s. However, it did not become widely used until the 1960s, when Pop Art had its debut with Andy Warhol.

Nowadays Silkscreen or Screenprint is the most commonly known form of serigraphic printmaking. This technique is used in many day to day objects, such as posters, T. shirts, printed fabrics and wallpaper design. The most famous use of this technique can be seen in the works of Andy Warhol

According to YOUR link, it is the work of Filipe Vigarni de Borgona. (first link)
Also found a book review that you may find of interest. (second link)

Here’s a ton of information on how to choose and design your chop:
http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/18343.html?origin=story

Once you have your chop designed, you can either cut your own stamp from wax or linoleum, or take your design to any office supply store and request that a stamp be made using the image. Hope this helps, and good luck with your art!

THis would have been a sword carried by an officer. Can’t tell from the photos what the scabbard is wrapped in but the handle is braided silk over ray skin. A great many swords were manufactured in Japan around ww1 and as a rule are not very valuable. If this is a factory made sword it will have a crysanthemum flower stamp on the blade. It looks a little too ornate to be a factory blade but i didn’t see a hamon (temper line) so I can’t be sure. If it is an older family sword the identifying marks will be on the tang. ( the part of the blade under the handle)

Thus fundamentals of both are the same – design. Color, composition, negative space, typography… they all play a role in both printmaking and graphic design. I do both myself, and I would say this:

Graphic Design: More computer-oriented, and more potential to make lots of money.

Printmaking: More "real-world" oriented, but the career path leans towards fine art which is harder to get by in.

Personally, if you can somehow do both, I would focus on Graphic Design and minor in Printmaking. Why? As a graphic designer, you spend lots of time in front of the computer, but as a printmaker, you use your hands to make real things. I’ve found that after a while, making things on the computer that don’t actually exist bugs me… work can be wiped out easily by a hard drive crash, but with printmaking, what you create has a much longer lifespan.

Hope that helps!

ok, here is where confusion can come in.

technically speaking there are woodcuts and wood engravings, both of which use a block of wood.

woodCUTS are cut into the grain which presents its lengthwise surface of a soft wood wich as pine to the printmaker;
wood ENGRAVINGS are engraved with special tools into the END GRAIN of a hard wood such as box

both are referred to as woodblock prints but that is vague.

use the proper terminology and all sorts of other info follows naturally:

wood cuts are generally tho not always rougher looking, with broader lines and a softer appearance. they often are mad eto include colours http://www.maryazarian.com/fftech.html

wood engravings have the hard edge look of other engravings and can include greater precision and much more detail.http://www.oldstilepress.com/Pagescreens/Palmer3.html

wood cuts are easier to cut and correct if mistakes are made

wood engravings when past a certain point are almost impossible to correct.

i’ve thought about this before and i plan to get a tattoo(though not anytime soon) of "The Archer"…it’s a centaur with a bow…and it looks really cool…besides, i’m a sagittarius and The Archer stands for that. It would probably be on my back but i’m reconsidering the position to be on my arm instead…all depends!!!

A first class in printmaking would be uncomplicated. You would likely be using wood blocks which are really easy and it probably won’t even be wood. Draw it the way you see it. It doesn’t have to be a photo image. If that’s what you want then get a camera. Don’t be afraid. Take the class and have fun!

To make a collagraph you need to make the printing plate first from fairly thin material like cardboard, netting, doilies – whatever you can get your hands on, then the printing plate needs to be sealed. Now you ink the plate, lay a piece of paper on top and either rub the back of the paper with a spoon or run it through a printing press, preferrably with a layer of felt on top of the paper. Here’s a good description for beginners:
http://huggerboo.typepad.com/hugger-boo/2010/09/collagraph-capers-1.html

After fully soaking and draining a sheet of fine etching paper the cotton fibres soften making it pliable enough to pick up even the finest lines from an intaglio plate when passed through the etching press.

You can clearly see the difference between printing dry and wet. The later giving the best quality especially if the etching plate is pre-heated making the inks more liquid. Wetted paper is much more receptive to the inks.

Blotting paper is used sometimes to interleave between wetted paper sheets to take away excess moisture before printing.

The idea of art advocated by Expressionism is diametrically opposed to Impressionism. Expressionist painters did not stick to realistically reproducing impressions and representing beautiful forms. On the contrary, to them art was not representing nature as viewed through a subjective take on it; unlike the Impressionists they gave priority to their own emotions, representing motifs as "profoundly felt" and thus intepreted.The basic elements of color, dynamics and emotion occur in virtually all Expressionist works of art. However, even black-and-white Expressionist prints radiate their creators’ energy and dynamism. It was in fact the "harsh" medium of woodcut that became the Expressionist vehicle of choice.
You can do it with words, you can do it with pictures, or you can do it with both.

For those interested in doing it just with pictures, there are two books in print right now on woodcut novels and wordless books that are absolute must-reads. First, for an overall sampler and history of the form, get David Beronä’s Wordless Books: The Original Graphic Novels. Beronä is the Library Director of the Lamson Library at Plymouth State University, and he’s been researching woodcut novels and wordless books for twenty years.

The yudu sells for around US$200

I bought one and I love it. It paid for itself in two months. I sell the T shirts that I print to groups and clubs.

The ink quality is excellent (and you can use other water based inks if you need to save costs)

You can hack the system easily to save costs and maximize production

Joining http://yuduforums.com is a must, there are tons of expert yudu’ers there.

if you really want to preserve it, look up a book doctor (I know it sounds funny, but there are also doll doctors who do the same thing for vintage toys)

The problem lies in the glue that holds the book together. It is old and not as flexiable as it once was. It needs some medical help!

Generally speaking, not really.

I don’t know what medium you are working in. Each type of ink is different.

For each ink line, there is usually some kind of thinner, retarder (slows drying), or other kind of modifier, that is part of the product line and can help enhance the qualities you want.

I recommend that you get it appraised by an antique shop (a reliable and trusted one). Woodblocks are usually awesome and aesthetically pleasing and can probably sell for a proud sum (depending on the artist/condition).

Absolutely – dry rosin is sifted onto a plate as a fine powder and heated to melt the particles to the plate forming a resist. Other materials such as some spray paints can be applied as a mist, dried forming a resist. Plate is etched in acid pitting wherever there is no resist.Resist is removed and areas are then burnished and finessed to enhance the bite. Wherever there was resist or burnishing the ink does not remain when the plate is wiped.

c situationally
a,b and e are all based on incission of linear marks by one means or another and are therefore considered linear
A by blade
b by cutting through a surface "resist"
e by needle-like stylus

Grade 8s in the united states should be handle linoleum blocks. You can get them at Michaels or some other craft store. You draw on them, cut away the parts you want white, and roll ink on them then press the paper down. You do need a carving tool set rather than a knife:

http://www.ehow.com/how_11981_carve-linoleum-block.html

Of course potato prints are fun and they might say they are kid stuff but you can do a lot with them. Use butter knives — you can cut nicely with them.

If you or the school is feeling especially well-heeled or you know a good craftsman or both look up silk screen printing. It’s not as expensive as other forms of printing, but not as cheap as even linoleum blocks.

For me, this line – ‘Beyond the gate lay an entire mysterious land. Forgotten about. Abandoned. Fled from.’- Conjures more atmosphere than the rest of It put together…It lacks description which forces the reader to use their imagination (the key to writing horror), a few key points (‘Fled from’ is absolutely brilliant, I’m already seeing people running, screaming from the place) sets the mood…try not to over complicate your writing; for example, you don’t need to describe the ‘sword in one gauntlet’ – you’ve already mentioned the armour, most people will take it for granted that there’s a sword there because there usually is…

I’m not saying make your writing simple, just don’t bog it down with unnecessary description; It’ll make your story flow much, much better…

Hope I made some sense…

Enjoy your writing!

There are more, and more accessible, ways of printmaking now, and papers to do it with. Japanese prints into Europe at the end of the 19thC established prints as a "respectable" and collectable art form, distinct from mere reproductions (which were anyway more limited by available techniques then). The emergence of the middle class created a market of people who wanted wall decorations not limited to "holy" pictures. In modern times, artists (and galleries) find the sales of a multiple work, at consequently reduced item prices, both easier and more profitable than trying to sell unique originals, which must command higher prices on fewer sales, so artist and gallery can eat! So the market is cultivated, and effectively feeds on itself.

Some of the greatest ukiyoe artists were Utagawa Hiroshige and
Katsushika Hokusai (His work " The great wave off Kanagawa is one of the most famous ukioye prints)

Have a look into their work! 🙂 You will also discover the influence that these Japanese prints had on great Western artists such as Van Gogh and Monet.

Hi Tim,

Etching is a complicated and exacting art.

My advice to you would be to seek out some lessons with a printmaker. This is one medium where you really need the hands on experience, as there are many variables and much of it is difficult to learn from books.

Is there a printmaker’s co-op in your area? If so, drop by and introduce yourself, you might find a receptive and helpful ear.

I learned for many years under a master printmaker, and he was still correcting me (rightfully) after all that time. You will be working with metal plates, acid and some complicated procedures. Please don’t try to do this alone, get hands on help from someone who knows what they are doing.

Presses are extremely expensive, so try it for a while and be sure that it’s for you before you invest in a press.

The primary advantage of printmaking as a medium is that it allows images to be easily disseminated, and thus shared with a wider audience. It is also a cheap way to reproduce images, and this was especially important in the years before photography was developed. The ease of distribution and affordability of the medium helped printmaking to become extremely popular and used in a variety of applications.

Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist’s books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.

hope that helped!

Thanks so much for posting this. I have several how-to books on wood engraving but always find something new in each one I read. This is a wonderful service for those without access to libraries or all-inclusive bookstores.
Caryl

I like the engraved embellishments you created for the book – where did you find the one-inch blocks? For one of our books using George Walker’s engravings, I digitally selected a portion of an engraving to use in this manner (with George’s permission, of course), but I like the idea of creating something original. What do you mean by “I used Ornament as a reference on which to base these images”? I’m new at this. Caryl

Can you understand Japanese?
If you can, Gensoukoubou will help you. It has 20 small rental studio, and you can rent many tools of woodwork, chasing, etc. It is situated in a large shopping mall "Lalaport Yokohama." And, there is Tokyu Hands, too. I think you can get everything you want there.
Gensoukoubou: http://www.gensoukoubou.com/
I think you had better phone before going because it is a bit far from Tokyo. It is at Kamoi station of Yokohama line, and it costs about 1 hour from Tokyo station.

How would I get hold of a rubber litho. blanket?

I am a big fan of photography and love how you’ve done this. I would love to see an engraved version too.

David Hockney is known for his use
of water in many of his paintings.

I also picked Richard Diebenkorn’s
Ocean Park series. Although he died
in 1993 he is still an important contemporary
painter and his work is beautiful.

Diebenkorn’s work is abstract and
Hockney’s more narrative.

I am currently in a printmaking class and these are a few of the artists that we have studied this year. Most printmakers dabble in different types of printing. I am in an intaglio class, so most of these artists do etching or litho

Contemporary
Chuck Close- we know him for his awesome realistic paintings, but he did prints too
Sue Koe
Louise Bourgois
Vija Clemins
Richard Fheiman
Art Werger
David Sully
Jim Dine
Mark Dion

Historical printmakers
Albrecht Durer- probably the most famous, and really incredible
Rembrant- didn’t only paint
Ingres- might be difficult to find some

Actually there is no difference between monotype and monoprint. Monoprint is the more common name given to a printmaking technique that produces a one of a kind image using printmaking equipment and techniques.

Essentially a monoprint allows the artist to approach an otherwise process oriented method in a more painterly fashion. She can paint directly onto a sheet of plexiglass or copper with brushes, rollers or stencils, further altering the marks with solvents and texture producing elements. A paper is then laid on top of the whole affair and either rolled through the etching press or burnished in some other fashion. The resulting image is a singular print that can no longer be exactly replicated using the same matrix because any interference on the plate will make the next impression considerably different than the first.

Therein lies the fun and element of surprise when you first peel back the paper to see what happy accidents have happened to enhance your image. Other approaches include laying paper down on an inked surface and then drawing on the back of the paper to pick up ink according to the pressure of your pencil or stylus. Of course chine collé is also an important element used in making monoprints or monotypes.

Monotypes can be combined with traditional methods such as lithography, woodcut and intaglio printmaking.

One of my favourite monoprint artists is Aiko Suzuki.

do you know anyone who is an admissions advisor? I would ask them. or your guidance counselor at school.

I would include the finished prints, and leave out the teacher’s comments. The person evaluating your portfolio will come to their own conclusions about your work.

The person evaluating your portfolio also knows how prints are made, so there’s no need to include your wood blocks or preparatory drawings. Those are unnecesary filler. Your portfolio is supposed to contain your BEST work, not unnecessary filler.

They incorporated (Van Gogh in partic) the vivid and bright colors of the Ukiyoe masters who painted with a loose brush stroke; also they adopted the idea of cutting off a scene , as well as the use of silhouettes, these features occurred in photography, but it became valid in the paintings of the Impressionists when they observed similar elements in Japanese prints. They also copied the way these masters used a black line to surround images. Also very influential to the Impressionists was the Japanese handling of flat space.See paragraph starting "Japanese compositional devices…" http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/4/82.04.03.x.html

http://issuu.com/lynnkennethpecknold/docs/beachguardianssuite

John, I am having a Wordpress Website Template being designed currently and am impressed with your flipping book plugin. I first used one at the ISSUU URL above for a Suite of Prints related to Printmaking.
Best wishes, Lynn.

Would love to hear how you are doing. I will pass on your website to my daughters. My eldest daughter teaches at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Some nice etching press pictures. Thanks for showing your steps on how to do that!

thanks
jordan

Great John! Thank you for sharing John Farleigh’s book. Very Useful information. I am now interested to try wood engraving. 🙂 its takes me courage try this kind of art.

Love these songs, perhaps I’ll just cross the road and come and buy a CD

I have just recently revisited your website and, once more, find so much great infomation. I have done quite a few traditional linocuts but this is the first time I’ve seen this done. I want to try using it in the future.

I love your website and have linked it to mine. I am faily new at printmaking and have attended lessons on etching which I enjoyed enormously.
I now have to carry it on at home as I can no longer afford the classes. However I’ve had some success using drypoint or mezzotint methods and the use of my table top printer [a present]. I do miss doing soft-ground etching which suits my style of work, but I’ve made a note of the method using a battery charger and saline solution to do etching as it sounds like a very good and inexpensive method to use. I will let you know how it turns out when I’ve tried it.
Thank you,

Irene Butcher

John,

Just wanted to thank you again for the informative talk you gave, and to say how much I enjoyed reading ‘About’ you. You certainly are talented in many areas. Your art is amazing and I’ll visit often to keep up with your latest works.

All the best!

Hello John
I am the granddaughter of Eric Bergman and stumbled across your posting under wood engraving. Pleased to see appreciation of his work growing – especially through the Internet now that the images are in the “public domain” – >50 years since his passing in 1958. If you ever have any questions please just ask. I can say that we know of 7 prints of Beethoven’s 9th – even though the edition was planned to be 25. He never printed out the full editions for his body of work – about 100 wood engravings and a handful of colour block prints – I suppose planning to go back to it at some point. Unlike many other artists, the orignial wood blocks were not scored. Beethoven’s Ninth won an International print making award.

I have 7 Landacre pieces. I too have this one, but interestingly it is titled “Fiesta”, not “Siesta”. I have looked at the title with a magnifying glass to see if it was just a sloppy “S”, but it is definitely an “F”. This print is not numbered. It gives a whole new meaning to the image. Have you ever seen another Fiesta?

Jon

Hi John,

I am a great great (great?) niece of Timothy Cole and a visual artist myself. I ran across your blog post about him and just wanted to thank you for giving him such a great write up. I don’t have any of his originals at this point. But, I do collect images of his work from a variety of sources. I did not know he did the Mona Lisa too. Would you be so kind as to send me a digital image of it? Thank you,

Bernadine

Turn your drawing over and stick it onto a window. Trace the drawing on the back of that sheet. Blank wood block, carbon paper sheet and your drawing, face down. Retrace the reverse/back drawing and you’re done. If all you did was to use carbon paper behind your face-up drawing, the prints will be reversed.

This is very helpful information, and the rest of your blog is delightful.

I looked at the rubber blankets on ebay and am going to buy one. Before I do, I want to make sure you use 4-ply since I see they have others available.

Thanks so much!

HELLO JOHN! IT IS JUNE 30, 2011 AND TOMORROW I AM SUBMITTING AN ORIGINAL IAIN MACNAB WOODBLOCK PRINT ENTITLED “CORSICAN LANDSCAPE” ON EBAY. IT IS, OF COURSE, IDENTICAL TO THE ONE ON YOUR SITE. IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION, IS NUMBER 7 OF 40 AND IS SIGNED IN PENCIL BY MR. MACNAB. I THOUGHT I WOULD EMAIL YOU IN THE EVENT YOU ARE INTERESTED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR IAIN MACNAB INFORMATION! SUSAN

I just heard the news of her death and I thought of this print. I guess she died from all reasons that moved you to create the image four years ago. Life is short…

Hello John, Over many years I have been searching for information about a woodblock which I have and your website is the only one which mentions woodblock printing in St. Gallen (St. Gall) Switzerland. About 35 years ago I lived in Zurich, Switzerland and during that time a good friend gave me an old woodblock which he had hanging on a wall. I was quite curious about the block and he told me it was used as a silk press in St. Gallen in the old days. I just love the pattern of tiny flowers etched on the rectangular block which measures approx. 14 inches x 9 inches. It is 1.5 inches thick. The etched panel is about .25 inches thick. It is attached (glued?) to 2 other pieces of different type timbers. There are 2 semi-circular slots carved out on the back of the block which seem to be large enough to hold 4 fingers in each slot to lift the block up. The only information on the block consists of 2 numbers – 2941 is cut in on the side edge and 1091 is written on the back. That is about all the information I have and I would really appreciate it if you could tell me a little about it or lead me in the right direction to discover its history. Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you, Best wishes Jan Armstrong, Sydney, Australia.

whats the size of this piece

I have my hands on an original proof by timothy cole of moonlight by blakelock. It’s a limited edition signed proof. If you have any information of this work, or any interest in it. Feel free to contact me 1-734-693-1510

Thank You; We Artist will save our envirement from complete distruction

Interesting site and info. Odd that you make no mention of centuries old wood block printing on fabrics in India. Take a look at the hand printed gorgeous fabrics from Rajasthan, India. It’s an ancient art and has amazingly intricate designs, no comparison to the simpler ones from some other places.

Loving it. I’m writing an essay on Thomas Bewick, due in late Nov. so your thoughts on how to approach a wood engraving are very helpful, as I have to explain how Bewick understood the potential and the limitations of the medium.Your work ‘Southern landscape’ is gorgeous by the way – will look thro more of site and see what I can find. Many thanks 🙂

I have this original woodcut for sale. Please call me for more information (510) 654-7910. Thanks.

Hi John, my Circumpolar neighbor-
Today I picked up my/your/her (since Kim bought it for me as a gift) Undulating Spirits from the framing shop and promptly hung it in my vestibule. It looks great! I now have three pieces of yours in my home.
One Saturday night a few winters ago I was wandering home at 3 am, taking the scenic route with a friend along the Dvina River embankment, and we happened to see some Northern Lights. Here in Arkhangelsk, this was something of an event. The next day I got an email from Ian in Whitehorse, he was writing to tell me he had witnessed an especially spectacular display of Lights the night before… Wild, eh?

Over the past ten years I have really learned to love printmaking. This is why. What a great print. Simple yet so much to take in!

You’re pulling my leg, Right??

Okay now…that is really cool! Really do love all of your work.

I make my own paper plus take photographs, I would like to incorate both so my question is “how can I tranfer the image to newly maked textured paper?”

Dear John

I am an art student at Agincourt Collegiate Institute and i as arts students we’ve been given an assignment to choose an artist that we’re are interested in, i have chose you and i was wondering if you could answer some basic questions for me such as your Birthday, your education in art, where you worked etc.

Dear John

Just a quick note to say What a fantastic website that I love looking through, and some great work.

I was also looking for some information.

I am considering producing some small woodcut / softcut versions of my larger prints (check out the Tree Canopy series on my site. I only use one tool, a V shaped tool to simply cut along lines that I have drawn and then remove the rest. It is the control of cutting a perfect line that interests me the most, not any mark-making. What a BORE I have become haha!

Could you recommend a wood engraving tool which would enable me to cut straight lines, and then i just ‘remove’ the negative ‘space’ with a broader/same tool. cheers!

Really looking forward to hearing from you – all the best

Charlie

This is stunning work. I don’t buy much art these days but when the mood hits me I may return for this. J

That is so interesting that Mary Storm has a print of “Yesterday” from her art student parents! My mom has one of those prints (well, it’s mine now!!), and she doesn’t remember where she got it, but she was an art student at the Art Center and at Otis sometime after 1940. Small world.

Manaa iipashumaa ir Ilgvara glezna – Puukjis. Paardoshu 5k

John,

It is always a pleasure to check out your site and see printmaking at its finest. I appreciate your work a lot and have fond memories of friends from Dawson City. I am now retired from teaching and work now on my dreams – making art whenever I can. Best of success to you with the new press. Lynn

Try using U-Ship to get your press shipped to you.

Many thanks for the scanning. The booklet is so nice that I could not help me to order a copy from Abebooks. I will no doubt never practice woodcut printing, but I wish to assimilate the technique in such a way to to make illustrations which imitate woodblock printing, but with ink, pen and paper… or with Photoshop or Painter. Best wishes from Quebec for the New Year 2013.

John, Thanks for sharing these manuals, they are very interesting and informative.
Much appreciated!

The Leightons are wonderful. What are their prices? Thanks

Hi John, Thanks so much for this post! I have a Conrad press which I love, but I have lots to learn about printmaking. After reading your post I purchased a rubber blanket from LGS; tried it out today with excellent results. Now to improve my carrier system! I hope some tweaking will help with the occasional paper slipping problem.
Thanks again for sharing your process!

That’s an excellent idea, I’ll try that! I really like the even pressure I get with that rubber blanket, better than the felt ones by themselves. And I think roller pressure and my not-so-great carrier are contributing to the paper issue. All signs point to operator error… I didn’t name my press ‘Patience’ for nothing!

Love Your Father’s work , I have 2 of them.
Great loss to our group.

Hi!

I stumbled upon your amazing art when I was researching Paul Landacre. Your prints are stunning. I myself am an etcher and have not been able to master what you are doing.
Your images are beautifully composed and rendered; I love the black and white starkness of this with the delicacy of the red berry and eggs….
I love this particular print, and hope to buy it in the near future when I sell some more of my original artwork.

All the best
Liza Paizis

I have a copy of sultry day that I purchased at an estate sale a few years ago…I absolutely love it and it has really stroked my interest in paul landacre…his work is amazing!!!!

Beautiful! A question for you John: What did you start engraving first? Did you begin with an outline of the trunk and roots?

Since you like deadlines: You have 6 days to create a wood engraving for my house!

Those residual cut lines proved to be very effective! Very nice work especially in six days. I wonder if engraving gets any easier for full time artists who engrave every day? It may get harder as one’s standards rise faster than technique improves…

Beautiful! I still have trouble using woodblock for commercial clients. I can never make the deadlines! Hats off to you.

Great information & work! Thanks!

Hi John,although I did make a few blocks surfaced on both sides I didn’t make any in the 80s thats a shame almost a connection.On the subject of resurfacing your blocks is a difficult one as you are aware you don’t want to over heat the surface of the block, when I was making blocks we had a machine called a backing down machine which milled the blocks to type high , which was also used to resurface blocks ie, remove the engraved face, prior to then sanding and final hand finishing/polishing. if you have a good bandsaw (looks like you have) with a good sharp blade and a sliding guide just like the one you have in your photo above but swivelled round you know what I mean! try it on a small piece of boxwood to see how it cuts watch your fingers though .Use a wider blade if you have one to keep a straighter cut.

I have very good results using unmounted linoleum(artist grade) between etching press roller and the paper. I position the linoleum side down, toward the wood engraving block. This gives firm,even pressure with just enough give to prevent damaging the block.
I get my unmounted linoleum from Blick. I use their Golden Cut Linoleum. One sheet lasts through thousands of prints.

Thanks for the great idea, John. I have cadged half a dozen *large* blankets from a commercial print works. Now to trim them to size and, oh yes, buy the etching press!

Thank you from a complete novice. It is guidance such as this that one really looks for. Obviously books cannot mention all of the little tricks and hints, they can only cover the ‘broad canvas’.
Very pleased to have found your site.

Found a signed engraving title “Corn Pulling” today and knew it was done by a gifted artist. The level of detail is truly amazing. I stumbled on your posting of “Bread Line” which reflects an urban sensibility that I had not seen in the more rural images my web search conjured up till I reached yours. Am I right in thinking that to create these powerful works, the artist needed to remove material, like working in reverse to achieve the desired effect in the print. Again, truly amazing! Thanks so much putting it out there.

My mother recently told me that Clare Leighton was a good friend of my grandmother, Adelyn Breeskin, and lived with her for a while in Baltimore. Funny the things we never knew we wanted to know about from our parents and grandparents. However, my mother tells me that she received several Clare Leighton prints from her mother’s estate. She consigned them with a print dealer in Seattle and some of them have been sold, but she thinks that there may be one or more still available. I may have to see about recalling those…

Just found your site. Your wood engravings,and the work
of your father, are wonderful..
Speaking of Nepotism, I just bought a painting by Timothy
Cole’s son, whose incredible name was Alphaeus Philemon Cole. (1876-1988)!!! At the time of his death he was the guaranteed oldest man in the world,(and certainly the oldest artist). He did my oil on canvas when he was only 95. It makes this 80 year old feel like a kid again. Ink promotes longevity. Keep up the good work.

I’m about to harvest some very old apple and pear trees with the hope of getting some reasonable engraving blocks out of them. Have any of you had any experience with apple & pear engraving blocks? Any tips or tricks I should know about?
Any advice much appreciated!

Thanks John. I’ll give it a go and let you know how it turns out. Cheers,
Bernie

Hi John.
I live in Florida USA and have a Wood Block Printing that i want to sell to get funds for my son college ! here are are the link with the pictures of the art work. http://www.use.com/editset.pl?set=4d617bdd77832198b587
Can you please advise how much this beautiful art will cost ?
Thanks, Angel

I’m Think to put on ebay , but i have no idea what i’m going to asking for !

Hi john ,
just thinking obviously you don’t know me and if it was me I wouldn’t want to give out my address over the internet;is there a p.o .box/mail box I don’t know the term you would use over there that I can send to.

Paul.

Thanks John,
why didn’t I look there first too impetuous to read further I’m afraid!!

I will pop one in the post.

regards,

Paul.

Hi john,
sorry not got back to you sooner. Iam glad you got the block .feel awfull that the block has reacted in such a way of course you can cut it into smaller pieces.I suppose it has had quite a journey and now residing in a different climate. It left here being in a temperature fluctuating between two or three degrees at night to about seven or eight in the day. I keep them in my small block built workshop with a dehumidifier continuosly on. The timber itself has been seasoned since feb ’04 .
What temp’ are you at the moment?
I know when I worked at Lawrences I did have a couple of occurences of the same thing happening when the blocks had been in the store cupboard for a long period, do you have any ideas how and why it could come apart on the glueline I use an epoxy resin used for boat construction its called” west systems”.

Paul.

Gentlemen
I have followed your discussion on block-making with interest. I recently cut a boxwood log into slices on a bandsaw with a view to (eventually) making engraving blocks for my own use. I can see the problem is going to be how to produce blocks of completely uniform thickness. My bandsaw doesn’t cut absolutely straight. I find I can achieve one flat surface using a sharp block plane, but I imagine this will deform further during the drying process. I would appreciate any advice on getting both surfaces parallel. I couldn’t justify buying specialist machines, and I haven’t got room for them anyway. I used to know an architectural model-maker who made blocks of uniform thickness using an end-mill in a drill press, but the wood he used was french lime, which is quite soft.
John, I like your idea of using a plywood substrate, as this gives stability and obviously allows thinner sections of valuable boxwood or lemonwood to be used. I don’t think professional blockmakers use this method, so I guess there must be a reason they don’t.
For glueing up blocks, I’ve no experience of this, but I would think one possible problem with using West epoxy is that it produces a very hard glue-line, which offers more resistance to the engraving tool than the surrounding wood, and might even print as a line. Also, if I remember correctly, west requires minimum 16 degreesC to set. Would a better alternative be polyurethane glue? This is the stuff that looks like honey and goes foamy when set. It used to be sold in the UK as Balcotan but now goes under various names. I think it’s the same as Gorilla Glue. This is completely tolerant of damp air and low temperatures, and would make a much softer glue-line.
For me, as I only want blocks for my own use, achieving a perfect surface is not as important as I imagine it was for commercial engravers.( I recently saw an exhibition of prints by Naum Gabo, some of which he had engraved on round blocks cut from a table leg!) However, I can see that a block of uniform thickness is essential, particularly if one is going to print on a press.
Apologies for long-windedness!
Best regards
Ivor Jones

I’ve just bought a little press for printing my linocuts, and the rollers are made of rubber. I’m new to using a press, so I’m trying to figure out what blankets I need to get. Do you think that as my rollers are rubber I might not need blankets at all?

Here it is – I haven’t received it yet, so what you see here is all I know.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/printing-press-Etching-collograph-mono-lino-woodcut-/161156175035?ssPageName=ADME:L:CORT:GB:1120

Thanks. Yes, it’s here now and it’s light duty but I’m enjoying getting to know it. I’ve ordered a 3mm etching blanket and until that arrives have been using an old baby blanket (mostly to protect the rollers).

Hi John,
I made it to the show and saw your print there. It was a fine show. Congratulations!

John

Love this great old book. Thanks for sharing!

I loved the video of the super large printing… one of these days I swear I need to do that. Looks like so much fun… and I LOVE the large format!

At first, my (Griffin) press seemed so large, as I had a small press that only takes a quarter sheet. But now it seems small… once things are framed etc…

I digress. Does that large print event happen annually? And also, have there been artists in residence… I think you mentioned one…

I will be traveling across Canada… taking time off! (Sort of)… and although I am not sure I’ll make it to Dawson City… it is appealing. So remote!

Let me know thanks
Warmest regards,

Nancy Walter

Hi John,

I just came across your reply to my comment. Sorry for taking so long to reply.

I would love to get a digital copy of the Mona Lisa. I presume that that was what you meant by a copy. Can you send it via email? Timothy’s son was not the only incredible name in his/our family which also include Octavian, Corlolanous, Orlando and Sylvanus to name a few. My great grandfather was Alphonso Orlando Percy Cole.

Bernadine

I have approximately 1000 boxwood bushes with 2-7″ bases. These were 5 ft. bushes that were tipped for wreathes last Fall. The bushes are not dead but I am not going to nurse them back for the next 3 years. I intend to cut them down at the ground level. I realize the wood is useful and rare for carving, etc… Are these bushes useful to you or to someone before I simply burn them. Thank you, Buddy Marion

Hi John,
I am a printmaker and have used a Conrad etching press for wood engraving, and can appreciate the problems! Your carrier sounds like an excellent idea. One question: in the picture the engraving block is slightly higher than the surrounding carrier surface, so press cylinder would not seem to contact the sides and distribute the pressure. Does the rubber blanket make the difference?

Paul Landacre was also my uncle, married to Margaret McCreery, my father’s half sister. Who is Caroline? I possess two woodcuts and will part with them some day.

Could you tecommend a way to duplicate a woodcut block itself? My sister created an iconic woodcut in 1971 and she would like to produce a copy (mould) of the original to hang in her home. She gave the original away many years ago and she can no longer create art due to a stroke. She would also like to do more editions from the original, but wants to preserve the current patina. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Hello, I am currently doing an art project on initiation and was captivated by your lino printing technique and some of your artwork. if you wouldn’t mind replying to this message it would be an honor to ask you a few questions and advice concerning your lino work.

Please contact me as soon as possible John. I have a linocut from 1958 from I. Steins and would like to talk to you about its’ origin. I also admire your work. Hope to hear from you soon.

Malcolm Lowry’s incredible book Under the Volcano. John, you came to my wedding in Dawson many years ago and gave me as a wedding present one of my most valued pieces of art. Strange that Barbara and I went on to live in the cabin on Gabriola Island where Lowry lived. It is there he wrote October Ferry to Gabriola. I’m going to buy a few of your woodcuts. I am a big fan of prints. Phillips, Bergmann, etc. You hang on my wall with them now. Happy to know you John. Pat Martin.

I have a Paul Landacre print it looks to be a second printing it has a Roman numeral 2 with a 18/150 in the far right corner followed by the title both in pencil. It is signed on the bottom right corner by the artist.
It is is excellent shape -and I am looking to sell the picture. Can you provide me with some insight or direction on how to go about doing so?

Hi John

This is a great post – thank you! I was wondering if you have any issues with the carrier indenting the paper as it is rolled through the press? I’ve used “runners” along each side of the press bed to distribute the pressure but they have to be wider than the paper otherwise I have two strip indentations on each side! (I was printing lino or gomuban).

Thank you!
Rene

How do I transfer a traced image from tracing paper onto oil treated crackled dark wood?

Tks for the advice but have tried, chalk on the back of the tracing, a white pencil crayon, all types of carbon paper nd stenciling.I come from a small town in South Africa nd our shops here haven’t heard of anything called saral, graphite paper or even a ponce wheel. I’m at my wits end nd don’t know hw to get the design onto the wood. Its repelling everythingi try to put on it…

Thanks John! For some reason I didn’t get an email to say that you had replied! Ironing – never thought of that 🙂 Rene

I’ve xeroxed / lazer printed my image and transferred it on to linoleum, plywood and cherry wood with a chartpak blender marker also called an AD marker. (Also works onto fabric for embroidery)

I have a Glenn Alps collagraph press. The bed size is 66 x 30 inches. Pretty big press. I am refining my press technics. I make intalglio, lino cuts , watercolor monotypes on lexan & matboard relief plates.

I wonder whether I can successfully use just a single thin felt blanket on my lexan watercolor monotypes

Hi John,
Wondering if any edition of this is still available?
I’ve always loved it!
Thanks,
Sharon

I was wondering if this gorgeous print is available for purchase?

Thank you so much for providing access to this book. I found the author’s insights to be valuable and somewhat entertaining, though in a delighful way rather that tinged with humor. I have always loved the look of antique engravings, and several years ago purchased a few books with illustrations by Lynd Ward and was really struck by the drama and atmosphere that can be achieved with wood engraving. Since I have all the necessary tools due to being a metalsmith, and my husband a wood worker, I have decided to try my hand at wood engraving. So finding this resource is a boon and an encouragement.

Could you tell me if it was the sycamore wood and what fasteners were used to create a seamless pattern on calico prints in Great Britain – 1815?

You sound like you haven’t seen a large body of his work. We have seen most of his images up close and personal. in our opinion Indecision is most usual for technique. Counterpoint of course is his iconic nude. But our favorite is Spring, 1944. He only did four signed copies. We own two copies. Someone discouraged him from producing more. HIs work is very undervalued. So when you get one hang on to it. Beats inflation!

Many thanks for this…..only a few years late. I inherited a number of woodbock engravings from my step father, Derek Riley (especially known as a designer of organ screens the world over and for his ex-libris wood engravings). Some were in perfect condition but others had been badly stored and separated over the years. With very careful attention I was able to save most of the damaged ones.

If looking for ‘original’ paul landacre’s, on original japan paper, without # or signature wait until 2033…when the estate of ritchie ward (aka ward ritchie) comes out…you will see 100’s of them…. a fact – but hard to prove..gather the info – it’s obvious….he can release 30 years before anyone else can copy a landacre.!! (well he’s dead but his plan isn’t..

Love this! So ingenious the registration system and the print is lovely. Oh those Golden Gates.
Thanks for your grand generosity in offering so much information and inspiration. It goes a lonnngggg wayyyy. I cherish my visits to this website. LP

Have woodblock print of horse on tissue. Think Indian, black color. Trying to research origin.