boxwood Archives – John Jānis Šteins

A Practice Engraving

By John SteinsJanuary 28, 2013January 27, 2016Categories: Articles, Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, burin, engraver's pillow, printmaking, Wood Engraving5 Comments

This wood engraving was to serve a dual purpose; to get back into making engravings and to create a Christmas card design. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I didn’t get it done in time for mailing although the sketch was ready and waiting. I’ll try again next year. Ultimately it was a joyRead more ⟶

Box of Box

By John SteinsAugust 19, 2010August 23, 2010Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, engraving, wood block making, Wood EngravingLeave a comment

As a happy consequence of a major reorganization of my woodworking shop I’ve collected all my boxwood scraps into one Rubbermaid container. They are not really cast-offs – naturally – but very useful to the block-maker. In fact, these bits could be looked upon as a kind of block-maker’s porn; very exciting stuff! I’ll beRead more ⟶

Paul Landacre on Wood Engraving

By John SteinsFebruary 26, 2010October 8, 2020Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, end grain, landacre, letterpress, litho ink, Wood Engraving, woodcut6 Comments

Paul Landacre is my wood engraving hero. Even more so now that I’ve come across this article he wrote on the subject in the early 1940’s for a book called The Relief Print Woodcut Wood Engraving & Linoleum Cut. For those interested in this subject I hope you will be inspired by his insights! WoodRead more ⟶

History of Wood Engraving

By John SteinsFebruary 21, 2010February 10, 2016Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, engraver's pillow, engraving, letterpress, typeface, Wood Engraving, wooden typeLeave a comment

Here is an article about wood engraving from 1844, reprinted along with illustrations from a sheet that I purchased at a very cool bookstore in Astoria, Oregon last November. Box is the wood mostly used by modern wood-engravers; pear-tree, and other wood of a similar grain and fibre, being now only used in executing largeRead more ⟶

Boxwood

By John SteinsOctober 25, 2008October 5, 2020Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, maple, Wood Engraving7 Comments

A short discussion of material used for making a quality block for the purpose of making a wood engraving. Boxwood is the wood most preferred for this purpose.

Tiny Moose challenge

By John SteinsSeptember 27, 2008February 10, 2016Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, burin, letterpress, Wood EngravingLeave a comment

Here’s a wood engraving of mine I found amongst my stuff in the studio of a baby moose. This is a very small postage stamp sized print ( 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches). I did this one a long time ago but it still seems attractive to me. As you can see it isRead more ⟶

Woodblock on engraver’s pillow

By John SteinsMay 7, 2008February 10, 2016Categories: Wood EngravingTags: boxwood, engraver's pillow, WoodblockLeave a comment

Here’s a nice shot of a boxwood block on my leather pillow. An essential bit of equipment for the wood engraver. Shown is the block for the ‘Cottonwood’ engraving.