Carving and Printing a Simple Wood Engraving

Wood engraving is a relief technique using fine tools to carve intricate designs into the end-grain of dense hardwoods like boxwood. Gorgeously fine details can be achieved. We now have a brand new range of tools and materials available to buy in our shop, plus a lovely selection of wood engraving tools in the Handprinted studio, some of which were kindly donated to us - we’ve been itching to have a go ever since!

We used one of the small test blocks to show you how we transfer and carve our design, and then how we print!

This block has been pre-stained with Indian Ink, which makes it a little too dark to use carbon paper to transfer the design. We recommend drawing freehand onto the block or transferring an image using Red Carbon Paper, and then staining the block with a little bit of printing ink instead.

We ended up going back to basics and transferred our design by shading the reverse of our drawn image and taping it to the block. We then traced the design over the top of our original drawing to transfer. We want to apply enough pressure to transfer our drawing, but not enough to bruise or dent the block. It was quite faint but workable.

Using our Spitsticker #3, we carved away the white areas in the tail, head, wing and belly. When carving, rotate the block rather than manoeuvring your hand. This helps to keep control. For more guidance on holding your tools, see our previous blog post.

Working with the negative space on the block will create depth in the design. Stippling is an effective technique that allows us to create gradients within our design, giving the illusion of mid-tone. It is especially effective for feathers, fur and foliage.

To clear any large areas, we use a Scorper. Here we’re using a Round Scorper #55. Before clearing, it is important to first carve an outline using a Spitsticker. This gives us a fine but deep cut around the edge of the design to work with. When clearing, we carve towards the design, which can feel quite weird at first. Luckily, the gutter created with the Spitsticker stops the tool in its tracks and creates a nice, clean cut.

Once we have finished carving, we want to brush away any stray wood chips with a soft brush.

To print, we use an oil-based ink. Here we’re using Hawthorn Stay Open ink in Dense Black. Alternatively, Cranfield Traditional inks could be used.

Roll out a thin, even layer of ink on an inking plate.

Lightly apply the ink to the block in thin, even layers.

The image really comes to life at this stage. The ink is sitting evenly on the surface and hasn’t collected in any of the small cuts on the block.

We’re using Shoji paper to print, which is a smooth, lightweight Japanese paper perfect for printing by hand. Alternatively, we could use Hereford or Hosho paper.