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 [...]

Eric Bergman

One of my wood engraving heroes is Canadian artist Eric Bergman (1893-1958). He lived out his career in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city dear to my heart. Although he pursued other forms of printmaking he settled on wood engraving exclusively in 1924. He said the following; “I find wood engraving a help in forming my own [...]

Printing Relief Blocks on an Etching Press

I don’t own a massive old iron printing press that I covetously see in some studios and campuses, like the famous Albion Press for example or better still – a Vandercook proofing press. Although it would be great to add one of these to my studio, for now I use my etching press very successfully [...]

Landacre At Auction

This engraving titled Growing Corn by Paul Landacre recently sold at a Swann Galleries auction in New York for $7,200. Measuring 8 3/4 X 4 1/2 inches it was made in 1938. I see it was listed for $250 in an estate sale catalogue from the seventies that I have in my collection of wood [...]

Boxwood

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.

Paul Landacre

I’m extremely fortunate to own this Paul Landacre wood engraving titled “Siesta’ which he made in the 1930′s. The image is quite large for this technique measuring 7.5 by 9 inches – the print quality is stunning. I was so happy to have discovered him a few years ago, now he ranks as one of [...]

Tiny Moose challenge

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 is [...]

Wood Engraving Video

Here’s a short clip showing how I make a wood engraving. Notice how I push the block into the graver by pivoting it on the engraver’s pillow. Sorry there’s no sound.

« Previous Page