Wood Engraving - Technique

Technique

Wood engraving blocks are typically made of boxwood or other hardwoods such as lemonwood or cherry. They are expensive to purchase because end-grain wood must be a section through the trunk or large bough of a tree. Some modern wood engravers use substitutes made of PVC or resin, mounted on MDF, which produce similarly detailed results of a slightly different character.

The block is manipulated on a "sandbag" (a sand-filled circular leather cushion), enabling curved or undulating lines to be produced with minimal manipulation of the actual tool being used.

Wood engravers use a range of specialist tools. The lozenge graver is similar to the burin used by copper engravers of Bewick's day, and comes in different sizes; there are also various sizes of V-shaped graver used for hatching. Other more flexible tools include the spitsticker, which will produce fine undulating lines; the round scorper, which is excellent for textures involving curves; and the flat scorper which is useful for clearing larger areas.

Wood engraving is generally a black-and-white technique. However there are a handful of wood engravers who also work in colour, using three or four blocks of primary colours, a similar principle to the four-colour process in modern printing. To do this, the printmaker must register the blocks (have a system to make sure that they are all printed in exactly the same place on the page).

• An original engraved wood block by Thomas Bewick. It is made to type height so it can be printed together with text on a letterpress.

• The block shown from above. Notice the circular area marking damaged and repaired wood on the left next to the figure of a man.

• Print made with the block. The repaired circular area is visible on the right between the man and the dog.