A wood engraved illustration consists of a series of incisions which have been made into a piece of end-grain wood. The finished block is then inked and a relief print is taken from it.
Because of its close, tight grain, boxwood has been the traditional choice of wood engravers. Today, though, maple is the wood used most often. This is largely because it is now more readily available than boxwood.
Over the years I have taken a good deal of pleasure from producing engravings for my self and for inclusion in commercial projects.
Here is a shot of some of my engraving tools.
My brief forays into blogs usually reveal a sense of urgency and opinion … often interesting but also often leaving me feeling breathless and sometimes inadequate.
The Nomadic Press, by contrast, is like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold morning — like watching a full moon rising slowly over the horizon. Pleasure, anticipation, and leisure.
This is good.