This two-day workshop introduces the art and practice of wood engraving. The hard woods used to make wood engraving blocks are type-high (.918”, the height of metal type) and are cut across the grain rather than parallel to it like wood cuts. These durable end-grain blocks allow for extensive detail. The tools used are gravers (or burins) that are different than the gouge tools used for wood cuts. This versatile form of printmaking requires little space and minimal equipment and is perfect for a small home studio.
Day 1: We will start with a brief history of wood engraving including its long relationship to letterpress printing, and we will study examples of period and contemporary wood engravings. Students will begin with a sampler block to explore the effects of various tools, proof the block on the press, and transfer a design onto another block to consider the approach for their first engraving.
Day 2: Students will learn how to sharpen their gravers and continue to engrave their blocks. We will become familiar with basic use of the Vandercook SP-15 cylinder press to ink and proof the block and troubleshoot issues when printing. Printing an edition of a block will be discussed, and those wanting to contribute a print to the workshop portfolio are encouraged to do so. Students will leave the workshop with the skills to master the graver tool to create intricate prints, a value test block for future reference, an instructive handout, a block to edition, and a portfolio of workshop prints.
Level: Beginner – no previous experience necessary
Part I - Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am-3pm�
Part II - Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10am-3pm
Includes $50 materials fee, which covers a #3 elliptical tint tool and two 3”x 4” end-grain maple blocks
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