Oh my freaking word! Woodblock carving is hard! I haven’t tried this since high school art classes. Any printmakers out there who do this on a regular basis, I have a new-found respect for you. I did one small test block to see how this would work as a means of reproducing calico fabric patterns. My neck and shoulder are SO sore. And it takes forever.

But I was more or less satisfied with the test run. And even though it takes a while to produce a block I believe the time invested would be worthwhile since I could use the block to produce prints for years to come. To that end I’ve ordered a benchhook, some better carving tools and some larger blocks of shina wood to produce more finished pieces. I show you some pics and describe them all in detail when the package from McClains Printmaking (a great resource for printmakers) arrives.

Here are some process shots of my experimental run.

First I drew the pattern out and then transferred it onto the block:

Wood block with design transferred onto in

Then I carved it carved out around the drawing:

Wood block with pattern carved out

This was meant to be a two-part block – with another block with flowers in the center that would be printed in the center. But when the first one took so long to care I decided that the one block was enough for a test and went ahead and printed that:

Wood block with resulting print

Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day All!