Wood engravings were traditionally used in printing. Artists carved a piece of wood so that the raised surface had the design. The wood surface was then saturated with ink and pressed onto the paper, transferring the design. While the history of wood engraving is helpful, today's artist can apply a variety of techniques to carve a design on a piece of wood. Here is how you can do it.
Instructions
1. Sand your wood surface so that it is smooth enough to make a nice engraving. Remove any excess dust with a brush or clean rag.
2. Shine your lamp on the wood surface. Use a magnifying glass attached to the lamp if you feel it is necessary. Wood engraving is precise work and you need to be comfortable studying details over a long period of time. You can find good lamps with magnifiers in art and craft stores.
3. Practice your design with India ink and pen on drawing paper. Also called Chinese ink, it is used for drawing, calligraphy and tattoos. It can be tricky to use if you're not used to it. Dip your pen into the jar of water, blot out excess water on a paper towel, dip into the ink and blot out the ink before drawing.
4. Make your design on the wood surface. Remember to blot out water and ink before applying to the wood since it is not a paper surface that is easy to replace.
5. Leave your work aside for at least a day so you can view it with fresh eyes when you carve it out.
6. Use your engraver to carefully carve the design into your piece of wood. Remember to shine the light and adjust the magnifying glass so that you can see details.
7. Remove wood dust from your engraving with a brush or clean cloth.
