INTRODUCTION

There is a saying in the world of wood engraving, and it goes like this: ‘ours is a medium where there is little to be taught and everything to be learnt.’ I am sure that this is cited in relation to many other practices, but it is especially true of wood engraving. Why? Because wood engraving is, basically, refreshingly simple and no different in principle to those potato prints you made at school. It belongs to that most direct form of printmaking known as relief, and has much in common with the other forms, which are linocut and woodcut. What they all have in common is that an image or design is cut into the surface of the material and, after being rolled up with ink, a print on paper is taken. The resulting print is from the relief surface of the block. This is the opposite of the intaglio processes, such as etching, where the image comes from the incised lines. In other words, a wood engraving is a negative image, and an intaglio positive. So, it could be said with potato printing in mind that there is little to be taught here, but the subtleties and finesse of wood engraving will take you on a lifetime of learning.

This book is aimed at complete beginners but will also be of interest to anyone who engraves. I was not of that generation where wood engraving was taught in art schools and universities and, in fact, there are few engravers with that experience left. I was, however, lucky enough to have had a brief period of tuition from the great engraver of lettering, Leo Wyatt. For the most part, I am self-taught. Over the years I have absorbed a great deal of informal tuition through contact with other engravers and exposure to the world of engravings in books, exhibitions and my own collection. The Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) in the UK, and the Wood Engravers Network in the USA are precious resources of engravers and teachers who are more than happy to share their knowledge, as well as being a continuation of engraving history. The annual touring exhibition of the SWE is a unique way of discovering the best in modern engraving from artists around the world.

For those who have no experience of wood engraving, or any other form of printmaking, you will find this book a step-by-step guide to the process. The only thing I presuppose is a keen interest in the practice of drawing, since drawing is the foundation of all the graphic and plastic arts. Having said that, it could be that your first steps in w