The Art of Making a Woodcut
The Art of Woodcut
An art mastered by Albrecht Dürer
A woodcut begins as a design sketched on a block of wood that has been covered with a white ground. All wood not part of the design is cut out with a sharp gouge. 
The raised design is coated with ink by rocking a leather-covered wooden tool called a dabber over the block. The gouged areas are thus kept ink-free
A sheet of paper is next placed on the inked block and imprinted on it by a means of a vertical press. Pressure is applied gently so as to avoid damaging the wooden relief work.
The finished print is peeled from the block. A single wood block, if carefully handled, can yield a few hundred clear impressions before the raised design begins to chip.
Copyright © 1998 James M. Kaney. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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