Product Description

A clearly written and meticulously illustrated reference for woodcut techniques and printmaking.

The history of the woodcut goes back over a thousand years. Working carefully with great precision, the woodcut artist carves a mirror image of a design on wood or other suitable material. Then the design is inked and pressed against paper. The technique allows the artist to create an almost unlimited number of impressions of the same work. The precision of the work and the ability of the artist to create multiple impressions allow many fine woodcut artists to create pieces at a reasonable price that an average collector can afford.

The Woodcut Artist's Handbook provides the basics of this craft with a detailed analysis of the tools and the media. Artists can improve or develop considerable skill in this art by following these instructions and helpful tips. Beginners and advanced woodcutters and collectors will gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for this craft and this art.

This profusely illustrated book is ideal for artists, printmakers, designers and collectors.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208043 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-12
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.11 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Review
This manual's keynote is exuberance... much of its advice is fresh and inspiring. (Jim Anderson Printmaking Today 200607)

An indispensable guide for [artists] ... a sheer pleasure for everyone else. (John Arkelian Artsforum 20061001)

Readily accessible... instructions clear and easy to follow. This is a how-to book as beautiful as it is useful. (Katherine R. Lieber ArtScope.net 200601)

The book makes clear the form, so simple at first glance, actually lends itself to a wide variety of approaches. (Jeet Heer enRoute Magazine 200602)

Walker's instruction, in fact, is so clear and well organized that this handbook is perfect for the beginner. (American Artist )

About the Author

George A. Walker is an award-winning wood engraver, book artist and illustrator who has been creating artwork and books at his private press since 1984. His courses in book arts and printmaking at the Ontario College of Art and Design are very popular. George exhibits his wood engravings and limited-edition books internationally.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

My love of printmaking -- some would call it an obsession -- began with the discovery of the powerful graphic novels of Flemish artist and pacifist Frans Masereel. As I turned the pages of his books, I began to realize that I too could use this art form to communicate my own ideas. Because they don't depend on words, prints can be understood by anyone, anywhere, and all you need to make one is a graver, a piece of wood, ink, a roller, paper and a spoon.

Masereel's novels of the 1920S led me to the work done a decade later by Lynd Ward, who also portrayed the struggle for social justice and the search for meaning in an often cruel and unforgiving world. As I learned about the history of printmaking, I was struck by how often the wood-block print had been used over the years as a tool of social change and revolution. In my own small way, I joined that long tradition.

When I was nineteen, I lived in a rundown apartment building in the heart of Toronto. The roof leaked and every apartment was infested with cockroaches. One day the landlord disappeared, taking that month's rent money with him. The bank soon closed in, demanding that the tenants pay all the stolen rent money. We had no money for a lawyer, so I pulled out my ink, found a piece of wood and printed copies of a poster with a vulture on it. When the bank sent inspectors to examine the building and meet with the tenants, they found the halls and doors plastered with my prints. The posters brought the tenants together as a group and gave a voice to our anger and frustration.

In the end, we were able to keep our apartments without paying for our landlord's crime.

I continue to be inspired by the rich blacks, cut marks and impressed lines of wood-block prints. There isn't a single method of learning the secrets of this art. Mastering it requires a journey that each of us begins with our own unique experiences, bringing a personal style that makes our work distinctive.

The Woodcut Artist's Handbook will help you with the technical stuff and provide some tips and tricks to make the journey a pleasant one. The best training in technique is to look at the work of other artists. The generosity of those who have allowed their work to be displayed in these pages is truly appreciated. Unfortunately, some of the richness in the blacks and subtleties of hue that can be controlled in handprinted images are lost in the reproduction process. Nevertheless, the bold gesture of the line and the character and feeling of the original images remain.

As you enjoy the prints in this book and begin making them, I hope you will begin to understand my personal obsession with the wood-block print and, in time, develop an obsession of your own.