Wood Engravers Network (WEN) Summer Workshop
Wood engraving might be something you’re not familiar with. It’s a printmaking method invented in England in the 1700’s to illustrate newspapers. Now, in modern times, it still serves this purpose, but is also a technique some artists use to make original prints with.
The national organization for wood engravers holds an annual workshop for its members and for anyone who is interested in learning the technique. This year the workshop was held in Bryan, TX, with a guest artist from Finland.
During the workshop we got to enjoy each others company, make new friends, learn about engraving and make a couple field trips to museums with impressive book and print collections.
PaperPapers.com was kind to send us some paper for the workshop. Members tried the different textures and colors when proofing their engraved wood blocks.
The papers that worked best for fine art purposes were the Savoy- line 100% cotton papers. They have a velvety smooth texture, perfect for picking up detail from a wood engraving and are archival, to make sure our artwork lasts.
Other favorites were Arturo, Remake and Crush papers. Arturo had a nice texture on it, and Remake and Crush were smooth, but the paper has nice flecks of fibers to add visual texture to it. Remake and Crush are not archival, so they wouldn’t work for fine art prints, but are perfect for cards and stationery.
I wanted to proof a small block on the papers. I Printed on the various Savoy papers and Arturo, and my setup consisted of a proofing press, and I used 3 sheets of paper over the printing paper for added pressure and give.
If you are interested in wood engraving or want to join our group: information and resources can be found at http://woodengravers.org. Our next big summer workshop will be held in New Jersey.
Written by Mirka Hokkanen for Paper-Papers.com. www.mirkah.com
