Posted by on May 12, 2007 [Permalink]

Continued from [River in Summer - 3] - Carving continues | Starting point of the thread was [River in Summer] - How the print is made

Here's where I got to, the day after getting back from the trip to the woods ...

It's time, I think, to check up on how the carving is actually going. I'd like to print a proof of the part I've done so far, but I don't want to get pigment all over the block. Trying to mask out the untouched areas would just be a mess, so I'll use carbon paper to pull a rough 'proof'.

First step is to tape a sheet of paper securely over the carved area.

I then slip a sheet of carbon paper between the wood and the paper ... face up. (This sheet is a bit too small, but I'll move it around bit by bit so I can cover the whole area).

Then I rub the surface of the paper just as I would when making a normal print. It comes up pretty clear, and I can get reasonable feedback on how the cutting looks:

One thing worth mentioning is that it's important to clean off the block carefully with a stiff brush before doing this. Any small wood chips left lying on the surface can make dents in uncarved areas if pressed by the baren ...

The thread continues in [River in Summer - 5] - Key block nearly done ...

Added by: Diane Cutter on May 13, 2007

It's coming along beautifully, Dave...

Added by: Lin on June 3, 2007

What an interesting and clever way to take a first image!