'Among the Lilies' is an original wood engraving of a toad, floating underwater and among lily pads, engraved into a block of boxwood (shaped like a lily pad!). Printed on 130gsm Simili Japon paper (a lovely off white/subtle cream) with Cranfield Caligo safe wash oil-based ink. Signed on the front. This is a limited edition of 20 prints.
This print, like many others, started life as a pencil drawing in my sketchbook before being transferred to the prepared block. I use white carbon paper and tracing paper to transfer the image. This provided a rough guide to follow during the engraving stage.
Wood engraving is a type of relief print, meaning the areas intended to stay white are carefully carved out with specialist tools known as 'gravers'. These are designed especially for wood engraving and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Wood engraving lends itself to fine detailed work and as a result the prints tend to be smaller than some other print mediums.
Boxwood is considered a premium wood for engraving due the dense nature of the fibres. The wooden block is first prepared by smoothing the end grain surface and dyeing it a darker colour so that the engraved lines can be seen more clearly.
And here is the finished print. Printed on 130gsm Simili Japon paper (a lovely off white/subtle cream) with Cranfield Caligo safe wash oil-based ink.
This is a limited edition of 20 prints
Paper size: 20 x 20
