Choosing Wood for Relief Printing

Video Transcript

"Today we are going to show you the steps necessary to create your own block print, using linoleum or wood. Traditionally, wood has been used to create block prints. The surface of the grain shows up, on the other hand, it's very difficult to cut. The beginning print maker would choose something like linoleum, which is easier to cut. The tools don't have to be as sharp and it facilitates somebody that is not experienced. As you move through, wood would be the better choice. When choosing your wood, a shelving pine, a grade A shelving pine, that you can find at any home improvement store, is probably the best wood to choose. You may also step up to something like a poplar, which is a denser wood, but requires a sharper tool. And one important factor of the wood is making sure that it's free of any defects, dents, and things like that, because those will all print in the final image. So, sanding your wood is very, very essential to this whole process."