Wood Engraving: How to Do It

Simon Brett's Wood Engraving: How to Do It is (as far as I can find) the definitive contemporary wood engraving tutorial book. It is intended for beginner's, and I think most higher level engraving practice will likely come from time and experience. But finding a first step down the wood engraving path can happily start here.Brett brings a wealth of engraving experience to this book, and it helps that he is an effective and thoughtful writer. There is a very good outline of the basic needs and methods to get started engraving wood, as well as a lot of helpful reference material and guidance for finding and defining a piece of your own.That mixture of practical, historical, artistic, and reflective aspects of creating work of your own is what really elevates this beyond just piecing together odds and ends online or from a handful of other selections. Brett knows you are looking for the basic instruction of cutting, inking, and pressing, but offers so much more.The structure of this book gives some history and establishes the basics right away. After that, Brett does a good job of stressing the process of developing an idea, thinking in the language of wood engraving (tones and lines), and offers a realistic and flexible perspective throughout. Each person's work is a product of something more than just how they hold a tool, and Brett leaves plenty of room for you to peer into someone's process without insisting it is the only acceptable process.I would happily recommend this book for anyone looking to start out with wood engraving. You don't have to read it cover to cover, though I did because it was both well written and interesting. If you are looking for other books to start with, Barry Moser's Wood Engraving: The Art of Wood Engraving and Relief Engraving is also quite good (though not as comprehensive) and Brett's An Engraver's Globe offers a lot of inspiration and contemporary examples.

A great resource for those wanting to learn more about wood engraving. Detailed and illustrated with many photographs of art and techniques. The book is in a different order than you might expect, starting with the hand and how to carve, then the mind, how to think about your work. It ends with the tools and materials. Backwards from the normal way books like this are set up, but it works. The author has a section of excellent notes at the back also. I enjoyed the book a lot as it also includes the author's thoughts and reasoning more than simple technique guidance. Written in almost a conversational style, an enjoyable read.

Probably the best of the wood engraving books available today. Wood engraving is not easy if you want to achieve the look of the best engravers.You don't need any other book. Simon Brett gives you everything you need to embark on your own journey.For starters the author's work is of a very high standard. He describes the tools, techniques, sharpening, different materials to engrave, then how to transfer the art work.Many engraving techniques are explained so that the student can understand and over-come the difficulty of light on dark engraving and achieve the desired values for the ultimate print.Finally different printing processes are described. No press is required and just a few high quality tools. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to try wood type engraving.Keep in mind there are many types of material you can engrave images on as a step in the block printing process.

This book is a mix of the practical with the indefinable... perhaps you could call it spiritual... approach to wood engraving. His standards are high. His approach to one's frame of mind in working in this technique is inspiring. Helpful, wonderful and surprising book.

Lots of good information

This book shows the ins and outs of wood carving. It'll be a great resource for engravers and wood block printers.

This book delivers. The instructions are clear and methodically layer out. The images are clear an voluminous. What helps that is the fact that, even though this is a paperback, the paper is hefty. It really helped to bring out the subtle differences in prints in the book. This is the purpose of this book. Buy it you won't be sorry.

Very detailed and full of information.

I really must take issue with the reviewer who suggests this is not for beginners! I am such a one and have found this book extraordinarily interesting and helpful. It doesn't have the feel of a step by step manual, and the first chapter can lead the reader into areas which are probably a little too advanced. But as the author suggests, such sections can be skipped to be returned to later if necessary. (MY only slight complaint is that the notes at the end fail to give a reference which easily takes the reader back to the page where it originates: these endnotes are often like mini essays in their own right and can be read through in sequence, but occasionally one wishes to go back to the main text when doing this.)Anyone starting out will find endless resources here, from the most practical features, such as necessary tools and materials, to exploring the ways in which effects, such as creating depth in an image which could otherwise place all pictorial elements on the same plane, can be achieved. A number of times I have wondered if such and such a point might be covered, and generally, it is!One of the most useful sections is where the same image treated in a range of different ways is analysed and the results compared: this gives great food for thought in trying to improve one's own technique. (With this art form, once a mark is made it is almost impossible to return, so careful thought and planning is essential: this book encourages that kind of awareness.)Finally, the book is full of some wonderful examples of the author's and other engravers work.

A recommended text by the tutor at our local printmaking workshop. Definitely recommend as an addition to your craft library!

OK!

Brilliant book, full of interesting tips and lovely illustrations.

Explains the process well a very good book