Peek before you peel

Published about 21 hours ago • 1 min read

Dear Reader,

One thing I’m thinking about

When it comes to the block printing process, the transfer is the step that gets rushed. It’s the thing you do before the real work starts, so it rarely gets much attention, and it’s where a lot of beginners get tripped up.

The main thing

A few pieces of washi tape do two jobs when you transfer a drawing to a block.

The first is the obvious one. Tape your tracing paper down so it can’t move while you rub. If it shifts even a little, you end up with blurry, doubled lines, and those are hard to carve from.

The second is the one I like more. Because the paper is held firmly in place, you can peek underneath before you take it off and check that you rubbed down the whole design. If there’s a spot you missed or didn’t press hard enough, you can go back over it right then.

To do the rubbing, I use a teflon folder and press firmly over the entire surface of the tracing paper.

One more habit, for complex blocks or ones you’ll be carving in short bursts: once the design is on the block, go back over some of the lines with a Sharpie. Graphite smudges and smears easily, and the Sharpie will still be there if something gets laid on top of your block.

Also lately

​New video this week shows the whole transfer start to finish, including how I handle simple designs (my iPad as a light box) and complex ones (printed out first).

Warmly,

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Block printing artist inspired by California's coastal and desert wildlife, building a creative business one carved block at a time — while working full-time as a book conservator. I share honest process, real lessons (including the ones that didn't go as planned), and behind-the-scenes updates from the studio, alongside new block printing videos every other week on YouTube.