A relief process using a sharp-pointed tool called a graver to cut away the areas around the image on a wood block with fine lines. Wood engravings differ from woodcuts in that the block is cut from the end grain of the wood, or a cross-section of a tree, usually box, which means that the engraved marks are not affected by the pattern of the grain. It also provides a harder surface, allowing for greater detail than in a woodcut.
'Everything that you engrave is going to be the white area, so you are cutting light out of darkness, which is something I find very beautiful.'
- Anne Desmet RA
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Examples
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David Jones, Everyman, 1929
Wood Engraving
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Eric Ravilious, Manor Gardens, 1927
Wood Engraving
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Thomas Bewick, A History of British Birds, Tailpiece, 1797
Wood Engraving
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Gertrude Hermes, Waterlilies, 1930
Wood Engraving
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William Blake, Colinet departs in Sorrow, 1821
Wood Engraving
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Anne Desmet, Greek Island VI, 2019
Wood engravings on paper collaged on glazed ceramic bowl
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