Woodcuts exist at the intersection of art, craft and wood working. There’s a little something for everyone in the process: the “create a composition” part probably speaks to most artists, but not everyone is moved to transfer it onto a block of wood and carve it out.

If you’ve never seen the process done, you can view a step-by-step video series here, but the idea is really pretty simple. In essence, the artist creates a relief carving in which the wood surrounding the lines of the image itself is removed using chisel-like hand tools. Then, the block is inked and pressed onto a piece of paper. It’s kind of like a rubber stamp, only made of wood and imbued with an artist’s touch and vision.

Here on Zatista, we have an expert woodcut artist: David Page. David uses the medium to create stunning natural scenes and graphic portraits of men, women and animals. The vibrant contrast of black and white in his pieces, which tread the line between realism and expressionism, brings them to life. His art is dramatic; his characters other-worldly and yet familiar somehow.

There’s something about wood block printing that appeals to certain artists. Perhaps it’s the intense involvement in the complete process of producing works, the more hands-on approach to the printing itself, or maybe it’s just the tools that are involved.

One thing’s for sure: block printing isn’t just for the self-reliant – it’s a great way for artists of all abilities to experience a traditional medium.

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