A comprehensive list of the tools and materials needed to print at home. Visit Wheelbug’s Woodblocks on Youtube for videos using these materials, or Fireweed Community Woodshop (womenswoodshop) on instagram. Process photos will also be posted on this blog under “Process Photos”
A quick note: if you are looking for the easiest, least fuss method of relief printing, use a knife, a potato cut in half, some paint (brushed out to an evenish layer on a plate) or a stamp pad. Great for printing patterns and creating backgrounds (gift wrap, cards, fabric, whatever!). Otherwise, read on…
List of supplies, with expanded info and links below:
Beginner sets with tools and some additional materials (some for wood, some for linoleum).
Wood blocks and/or Linoleum blocks
Carving tools and honing/sharpening equipment
Water-based or oil-based ink
Brayer (ink roller)
Flat surface for rolling out ink (a piece of glass from a crappy frame, a glass plate or cutting board, a piece of plexiglass)
Wooden spoon (for bearing down on paper to print). Barren is nice in addition but not necessary.
Paper or cloth
Pencils!
*optional: Paint scraper/palette knife/straight razor blade (for color ink mixing and clean up)
I'm a big advocate of supporting local businesses, but also of balancing this with whatever makes artmaking accessible for you. If you are to buy from the internet, Dickblick.com is a good option...and there is an actual store in town too.
McClain's also has excellent printmaking supplies, though their focus is on Japanese-style printmaking, they are a good source for blocks (they will send you samples if you are a first time buyer).
Minneapolis: Wet Paint and Woodcraft are two excellent local stores with online shopping options.
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BEGINNER SETS
include tools and a block or two, some have ink too:
Flexcut beginning kit with wood/lino tools, sharpener, woodblank.
High end starter set with honing compound, woodblock-specific (caligo safe wash ink)
Good deal on a beginner set for linoleum block carving (not great tools for wood carving)
BLOCKS:
Wood:
We used shina plywood. It is easier to carve across the grain than other woods and is sustainably harvested (unlike wild Japanese cherry, for example--the traditional wood for Japanese woodblock printing). Shina plywood is available in multiple sizes at Wet Paint and MCAD, as well as from McClain's printmaking supply online. I don’t really recommend Dick Blick American Easel Wood Printing blocks --they are a bit rougher than what we use in class--hard to carve fine detail, especially lettering. But they will work for less tight imagery.
You can improvise with scrap wood (including orchard tree wood, though maybe weird shapes and knotty), and probably get milled boards from other sources. Masonite, wood panels from your basement, home depot birch plywood... all usable! Just remember to hone those tools.
In general birch, basswood, and fruit woods are best. Check out the breakdown of different woodtypes and order a wider variety of woodblocks at this printmaking supply website:
http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/blocks/shina.html
Linoblocks:
-Easy cut or butter cut (usually flexible and pink) make great practice blocks and stamps but crumble easily after multiple printings and are harder to carve into fine lines. They do make great little stamps if you want to play around (you can cut blocks into smaller chunks).
-firm (usually grey) linoleum comes in thin sheets or set on blocks. The blocks are sturdier but not necessary--they are "type high" (for use on letterpress presses--which we have at MCBA). Whatever the backing, this firm linoleum captures fine detail and has its own textural chatter when you clear large areas. Not the same as woodgrain but still interesting, and will not chip or restrict curved lines so much.
-McClain's also offers Gomuban, a Japanese material that is in between the softness of easy cut and the sturdiness of the grey linoleum.
Potatoes!
This may be familiar, but you can cut a russet (etc) potato in half short or long-ways, and carve like a woodblock. Blot the potato on a cloth before inking as they are a little watery. Simple designs definitely work best. These are great for making patterned wrapping paper, or little stamps for any purpose. Use the watery crackly potatoeyness to your advantage!
BLOCK CARVING TOOLS:
For Wood:
We used Powergrip tools (for a video, visit my youtube channel https://youtu.be/tPPkhJhIe58)
Online from a woodworking supplier
or you can invest in longer-lasting, finer stuff: Japanese block carving tools:
These tools are meant for both linoleum and wood and come with their own honing set-up. Hone often! Especially if using linoleum.
For Linoleum:
speedball block cutting tools have different tips in the handle, very convenient and portable--most of you used these in the stamp class. They are available at any art store in town.
You can use your woodblock printing tools on linoleum but it will dull them faster. If you go that route, I recommend a leather strop with honing compound for your tools (which is important if you are carving spoons or anything else where honing regularly would keep you from having to sharpen as often) (see next section)
If you're not already carving other kinds of wood or carving spoons and are just interested in linoleum and wood block carving, these multipurpose block carving tools with included strop (mentioned above) are probably the way to go.
Here's a helpful blog on tools and the different gouges.
Honing Strops:
Jess sells flat strops that are helpful for printmaking tools and great for carving knives at the Women'sWoodshop, which raise money for the scholarship fund. You can also get a tool-specific one like this. Woodcraft sells honing compound for the strops. Check out instructional videos on their website.
INK:
we used speedball black watersoluble ink in class.
https://www.wetpaintart.com/speedball-water-soluble-block-ink-37cc-black.html
black water soluble ink in various sizes from Dick Blick (ink lasts for a while so investing in a larger tube makes sense if you know you like black, or another color).
https://www.dickblick.com/items/blick-water-soluble-block-printing-ink-black-25-oz-tube/
Multi color water based ink set: https://www.dickblick.com/items/speedball-block-printing-ink-starter-set/
Fabric/paper printing oil based, water-soluble inkset:
https://www.dickblick.com/items/speedball-ultimate-fabric-paper-block-printing-kit-set-of-6/
oil-based inks have their own luminosity and charm...and some more subtle earth tones (yellow ochre, umber, etc). if you go this route, for clean-up you can dissolve the ink (on the brayer and plate or glass, as well as the block) with a bit of vegetable oil, wipe up, and then degrease with simple green or dish soap. It will not easily come out of clothing in my experience.
For printing on fabric, paint on your block or stamp with fabric screen printing ink (speedball etc), or fabric paint, or you can use a sponge soaked with these inks or paints as a stamp pad. In class we rolled out the fabric paint with a brayer (the little roller-- see below) and dabbed the small stamps in the rolled-out ink.
Here's a nice guide to other brands of ink & thoughts on fabric printing (using fabric mediums added to ink or craft paints, etc.
BRAYER:
soft rubber brayers are best for ink transfer, in my opinion, but hard rubber brayers preserve your very fine lines.
Hard rubber brayer: https://www.dickblick.com/items/speedball-deluxe-hard-rubber-brayer-with-heavy-duty-steel-frame-4/
Size isn't very important for small to medium blocks. A brayer the same size or larger than your block is recommended, but you can get away with smaller.
**If you want to try rainbow rolls, you would need a brayer that is the width of the block so you don’t cross collors (rainbow rolling involves laying out two shades or different colors side by side, then rolling out the ink on your slab very intentionally to keep the colors just barely overlapping, then applying to the block in one direction). A small brayer is nice for selectively inking different parts of the block.
BARREN:
round bamboo-covered tool that you move in a circle on the back of your paper to transfer ink onto paper. More even pressure than the back of a wooden spoon but doesn’t give as firm of an impression for large areas of ink (you will get a saltier or more speckled look). Can use to save your wrist by using the barren first, followed by the spoon. Can use your palm to similar effect, for small one-color prints.
https://www.wetpaintart.com/yasutomo-baren-made-of-bamboo-bark.html
https://www.dickblick.com/items/yasutomo-bamboo-baren-small-3-78/
PAPER:
Staff at art supply stores, especially Wet Paint, are very helpful for selecting paper. And it's more fun to talk to someone than shop online, especially for something delicate and fascinating like paper. You can buy pads of printmaking paper, sets of cards with envelopes, or buy large sheets of printmaking paper that can be torn (or cut) down to whatever size you like. When you make a print for a card or a frame, you may want a 1-2” margin all around your image, or you can do a bleed print (print to the edges) and “float” the print on top of a mat or backing. Think about these things when you decide on paper size. Larger sheets are typically more economical and give you more choices.
Here is Wet Paint's card set: https://wetpaintart.com/strathmore-printmaking-cards-5x7-10-pack/
And their general selection of paper packets and some other types:
https://www.wetpaintart.com/paper-pads.html?cat=1587
Basically you might be interested in:
-newsprint for test prints (can just use newspaper too)
-smooth-surfaced printing papers (papers designed for printmaking are ideal--thin smooth computer paper etc will slip more easily on the block).
-japanese block printing paper (mulberry, kitakata, etc). Print on the silky side! The translucence of this paper is awesome.
texture on the paper = uneven transfer of ink to paper this can be desirable, but as with anything in art, there is a balance between choice and chaos, and intentional "imperfections."
*a note on paper tearing vs. cutting. If you are printing cards or you are going to mat a print, the edges are not so important. But typically in hand-printing processes (as opposed to printing presses), paper is torn instead of cut. You can measure out your paper dimensions using a small pencil tick mark on the non-printing side, at the top and bottom of where you want to line up your ruler. Then hold the ruler firmly down on the paper as you tear the free portion toward you, slowly, working your hands down in a controlled fashion. Repeat for the other dimension if needed. This gives a "deckled" edge that's very nice and more reliable than scissors. You can use an exacto blade too, if you want a clean edge, but take care with thin papers not to yank at the fibers. If you want a more distinctly ragged edge, you can fold and wet the edge before tearing (no ruler needed if just folding in half) (sometimes slightly wetting is helpful for japanese papers too).
Different types of inks and brayers. The topmost brayer is the hardest rubber. If you use oil-based ink, you can clean up with veggie oil to dissolve the ink and then a degreaser (simple green, household cleaner, a bit of dishsoap, etc). Always clean all the ink off your brayers! And your tools, if you carve after proofing.
Powergrip tools, a wooden spoon for printing, a small soft and larger hard brayer, small tube of black water soluble ink, various pieces of strathmore and arches printmaking paper torn down to size, a shina plywood block (no ink) and a larger block with a light ink wash for testing marks. You can apply watered down ink or watercolor paint to your block and allow to dry before drawing/transferring your image and carving to see your carved lines easier. A light color is best so you can see your drawing too!
3 Types of Linoleum Blocks and a typical linoleum carving tool (other tips stored in the handle).
on the left: mounted hard linoleum. Excellent for crisp lines and details, like a woodblock, without the texture or the limitations of grain. Easier to carve curved lines. The mounting is to make the block “type high” to print on a letterpress press. But it is also nice for handling and keeping the linoleum from warping a bit, as unmounted linoleum can do over time.
center: hard linoleum, unmounted so less expensive. Can buy in larger sheets and cut down.
right: butter cut or easy cut linoleum. Excellent for beginners, for stamps (the flexibility of the material means you can stamp a block into a stamppad or rolled out ink, then press into paper or fabric rather than pressing the paper onto the inked block). Easy to cut into smaller shapes. Less crisp detail, prone to crumbline.