I'm so excited! Several weeks ago I sent some of my drawings to a company in India, for them to make wooden print blocks, based on my drawings. They arrived yesterday, and I love them!
Here's how they're made, thank you to the company Colouricious for the information.
"The wood used is called Sheesham, more commonly known as North Indian Rosewood. It is a slow growing but durable wood and is native to the Indian sub-continent. The wood is cut into slices and then filed and sanded until completely flat and smooth. The surface is then covered with a mixture of chalk, Fevicol which is like PVA glue. This is what gives the blocks the white finish on the carved side.
The design for the block is first drawn onto a piece of paper and then transferred onto the white side of the wood and tacked into place. The pattern is transferred onto the wood by drawing and piercing the paper sheet to create an image that is ready to be carved.
The carving process is completed by hand using small chisels and bow drills.
Once the design is complete the blocks are soaked in oil for up to a week to make them more durable and to avoid them cracking in the dry environment of block printing."
I'll be spending time over the next couple of weeks enjoying making printing ink from natural dyes.
