Royal Couple - Wood Engraving

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This engraving started out as two engravings on a pair of maple wood scraps. I worked on these with the intention of combining them into a single image by pasting them to s single sheet of heavy-duty somerset printmaking paper. This allowed me to have the ease of printing the light rice paper, while having a sturdy end product. Also, because they came from the same tree branch, the shapes provided a nice visual symmetry,

Vincent’s Cat - Woodcut

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I’ve run out of engraving blocks, so the the last few prints of mine have been made using whatever scrap materials I have hanging around my studio. This is a small chiaroscuro woodcut made using two blocks. On block has the black lines and another has gray tones.

My ability to correctly register the blocks is limited. I had to throw away about a third of the prints because they were severely misaligned or other glitches. The final result is this small edition.

Cat prints seem to sell well, so here’s another cat print, but I couldn’t resist adding a little gore.

An Ultimatum - Woodcut

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The image here is based on some ideas I had for a more involved piece. Lately, I’ve been reading about and re-visiting a bunch of Goya’s art so highwaymen and other scofflaws were on my mind. I had this small wood block and thought this image of a man holding a knife would look good at that scale.

Process Photos

Nonagon Bicycle - Woodcut

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This image started out as a possible Nonagon album cover design. It only got as far as a quick sketch on a wood block before the idea was vetoed and we moved on to something else. I found the block while cleaning out my studio and decide this was worth finishing.

The completed image was printing in a small run of 12 prints and I’ve put them up for sale hoping to cash in on Nonagon-mania.

Time-Lapse of the Printing Process

The Hanged Man’s Hand - Wood Engraving

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For centuries, magicians thought that the mummified hand of a hanged man (preferably a murderer) could lead one to buried treasure, unlock doors, or render victims unconscious. Commonly known as the “Hand of Glory,” the hand would be combined with a candle made from the fat of the dead murderer to enhance its powers.

Legend has it that when the Hand of Glory was lit with its special candles, it would emit a powerful light that only the person carrying it could see. Everyone else in the vicinity would be rendered motionless and unable to intervene, allowing the thief to go about their illicit activities without hindrance.

In this print, a trio of ne’er-do-wells has procured a hand thinking it would lead them to riches. Alas, when you play with the demonic arts, only evil spirits will be found!

Process Photos

The Video Trailer

Wonderful and Frightening World - Wood Engraving

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This print was a sort of follow-up to the cosmic weirdness of Man, Ergo. This is was engraved into a block of Resingrave over the course of a month in 2023.

Process Photos

If It Fits, It Sits - Wood Engraving

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This engraving started out as a portrait of my cat (see the prep drawing) but it just became a more generic feline. After creating a quick one-off science fiction print, I thought I might continue that theme with a bunch of aliens worshipping a giant cat. Somehow that morphed into me wanting to draw a bunch of ugly brutalist buildings.

Process Photos

Click the thumbnails for a closer view.

Maple Face - Wood Engraving

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About a year ago the gas company was working on our block and they knocked a branch off a maple tree in front of our house. I kept the branch and let it dry out for almost a year. I then cut this small slice as an experiment to see if it would make a good engraving block. It indeed worked out as a good material for wood engraving but it doesn’t hold small details. I would need a bigger block if I ever want to switch to maple blocks (which I may have to do since resingrave has been discontinued). This print is the end result of this experiment.

Process Photos

Moonhopper - Wood Engraving

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I wanted to do an engraving of a space ship and this is what I ended up creating. It’s a rather small piece and is probably the last time I will ever be able to engrave into a Resingrave black since they are no longer being manufactured.

Art Process

These are images of the print in-progress from blank block to inking for the first proof.