Individually priced £3.95 - £6.50
Small - Medium sizes
Hand Carved Wood Blocks.
Hand made in India, these beautiful wood blocks are designed for use in textile or paper printing or as an ornament. Use them to print your own greetings cards, gift tags, clothes or wall paper. They are also perfect to give as an original gift. Blocks such as these are used to produce our block printed textile collections. The carving of the blocks is a skilled art form in itself.
Wooden Printing Blocks - Small/Medium
Besides just looking very attractive you can use your woodblocks for printing on a variety of media.The carving has been coated with a light film of white (paint) to highlight the design. Although not essential it is a good idea to remove this prior to use and to ensure the surface is flat and even. Use a fine sandpaper or wetordry paper (120 0r 180 grade)on a very flat surface like a piece of glass or a kitchen worktop. Pressing lightly draw the block evenly over the sandpaper a few times and check it is flat. The type of pigment you use will depend on what you are going to print on. For paper, using the smaller sized blocks there are a variety of "ink stamp" type products available at craft stores or online. Popular brands are "Memento", "Encore" and "Tsukineko". For printing on fabrics there are many specialist online suppliers and lots of advice. Search for "block printing ink for fabric".A well known popular brand is "Cranfield". They make washable inks which you can clean up with soap and water.These inks are also used for lino printing. If you use solvent based pigments you will need to obtain the correct type of thinner/cleaner. It's important to remember that solvent based products are flammable and require plenty of ventilation. Also it's a good idea to use protective gloves and probably an apron. Depending on the type of surface you wish to print on you may need to mix a drying accelerator into your pigment. You need to talk with your speciaalist supplier for help with this.To apply pigment to the block surface the easy option is obviously an ink pad. With larger blocks where ink pads are not suitable you will need to apply the pigment using a (rubber) roller. You will need a flat surface to spread to pigment to an even film and either use the roller onto the block or apply the block to the flat surface. When you have finished you should be able to wipe your block clean using kitchen towel. Just wipe the block over the towel on a flat surface. If the pigment has gone beyond the surface of the design you will need to clean the block using materials appropriate to the media. A soft (paint) brush is probably the best tool. This is where the washable media makes life more simple. Be prepared for the possibility of making a mess of your surroundings. There are lots of different ways to to make your mark. Experiment and have fun.