4 I2 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 1908 



other side of the block, thus 

 keeping it perfectly steady 

 while being carved. 



Make a channel with the 

 gouge a little distance from 

 the design. Then take the 

 straight edge chisel and cut 

 vertically into the wood 

 close to the design. When 

 a curve is reached, use the 

 curved chisel. Go slowly 

 when near the edge of the 

 design, so as not to split the 

 surface. When all the de- 

 sign has been outlined with 



the chisels, the background can be cut away with the 

 gouges. Small pieces should be removed, as if too large 

 pieces are attempted the pattern may be chipped. Cut to 

 the depth of from half an inch to one and a half. If the 

 wood is too tough to remove by pressure, use a small hammer 

 for striking the tool. When the block is all cut, the Japanese 

 paper must be washed off, and it must then be sandpapered 



1 ■''&•* 

 I s 'mt- 









Background of Coarse Linen 



on both sides. While care is advised for the beginner, some 

 craftworkers often cut a block on their hand with a sloyd 

 knife in less than half an hour, but, of course, much 

 depends upon the individual, and those who do this are 

 skilled craftsmen. 



Some block printers prefer to cut the design out of thin 

 wood by means of a fret saw, and then glue the fret on to a 



Some Blocks Require Very Little Cutting 



block. This is advisable when a very delicate design is used. 

 Japanese frets can sometimes be purchased and made use of 

 for block printing. The question of the nature of the block 

 must be left to the choice of the worker. If a craftworker 

 is proficient with the saw, and has no wood carving tools, by 

 all means let the fret saw be used. 



Block prints can also be made from plasta, and when 

 modeling has been learned the 

 blocks can just as well be molded as 

 carved. They are generally done 

 in cylinder form, but can be made 

 Hat just as well. Plasta, or com- 

 posite clay, or plasterine, can any 

 of them be obtained from any kin- 

 dergarten supply store. It comes 

 in paste form, and is put up in boxes 

 costing twenty-five cents. It is 

 moistened with water and molded 

 into designs by a few simple tools 

 used for making pottery, or by the 

 fingers. When the plasta is hard it 

 needs firing in a kiln. This porous 

 material takes up the color just as 

 well as a wood block. 



To make a color pad take a piece 

 of felt and glue on to a square of 

 glass or on to an old plate. Some 

 workers prefer to nail the pad on to 

 wood, but of course this is a matter 

 each worker decides for herself. 



Dyes, oil colors, dry paint, and 

 water colors are all used for me- 

 diums. Water color can only be 

 used when the material will not have to be washed, so its 

 use is usually confined to the printing of the inside covers of 

 books. A few drops of gum are used to keep the color from 

 spreading. Oil paints are the best medium, as there is no 

 question of their not being fast. They are thinned with 

 turpentine, but it is always best to add a little mucilage. 

 The diluted color is spread on the pad with a paint brush 



A Clean, Sharp Design 



Block Prints Made by the Students of the Pratt Institute. Workers Vary Considerably in the Depth of Cutting 



