How I made this print
I’ve created this woodblock print of a daisy by individually printing it by hand onto Zerkall paper.
This print came about as part of “Print Day In May 2022”. On this particular day the lawn outside my studio was full of the tiny white flowers shining in the May sun and I felt their simple beauty deserved to be celebrated in print form.
I used Japanese tools to carve into pieces of flat, smooth cherry wood to create the printing blocks. I then printed from these blocks using water-based pigmented inks and stencils. During the printing process, I apply ink to the block, and lay the paper onto it. Then I press on the back of the paper using a Japanese hand-printing press called a baren. To build the design, I print the sheet of paper several times with a range of colours and through a variety of stencils. This is to achieve the variety and depth of colour in the final image. For the last stage of the process I lay the paper back onto the cleaned, dry block and press through from the back. This gives the embossed effect on the petals, adding a three-dimensional quality to the print.
Every print in a batch is made in the same way, but each time the block is inked and pressed slightly differently. This results in a succession of seemingly identical but actually unique prints – each and every one is an individual, hand crafted and original work of art.
Further Details
This woodblock print of a daisy is one of several in my “Little Gems” series. If you like this one, have a look at others in the series, such as Wall Fern, Pelican’s Foot Shell, or Russula.
The print is from an open edition and is titled, signed and numbered in pencil.
Printed area of the design itself measures 5cm x 5cm approx.
The print comes mounted and ready to frame, with double bevel-cut mount – overall size is 10″ x 10″ (25.5cm x 25.5cm) approx.
I mount the print onto the backing board using photo corners. I also attach an information sheet explaining how the print was made on the reverse.
The print comes packaged in a crystal clear cellophane bag. I send prints in a board-backed envelope by Royal Mail.
