How to make a wood engraving

There's something magical about the centuries-old art of wood engraving, in which an artist uses the same tools used to engrave jewellery to create extraordinarily detailed prints. Anne Desmet RA is one of only three wood engravers to be elected as Academicians in the Royal Academy's nearly 250-year history. Here, she takes us through each step in creating a wood engraving, from tracing the original drawing through to printing a first proof.

Anne Desmet RA is one of only three wood engravers to be elected as Academicians in the Royal Academy’s nearly 250-year history. She is an experienced printmaking tutor and was editor of Printmaking Today from 1998-2013. In this video, she takes us through each step in creating a wood engraving, including tips on how to use traditional tools like the diamond graver and the spitsticker.

A signed print of San Severino Marche is available as a special edition of 40 with Anne Desmet’s new book Italian Journey: shop.royalacademy.org.uk/books-limited-edition/…

LINKS
Facebook: facebook.com/royalacademy
Twitter: twitter.com/royalacademy
Instagram: instagram.com/royalacademyarts