Print progress...

Published by Wayne in The cool stuff · Monday 06 Apr 2026 · 1:45

Here is the promised progress shot of the new work based around the Otago Peninsula. Obviously, I can't be on site to draw it (I live in Hamilton) so I am using some photos to provide the basis for the image. Not straightforward of course...because the final print is a mirror image of the block, the working image has to be reversed in order to make sense. Therefore, I used Photoshop to do this and them printed it out.

From there, I drew in pencil (by eye) on each panel - just the basic landscape at first. Because this site was settled first by the Maori, I then worked in some imagery that reflects this. In the sky and on the water.

Then I used a 0.8mm fibre tip pen to ink in the landscape in great detail. This detail is much too fine to recreate as a woodblock but it forces me to try to get as much detail in as I can when cutting. My woodblocks are actually closer to wood engraving than the traditional woodblock of, for example, the German Expressionists. I love the Expressionist's work but it's not what I like to do, so this is a great compromise.

I then started to ink in the patterns in the sky. (after this photo was taken) Problem! They took over as the focal point of the image, instead of being subtle additions. I can't rub them out after inking them, so I will be forced to ignore them when cutting the sky and working a bit blind as I do so. They will stay in the water.

So, it's a wait and see until I actually start cutting the sky parts and making test prints! As they say, watch this space...