The artists repository and drawing magazine: exhibiting the principles of the polite arts in their various branches (2.1788)

[ "9 1

OF CUTTING IN WOOD.

This bufinefs is properly neither fculpture nor engrav-
ing, but being applied to many of the purpofes of the
latter, claims affinity to it. The fmootheft grained
woods are the beft; fuch as pear tree, or beech, but
above all box. The fur-face being prepared, a thin coat
of white lead, tempered with water, is paffed over
it, the outlines of the defign are traced with a black-
lead pencil, or ink, and the defign is laid on the block ;
then wetted, and carefully rubbed on the back, till the
lines traced are transferred to the white lead, which fhews
them plainly ; the blank parts are then cut away with
fharp knives, fmall chiiTels, or gravers, as required.
This kind of work differs from engraving on copper ; in
that, the parts of the copper which are cut out hold the
ink, and form the impreffion ; in this, the parts which
remain, being prominent, perform the fame bufinefs.
They are printed as letter-prefs.

This kind of work has been made to produce an
effect refembling warned drawings, by ufing feveral
blocks correfpondent to the feveral colours of the defign :
the ink, being accurately mixed to the colour wanted,
was applied all over the furface of the block, and the
darker colours printed after the lighter. Aqua-tinta has
fuperfeded the ufe of this method ; but one fimflar to it
is practiced at Paris, only ufing copper plates inftead of
wooden blocks, and printing the feparate parts of the
defign in their proper colours, by which they are very
prettily tinted.

R ©F