Studio: international art (7.1896)

''Eve and the Serpent"

to the points on the frames,
The Japanese use no such
device in registering their
prints ; but for my own part,
lacking their skill of hand,
I find the pin points a
necessity.

The first two blocks were
cut on boxwood by a wood
engraver in the ordinary
way. The drawing was
transferred to the blocks
by photography. An error

BLOCK 2 FOR " EVE AND THE SERPENT " BY J. D. BATTEN (Jue to the distortion Of the

photograph (and which in
the total length of the block
— n| inches — amounted
to of an inch) had to be
corrected before the two
blocks could be made to
register.

Block 3 (here shown)
and block 4 (which gives
colour to the trunk and
branches of the tree) were
cut by Mr. Effingham in
sycamore on the plank sec-
tion of the wood in the
same way in which he cuts
the blocks for wall papers.

I have therefore printed another proof in colours The drawing was transferred to the wood by
which I hope will give a fair chance to the repro- tracing. I have had very little difficulty in the
ducers. It is printed in precisely the same way. registering of these blocks.

These proofs were printed on Japanese paper Blocks 5 and 6 gave the colour to the serpent
that had been dipped in milk and then placed be- and to the flowers : they were cut in boxwood,
tween sheets of blotting-paper to remove the super- Block 7 is a plain processed block taken from a
fluous moisture. The paints used were raw black silhouette of the figure. It is shown here
powder-colours ground up with a mixture of dex- printed with parts of blocks 1 and 4. The grada-
trine and glycerine. The colour was laid on to the tions of tone on the body are given by manipu-
blocks with a hog's-hair brush, in such gradations lating the paint on the smooth surface of the metal
of tone as the design required. The damp paper
was then placed on the face of the block and the
impression taken by rubbing the back of the paper.
The rubber that I actually employed was a soap
box made of xylonite; and I doubt if a more con-
venient tool for the purpose could be invented.

In order that the prints from each of the seven
blocks might register accurately, I had a frame of
the form shown in the adjoining diagram made
for each of the blocks. At a and b are pin points.
In printing from the first block I force the paper
down on to the pin points by pressing with a cork
(it is important to make a clean hole), and in print-
ing from subsequent blocks I adjust the pin holes BLOCK 7 FOR " EVE AND THE SERPENT " BY J. D. BATTEN

39

' EVE AND THE SERPENT BY J. D. BATTEN