A letterpress and woodcut print of an alchemy broadside.
initial drawing
The illustration was adapted from the original, but all the details and shadowing on the figure were copied. (August 17, 2022)
This print was a challenge in many senses, from the woodcut image, considering the details and complexity of the original drawing; to the final print with text, which was not planned beforehand, but done after the woodcut. The idea was to print a broadside with one of the Latin versions of the Tabula Smaragdina, or the Emerald Tablet, a cryptic alchemical text, probably the most famous of the Hermetic tradition.
To illustrate the text, a woodcut of the God Mercury, or Hermes, was chosen. The original drawing is from Lucas Cranach the Younger, from ca. 1550-1570. A copy of the original print is held by the British Museum and available online.
We step into the 16th century at Prelo Prints for the first time!
This might be the whitest block of linden wood ever, and despite its whiteness (which makes no difference for the end result), it's far from being the right wood choice for this kind of detail. However, this was intentional to see how much it could achieve with this specific block.
I estimate that 80% of the cut work has been done with the knife, and not so much with the gouges, of which I mainly used the small v 12 and u 11 from Pfeil for the figure, and bigger gouges for cleaning the surrounding area.
original print
Woodcut and Letterpress print. Ca. 1550-1570
© The Trustees of the British Museum
WIP
Cutting the small details on the figure with the knife. A laborious and painstaking work.
wip
90% of the work so far has been done with the knife, and not so much with the gouges.(September 6, 2022)
finished woodcut
The finished block, before the first proof.
tools
1. Custom-made knife used for most of the cutting, used the same way as the Japanese Hangi to knife.
2. Hight quality woodcutting gouge (v) from Pfeil.
proof print
Proofing the block on normal drawing paper.
woodcut
The final proof print of the image of Hermes Trismegistus.
broadside
And finally the complete work, with letterpress text and woodcut illustration. Printed with the Printing Press, on handmade laid paper by Ruscombe Paper Mill.
