What is a wood-block print, anyway?

For my first post, I thought I'd share a little bit about the woodblock printing process with you.  I was inspired to begin woodblock printing because of the history of the art here in Gloucester.  In order to show you how it is done, I chose the Spring Tide Prints logo.  First, I sketched the image into my sketchpad.  Once an image is copied onto the block, I use tools to carve it.  Then, I spread paint across the block's raised image using rollers.  Finally, I press the paper down onto the painted woodblock so that the raised parts of the block (the part I did not carve) is printed onto the paper.  Then, TADA!  The print is finished.  Check out the pics below for an idea of what happens step-by-step:

Image sketch:

Image on block:

Carving the image:

Finished carving:

Image with paint applied:

 Paint-rolling materials:

...TADA!

Stay tuned for more art from Spring Tide Prints!