What is the difference between a woodcut and a wood engraving?

A woodcut is cut on the plank or side grain of softer wood with knives and gouges, while a wood engraving is cut with fine tools on the harder end grain, allowing much finer detail and delicate tonal lines.

Why were woodcuts so common in early printed books?

Because woodcuts print from a raised surface at the same height as movable type, they could be locked into the press and printed together with the text in a single operation.

Relief Printmaking

In relief printmaking the artist cuts away the non-printing areas of a block so that ink applied to the raised surface transfers the image to paper.

Definition

Printmaking processes in which the image is printed from the raised surface of a matrix; the artist cuts away areas that should remain blank, inks the remaining relief, and transfers it to paper under pressure.

Scope

This topic covers the relief processes — woodcut and the finer wood engraving cut on the end grain, and linocut — including the carving of the block, inking the raised surface, printing by hand or press, and the bold tonal and linear character that distinguishes relief prints.

Core questions

How does cutting away non-printing areas leave a raised image to be inked?
How does wood engraving on the end grain differ from the woodcut?
Why do relief prints tend toward bold contrasts of black and white?
How were woodcuts integrated with letterpress printing?

Key concepts

Woodcut
Wood engraving (end grain)
Linocut
Block and gouge
Inking the raised surface
Black-line and white-line cutting

Key theories

Printing from the raised surface: The defining principle of relief printing: ink is carried only by the uncut, raised areas of the block, so the artist works by removing material to define the white, non-printing parts of the image.
Compatibility with letterpress: The account that, because woodcuts print from a raised surface at the same height as movable type, they could be set and printed together with text, making them the dominant illustration method of the early printed book.

History

The woodcut was the earliest European printmaking process, used for devotional images and, with the printing press, for book illustration; Albrecht Durer brought it to high art. Thomas Bewick perfected wood engraving on the end grain in the late eighteenth century, allowing finer detail. The Japanese woodblock tradition, exemplified by Hokusai, developed sophisticated color printing, and the linocut became popular among modern artists.

Debates

Designer versus cutter: In many early woodcuts the artist designed the image but a specialist block-cutter executed it, raising questions about authorship and how much credit belongs to the designer rather than the craftsman.

Key figures

Albrecht Durer
Thomas Bewick
Katsushika Hokusai

Seminal works

griffiths1996
hind1935
gascoigne2004

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a woodcut and a wood engraving?: A woodcut is cut on the plank or side grain of softer wood with knives and gouges, while a wood engraving is cut with fine tools on the harder end grain, allowing much finer detail and delicate tonal lines.
Why were woodcuts so common in early printed books?: Because woodcuts print from a raised surface at the same height as movable type, they could be locked into the press and printed together with the text in a single operation.