As a traditional Chinese engraving skill, wood engraving has a rich history. Let’s introduce the development history of wood engraving.

People usually think that the art of wood engraving originated in the Neolithic Age. But in fact, wood engraving was born with the appearance of humans. In the beginning, wood engraving was an unconscious act. When people gradually have an aesthetic appreciation, wood engraving really becomes an art.

The art of wood engraving originated in the Neolithic Age of China. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, wood engraving skills became mature and painting techniques were perfected. With the appearance of colored wood engraving, ancient wood engraving technology has reached a fairly high level.

The Tang Dynasty was a time when Chinese craft technology was in full bloom, and wood engraving technology was becoming more and more perfect. Many wooden Buddha statues preserved today are masterpieces of ancient Chinese art. The shape of wood engraving works is exquisite and beautiful and the knife technique is skillful and smooth, which has become a treasure in the art market at home and abroad.

The themes of wood engravings in the Ming and Qing dynasties mainly focused on the custom stories, which were well received by the society at that time.

The engraver would draw on the prepared wood before engraving. Round engraving is generally used to draw the rough parts of each body with a brush or pencil to engrave. The relief requires the manuscript to be copied on the board with carbon paper. When copying, it is necessary to pay attention to the manuscript, carbon paper and wood so as not to shift it and prevent the traced figure from deviating.

Engraving process

From engraving a piece of wood to the finished product, it needs to go through complex processes such as cutting wood, rough engraving, fine engraving and grinding.

In engraving, whether round engraving, relief engraving, or through engraving should follow such a working order: first start from the top of the material to engrave down; engrave from the front of the material to the back; engrave the outside of the material first and then step by step inwards; engrave the shallow places first and then the deep places. At different stages and different parts of the engraving, different engraving tools are also selected according to different needs. Some softer woods can also be engraved with a file.

Rough engraving

The process is mostly done with saws and hammers. The engraver can find the basic volume as well as the basic depth according to the basic proportional relationship between materials. Different types of engraving, the requirements of the rough embryo and the engraving techniques are not the same.

For the rough engraving of relief, pay attention to the relationship between the work and the upper and lower relations. The sculptor can first identify several basic levels of different shades in the work, and then find the connection at the same level and the relationship between the volumes of the parts.

In the case of rough engraving is not completed, do not go deep into the material engraving. One will destroy the grasp of the overall shape in the engraving, and the other will cause damage when the rough needs to be further chiseled and engraved.

Next, the sculptor cuts away any excess of the material. This is close to the final product in shape. The main purpose of this step is to perfect the rough works, including the facial expressions of the characters and the depiction of simple lines. In addition, the folds and undulations of stones, the interweaving of tree branches, and the feathers of birds should be further perfected according to the needs of the overall layout and the needs of the theme. At this point, your right hand can grip the handle of the knife. Your little finger can be placed under the barrel to prevent the material from swaying from side to side.

Fine engraving

Fine engraving is a meticulous process, that must be carefully engraved in order to have effect. In fine engraving, you can hold the knife in a variety of ways. In the process of fine engraving, pay attention to the facial expressions of the characters, especially the vivid portrayal of the eyes and corners of the mouth. It is worth noting that you can remove the knife marks on the surface of the work according to the grain of the wood.

For smaller wood engravings, you should pay more attention to the details, such as the hair of the figure. You may choose to engrave after sanding. When engraving, the mind should be calm and the knife should be steady. My suggestion is to use a triangle knife to separate the hair into several groups, and then use an air engraver to add fine lines along the texture of the material.

In the process of fine engraving, attention should also be paid to the treatment of cracks, stains and black spots in the material. If the wood is found to have cracks in the engraving, it can be engraved into the shape of cracks with the same color of wood and then fixed.

After the completion of the above process, the main engraving work of a wood engraving is over. Next, you need to base it according to the previous design or use a grinding machine to polish the rough surface. After the rough outline of a wood engraving is completed, the details need to be refined. The engraver will use a knife to outline the surface to perfection. Polishing is the final step because what people see is the finished product displayed after this step.

In addition to grinding, oiling and waxing is also a common way of post-processing wood engraving, which is mostly seen in the processing of wood engraving furniture. In general, valuable wood is mostly oiled and waxed, and ordinary wood is mostly painted. After these series of maintenance treatments, a protective film on the surface of the wood. This protective film can not only prevent corrosion but also make the work more beautiful.