Spending a happy Sunday afternoon digging through the bins at the Goodwill Outlet Store, I happened upon the awesomest huge alphabet blocks. Nevermind that both my daughters are just a bit too old for alphabet blocks–in my house, we do not turn down such things as vintage blocks, painted on two sides and featuring woodcuts of a letter and something awesome that starts with that letter on the other two sides. No, my girls helped me scavenge through that huge Goodwill bin until we’d found every block we could–no W, alas, and no S, and no J, but still many awesome blocks to be had. You know those cool illustrations in some books, that look like they’re stamped but might also have painted details, and can take up an entire page in a children’s picture book and be incredible elaborate? Those are woodcuts, and you can print them off of any old alphabet block in which the letters or illustrations are carved into the block, not just painted on, and since you’re recycling, you don’t have to worry about the ethics of crafting with wood. Here’s how: You will need:
something to stamp with. Look for vintage alphabet blocks at garage sales or thrift stores, or while out dumpster-diving. You can sometimes get a deal on these, because you won’t care if they’re all beat up. something to stamp on. My girls and I use professional-quality artist’s papers–Strathmore, usually–or recycled or vintage papers, from old schoolbooks, perhaps, or from brown paper bags. stamp ink. Wood is slightly porous–the fact that it will suck up a little bit of your ink is part of what makes up the distinct look of a woodcut. Just don’t think that you can do some art with these alphabet blocks and then pass them on to your nephew for Christmas. Unless you varnish your block first, which will change the look of your print, these blocks don’t always clean up perfectly. They’re art supplies, now. wet dishcloth. You can clean up your block between colors although, like I said, wood is a little porous so don’t expect it to come back sparkling.
Basically, you can use these woodcut blocks just like rubber stamps with two exceptions: Do you make art with something that wasn’t intended for it?
