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Good image preparation is vital.

When an idea pops into my head, I create quick thumbnails,

adding and rearranging shapes to these drafts.

When satisfied, I redraw the sketch in more detail.

First with a pencil, and then with pen and ink.

I mirror the design on my phone to see if anything looks out of place.

Here are tips to remember as you are working.

Think in terms of black and white, positive and negative space.

Remove gray scale and flip the image horizontally

with editing software or a photocopier.

Your carving will appear reversed when printed.

So always carve any text backward.

A scanner and printer are handy

if you want to keep a part of the design while making adjustments to others.

Use a daylight window or light box for tracing.

I recommend inverting the image. If your design has a lot of white space.

You will carve less, it will be easier to print,

and the lines will stand out against the black.

Look at relief prints that resonate with you

and think about how you can blend styles to make your design.

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