Block Printing

Learn to print sustainable modern patterns using traditional techniques and tapping into a rich design heritage.

Through the five in-depth projects in this book, expert block printers Sarah Burns and Alice Garner draw on historical sources and the great designer-artists of the twentieth century to teach you the key techniques used in wood-block printing and provide tips on developing your own contemporary style.


Start by learning the principles of pattern making with simple potato prints, then get to grips with carving your own block, before embarking on experiments using natural dyes, mordants and resist prints. Finally you can create your own ‘chintz’ using a combination of mordant and resist block-print techniques derived from seventeenth-century India. Each project introduces the story of a great designer such as Varvara Stepanova, Peggy Angus, Sue Bosence and William Morris, giving historical context to your work and encouraging you to leave your own modest mark in print history.