(Wood engraving 20x20cm)

Tay rail bridge disaster 1879:

In 1879 the Tay rail bridge came down in a terrible storm taking a little passenger train down into the icy Tay. Here I have illustrated the scene ready to be transferred to the block of wood.

Over the next week I will film a video of some of the process of wood engraving and talk you through what I do.

I look forward to sharing more process with you soon.

Beth x

First proof now printed…

First Proof of this print… Still lots to do with the face in the top right of the picture. The beach needs some work, but it’s nearly there. The tonal effects are made with many different tools. The illustration itself took a long tome to compose. Most of my illustrations are taken from different sources and joined together. This means that I spend a lot of time imagining how the characters and things will interact together. I also need to imagine light sources and how that would effect the overall image. I certainly don’t get this right every time… Far from it, but I learn with each mistake and try to get better with each new engraving.

I will make sure to show both the parts of prints i am happy with and parts that could do with improvement. Thanks for popping on here for my historical, nature, magical ramble down the Tay and out to the North Sea. bx