The craftsman is advised to practise by engraving something definite, something that [pg 39] can be used. Aimless cutting and digging about on bits of wood leads nowhere, for it is a very simple matter to cut a line that need not be cut in any particular place, whereas to cut the lines exactly to the subject, to produce something that is required is not only getting experience, but the result is known at once in success or failure.
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Roughly speaking there are four different kinds of engraving, of which any variations and combinations can be made. The first and most natural is to cut white lines on black, and in many cases the subject will be sufficiently expressed without further work; Fig. 16 is cut in this way. Fig. 17 shows the background tinted or shaded, that is, lines cut one under the other. Fig. 18 is the black letter cleared (scauped) away leaving it white, while Fig. 19 shows all wood cleared away except outlines. Bold simple lettering is an excellent subject [pg 40] to begin with. See that the corners are joined cleanly: little jagged bits left in look slovenly and print in a dirty manner.
Fig. 18
Fig. 19