Pear wood Block Carving and Colour mixing.
Thanks to his very niche training in the art of hand block printed wallpaper reproduction and recreation, JRR is one of very few makers of authentic hand block printed Domino wallpaper, which originated in England in the early 16th century.
Designs are recreated by hand, with a pencil and paper, before being transferred onto hand made pearwood blocks. After nearly 2 decades of block carving, JRR is now considered a master craftsman in the field of wallpaper block carving. Blocks generally take weeks if not months to complete, depending on the level of detail required. JRR has only ever used 2 chisels to complete all of his block carving, a 2mm v chisel, and a 2 mm gauge.
Once the block has been carved and trial printed, thoughts turn to colour.
Whether replicating an original colour scheme or creating something new, JRR will spend days and weeks mixing colours using natural pigments and rabbit skin glue to make distemper paints. Colours will be hand mixed and trial printed, before making adjustments, and trial printing again. This process continues until both JRR and the client are entirely happy with the colours, their depth, strength and relationship to one another as a scheme.
Oar press hand block printing.
Once printing blocks have been carved and colours mixed, JRR will begin production.
Cotton based sheets of paper are ground using a circular horse hair brush. The background colour is applied in smooth circular brushstrokes, celebrating very subtle brush marks which provide each sheet with unique depth of colour.
Once ground, application of the design begins, sometimes requiring stencilling before commencing block printing using traditional oar press printing techniques.
Each sheet has the designs registration measured and marked. Print colours are then applied to the ink bed, before dipping the block. Each dipped block is then very carefully laid onto the ground paper according to the designs registration marks, pressure is applied using the oar press, essentially a leverage system, that presses down on the block, thus transferring it's print onto the sheet of paper. Each and every press will transfer a unique print, with it's own beautiful imperfections.
These imperfections are cherished, not corrected.
Trimming and Hanging.
JRR will generally allow at least a month to ground, stencil and block print enough sheets to cover the area of a medium sized room. Once sheets have been printed, they are laid to dry, before being trimmed to their final size. Finished sheets will allow for half inch overlaps both horizontally and vertically when hung on the wall. These overlaps form very subtly seams, which are often difficult to see or feel. The nature of these uniquely printed and ground sheets hung together gives the finished room an incredible depth and beauty which cannot be replicated by any machine made paper. The prints and their inevitable imperfections merge together to give a stunning undulating vibrant patchwork feel.
JRR has vast experience hanging rare historic and Domino wallpapers, and where possible offers clients installation of finished hand block printed wallpapers. These made to measure, bespoke, finished wallpaper sheets are meticulously hung and overlapped on the walls before final trimming. Very subtle varnishing provides protection against any future, scuffs, spills or UV damage.
