All our woodblocks are made on a fair trade basis from sustainable Sheesham wood by our supplier Gurmakh and his family in India.  Each is hard carved. The men do the carving by making a design in metal wire, heating it and then stamping it onto the raw blocks.  The scorched marks are then used as a template for hand carving the design.  Next the women soak the blocks in linseed oil, dry them and finish them with a gesso white paint on the printing surface to give a hard and durable yet smooth finish for printing.  Often the natural wood oils change the gesso colour to light brown.  The blocks are cut deep enough for printing onto fabric and paper. Great used with acrylic and fabric paints or printing ink.  Those with an advanced skill can also print with henna onto skin or press into clay.  However they can also just be used as a decorative piece of art for the home!

        

This woodblock is of a sun with Om in the centre.  Om is the considered to represent the sound of universe and consciousness and is often chanted in Hindu and Buddhist cultures.  

    

Measures 7cm wide and 3cm thick.