I have been block printing for years, and I keep coming back to the same question from beginners: which ink actually works best? After testing dozens of tubes and jars in my home studio, I know that the best relief printing inks for block printing come down to pigment strength, cleanup, and how the ink … Read more
After six months of test prints in our etching studio, rolling ink onto copper and zinc plates, we put together this guide to the best intaglio inks for etching you can buy right now. Intaglio printing has been around since the Renaissance, and the ink you choose directly affects how cleanly your lines pull, how … Read more
Gel printing changed the way our team approaches mixed media art. What used to require a bulky printing press and toxic inks now happens on the kitchen table with nothing more than a squishy plate, a brayer, and some acrylic paint. That is the magic of a good gelli plate, and finding the best gelli … Read more
Finding the best linoleum blocks for carving can feel like a guessing game, especially when you are staring at a wall of pink rubber, gray sheets, and mysterious “battleship” labels at your local art store. I have spent the last few years testing blocks from Speedball, Essdee, Blick, and a handful of newer brands, and … Read more
I learned the hard way that a proper drying rack is the single most underrated piece of screen printing equipment. After losing two full batches of freshly printed shirts to dust, fingerprints, and stacking smudges in my first year, I finally invested in a dedicated rack. That one change saved me roughly 12 hours of … Read more
I picked up my first Speedball ink tube about eight years ago in a college printmaking lab, and I have not stopped using the brand since. After running a community studio for three years and testing hundreds of prints across cotton tees, linen tote bags, and cotton paper, I can tell you that Speedball’s catalog … Read more
I still remember the first time I made a cyanotype print on my kitchen table. I placed a few fern fronds on treated paper, set it in the sun for ten minutes, then rinsed it under the tap. Watching that deep Prussian blue emerge felt like magic. That same 1842 photographic process, invented by Sir … Read more
I spent the better part of outfitting a small garage shop to build dining tables, nightstands, and bookcases from solid wood and plywood. After comparing more than two dozen tools and putting the shortlist through three months of real projects, these are the ten tools that actually earned a permanent spot on my bench. The … Read more
I’ve spent the last six years building cutting boards as gifts, custom orders, and weekend projects. After ruining more maple than I care to admit, I know exactly which tools actually move the needle and which ones just take up shop space. If you’re hunting for the best tools for making cutting boards, this guide … Read more
I still remember the first time I built a charcuterie board for friends. I grabbed my kitchen knife, hacked through a wheel of brie, and watched the cheese crumble into sad chunks. The pros I saw on Instagram used proper cheese knives, mini tongs, and spreaders — and their spreads looked ten times more polished. … Read more