Behind the Scenes: Carving our New Collection

The carving process is one of the most meditative and rewarding stages of creating a new collection of cards for you. I'm writing to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse at my setup and tools to give you a better idea of what goes into making our woodblock printed cards and to try and share a little bit of the feeling of calm and satisfaction I have when I'm working.

I get a lot of questions specifically about how I carve the text, so I made a ​video​ to show you my bench and how I go about carving out the letters on a block, and a couple of drawings below to show you what my bench and tools look like.

I hope this is fun to look at! Thank you for your interest in our work; we are so grateful.

I work with Japanese Shina plywood, prized for its smooth surface and fine, strong grain, which allows for precise and detailed carving. Using a mixture of Japanese-style, Swiss and American made carving tools—each with uniquely shaped blades, including V-gouges, U-gouges, straight knives, and flat chisels—I create various textures and lines that bring the design to life.