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How to Carve a Gargoyle

A gargoyle is a carving of a human or animal where the figure's features are usually ugly or distorted. Use block printing techniques to carve a gargoyle design at home. When choosing or creating your gargoyle image, try to avoid a design that is too intricate, as this will be difficult and frustrating to carve. This carved design can then be printed onto cards, letters, or printed, framed and hung on the wall to decorate your home.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Pencil
  • Tracing paper
  • Craft knife
  • Rubber carving block
  • Lino cutters
  • Stamp pad
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Instructions

    • 1

      Print or draw an image of a gargoyle onto a piece of paper. Cut a piece of rubber carving block that is slightly bigger than the chosen gargoyle image.

    • 2

      Trace the gargoyle design onto a piece of tracing paper with a pencil.

    • 3

      Place the tracing paper on top of the piece of rubber carving block. The drawn-on side of the tracing paper should be facing down. Shade or draw over all of the lines of your design with a pencil.

    • 4

      Lift the tracing paper off the carving block. Your gargoyle image will have transferred onto the top of the carving block.

    • 5

      Carve out all the parts of the design that you do not want to print. Carve 1/8 of an inch deep to create an area which will not print. Hold the lino cutter so that the blade skims along the surface of the carving rubber. Use smaller cutters to carve out the more detailed or intricate parts of your design and larger cutters to carve away large backing sections of the design.

    • 6

      Rinse the gargoyle carving under a tap to remove any excess rubber bits of dust. Leave the gargoyle carving to dry.

    • 7

      Use your gargoyle carving to print your image onto a variety of surfaces. Press it face down into a stamp pad. Cover all the areas that you want to print with a layer of ink. Press the gargoyle carving face down onto a piece of paper. Lift up the block to reveal the printed gargoyle.

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