Andy English
Encyclopedia
Andy English is an English wood engraving
artist and educator who pioneered the use the of the Internet
to teach a wider audience about wood engraving
and how to do it.
, a small village in Norfolk
, England
in 1956. He studied Geology
at the University of Reading
and taught in Cambridge, England from 1979 - 2006 where he was widely respected. Self-taught as an artist, he drew and painted since childhood but, in 1991, he started to engrave on endgrain wood. This immediately became his main artistic output. A 2008 article by Paul Wheatley describes how, after trying lots of different printmaking methods, English engraved for the first time and found it to be so natural and comfortable that he could only describe it as remembering a process rather than learning it.
Andy was elected to the Society of Wood Engravers
in 1997. He is also an elected member of the Cambridge Drawing Society.
While studying for a master of Arts at the University of London
in the early 1980s, Andy researched the use of online information systems. He was an early user of the Internet in Britain
and, always the educator, developed a website
that explained how wood engravings are created, introducing many people to this method of printmaking
for the first time. The presentation of the material has gradually been refined over many years and his new website has many photographs of the process to aid students of engraving
.
Andy is a notable engraver. His detailed images often contain visual puns and hidden elements. Typical subjects include gardens, wildlife and childhood. He has illustrated many books, including two for Barbarian Press of Canada
. "Hoi Barbaroi", the 25th anniversary biography of the press describes Andy as "an enthusiastic, congenial & Intelligent Illustrator".
Andy English is also an important designer and engraver of Bookplates, or ex libris
. Paul Weaver describes him as working unhurried and in detail through a lens before printing the bookplates in a Victorian handpress.
Wood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
artist and educator who pioneered the use the of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to teach a wider audience about wood engraving
Wood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
and how to do it.
Biography
Andy English was born in DenverDenver, Norfolk
Denver is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the River Great Ouse, 1 mile south of the small town of Downham Market, 14 miles south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and 37 miles west of the city of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of...
, a small village in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1956. He studied Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
and taught in Cambridge, England from 1979 - 2006 where he was widely respected. Self-taught as an artist, he drew and painted since childhood but, in 1991, he started to engrave on endgrain wood. This immediately became his main artistic output. A 2008 article by Paul Wheatley describes how, after trying lots of different printmaking methods, English engraved for the first time and found it to be so natural and comfortable that he could only describe it as remembering a process rather than learning it.
Andy was elected to the Society of Wood Engravers
Society of Wood Engravers
The Society of Wood Engravers was co-founded in 1920 by British wood engraving artist Gwendoline Raverat, wife of French painter Jacques Raverat.The Society was revived in 1984 by Hilary Paynter. It publishes a bulletin called Multiples....
in 1997. He is also an elected member of the Cambridge Drawing Society.
While studying for a master of Arts at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in the early 1980s, Andy researched the use of online information systems. He was an early user of the Internet in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and, always the educator, developed a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that explained how wood engravings are created, introducing many people to this method of printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
for the first time. The presentation of the material has gradually been refined over many years and his new website has many photographs of the process to aid students of engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
.
Andy is a notable engraver. His detailed images often contain visual puns and hidden elements. Typical subjects include gardens, wildlife and childhood. He has illustrated many books, including two for Barbarian Press of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. "Hoi Barbaroi", the 25th anniversary biography of the press describes Andy as "an enthusiastic, congenial & Intelligent Illustrator".
Andy English is also an important designer and engraver of Bookplates, or ex libris
Ex Libris
Ex Libris is a Latin phrase, meaning literally, "from the books". It is often used to indicate ownership of a book, as in "from the books of..." or from the library of...Ex Libris may also refer to:...
. Paul Weaver describes him as working unhurried and in detail through a lens before printing the bookplates in a Victorian handpress.