So now we have this inked block, and I'm going to test printed on this paper to print is to transfer just like you would any other stamp where you're pressing down. When I have a larger block, I'm going to put it upside down on the paper. So all that inked design is on the paper, and the blank back is facing towards me. And then I like to use both of my fists and put a lot of my pressure down into the block evenly instead of my palms because that can kind of concave some of the areas. And I found that if I use my fists, it gets a good even pressure. I'm really I'm on my tiptoes right now I'm really putting quite a bit of pressure into this block all over on the corners on the edges in the middle.

And you could hold one and as you peel part of it back just to see. Now the thing about this ink is that it's meant for fabric. So when you do this test print, it's not going to look the best on paper because it likes to smear and it doesn't like to have the best interaction with this material, but it'll look different on the fabric. But this just gives you an idea of what you want to carve away. So I could come and carve away some of those lines that are in the background from carving, but I'm going to leave them in this case, I like that effect of printmaking, but you can just start to see anything that you want to change. Sometimes when you're printing a really large run up something like this, it can get really gummy with the ink on both your inking plate and your brayer.

And if that starts to happen, where it just kind of feels like hilly and dry and like it's creating a weird texture that's not really wet, but not completely dried out either on your block and on your fabric and I usually just start again I go and rinse it off with water, make sure everything's completely dry, and then apply more ink to the inking sheet because that way it's starting fresh. It's starting again and you can get a new layer of ink that's not getting that strange texture.