Art and styles

The printmaking styles behind our prints, explained simply: woodcut, wood engraving, etching, mezzotint and the Japanese woodblock, and the illustrators who made them famous, from Gustave Doré to Arthur Rackham. What each style looks like, how it was made by hand in its day, and which prints use it.

Lord of the Rings inspired art print of the broken Gate of Minas Tirith before dawn, in the style of a Victorian Gothic wood engraving. A black rider in a crown surges out of the dark arch with a flaming sword, the only colour on the sheet, while a lone old man on a horse waits in his path. Shown framed in black, white and natural oak and unframed, A4 and A3, with the Chapter & Scene signature in the margin.

5 October 2026

Printmaking styles explained

Every print in my shop is made in the style of a historic way of printing. Here is a plain guide to what those styles are, how each one was made, and how to tell them apart on a gallery wall.

Dune inspired art print of a giant sandworm rising out of the desert and swallowing a spice harvester, in the style of a 1830s Japanese colour woodblock: crisp outlines, flat colour, visible woodgrain and a soft blue sky fading to cream. Two tiny cloaked figures watch from a far dune. Shown framed and unframed in A4 and A3, with the Chapter & Scene signature in the margin.

5 October 2026

Japanese woodblock prints explained

Two of my favourite prints, a Dune sandworm and Narnia's lamp-post in the snow, are made in the style of Japanese colour woodblocks of the 1830s. Here is what that style is and why it still looks so fresh.

5 October 2026

Gustave Doré, the engraver who illustrated the dark

If you have ever pictured Dante's Hell, a giant albatross over a frozen sea, or a rider bursting out of the darkness, there is a good chance you were picturing Gustave Doré. My print of the Witch-king at the Gate of Minas Tirith borrows his line.

A Christmas Carol art print in Edwardian ink and watercolour style: the Ghost of Christmas Present in a green fur-trimmed robe and holly crown sits on a heap of Christmas food as Scrooge peers round the door. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with the style reference and behind-the-scenes shots.

5 October 2026

Arthur Rackham and the golden age of illustration

Twisted trees with faces, a wiry pen line and colour so thin you can see the paper through it. Arthur Rackham's style is instantly recognisable, and it is the look behind my print of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Printmaking styles explained

Japanese woodblock prints explained

Gustave Doré, the engraver who illustrated the dark

Arthur Rackham and the golden age of illustration

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