I use traditional printmaking techniques in my work, primarily drypoints and woodcuts. Woodblock printmaking dates back thousands of years and is still practiced today by contemporary artists. It is known as the oldest form of printmaking – it is a relief process where knives and gouges are used to carve an image into a wood block. The raised areas that remain after carving are rolled up with ink, paper is placed on top and the image is impressed onto the paper. Drypoints are a form of intaglio printmaking, where an image is created by scratching and incising a metal or plastic plate. Ink is then rubbed into the scratches and buffed off of the non-image areas. Paper is applied and by the use of pressure, the inked image is transferred to the paper. In all foms of fine art printmaking, each impression is an original work of art – each print having been created and manipulated by the artist's hand.