Meet the Artisans: Tree Ring Prints, Printmaking from Real Trees

A tree ring print begins with a slice of real tree, burnt, brushed and inked by hand until every ring stands out on the paper. Swansea illustrator Lee Richards has built his practice around this unusual form of printmaking. Here he shares where his trees come from, how each print is made and what comes next.

Printmaking was always the thread running through Lee’s work. During his degree he looked for ways to bring it into every project, and it was during one module that he first came across tree ring printing. That discovery got the ball rolling, and it has shaped his practice ever since.

Tree ring prints in Lee Richards' Swansea studio, with an inked cross-section on the bench — Stacked tree slices and a framed print in the Swansea studio.

Where the trees come from

No two prints start the same way, because no two trees do. Lee finds his cross-sections wherever he can: slices left out after a tree has been felled that he spots while out and about, pieces passed on by friends and family, and offcuts from timber merchants and online marketplaces. What he looks for every time is an interesting grain pattern.

How a tree ring print is made

Turning a slice of tree into a printing block takes several careful stages, and every one of them affects the final print.

Sanding: the surface is sanded as smooth as possible.
Swelling the grain: water is applied, which makes the younger grain rise more than the older grain.
Burning: the whole surface is scorched with a blowtorch.
Brushing: a wire brush clears away the ash, leaving a ridged surface where the rings stand proud.
Sealing: several coats of shellac seal the wood, and the cross-section is ready to print.

From there it’s traditional relief printing. Lee rolls ink across the surface with a brayer, lays the paper over it and burnishes by hand with a baren. The paper matters too: it needs to be light enough to pick up every detail, but strong enough to survive hand burnishing.

Lee Richards rolling red ink across a tree cross-section with a brayer — Red ink is rolled across the raised rings. Image: Tree Ring Prints

The western red cedar

Ask Lee for a favourite and he’ll point to the large western red cedar. It’s the print that brought him regular sales, and it helped take Tree Ring Prints to the next level.

Large western red cedar black tree ring print and its block, with drying racks behind — The large western red cedar print. Image: Tree Ring Prints

Commissions and custom prints

Lee takes commissions, usually for custom colours or sizes. No customer has yet asked him to print from their own tree, but it’s something he’s open to. If a much-loved garden tree has had to come down, that could be a way to keep it.

A day in the studio

Lee’s day starts with the prints that have been drying overnight: putting them away and organising them. Next he packs the day’s orders, and then it’s back to printing new stock and making notes on what needs doing next.

Red tree ring print on paper above a wooden cross-section inked in matching red — A fresh print in deep red ink beside the cross-section it was pulled from, every ring captured by hand. Image: Tree Ring Prints

What comes next

Lee is experimenting with new colour combinations, and with adding symmetrical elements to the naturally asymmetrical patterns of the rings. He’s planning more craft fairs, and he hopes to work with even bigger cross-sections.

Framed tree ring print in orange and blue on a white background — Colour opens up new possibilities for the rings. Image: Tree Ring Prints

How to style tree ring art at home

A tree ring print suits almost any room. A bold black print works in a Scandi or monochrome scheme, and it sits naturally alongside raw wood, linen and stone in a wabi-sabi space. For more ideas, see our guide to wall art for bedrooms.