He was known as a man who was not learned, yet very observant of all life, and with clear and sensible opinions about many subjects, many of which he included in his autobiography. Although he distrusted people he did not know, and went to Law over many supposed hurts, he was loved by many friends as a good and kind man, very animated, and imaginative. He was a popular man, admired for his kindness and his honesty in his business-dealings. Note on wood engraving. M ost of us have tried at some time to do lino cuts, taking away lino and leaving an image that is inked and printed onto paper.
Wood engraving is somewhat similar.
It uses harder wood than that used for wood cuts , such as boxwood, or sometimes cherry or pear, but whereas woodcuts are made along the flat side of a piece of wood, running with the grain, wood engravings are cut across the grain, end-on. Ink is put on the engraving so that it does not enter into the cut lines, and it is then printed onto paper in a press, or by hand. Because the wood engraver is using the end of blocks rather than the side, the area of wood available to work on tends to be much more limited, so reducing the possible overall size of the picture. B ewick did not invent wood engraving, but he did set his own stamp upon it as never had been done before. Bewick's technique was not to cross-hatch but rather to set parallel lines nearer or further apart to achieve the same tonal effect but with a much more harmonious looking result.