How to: Woodblock Printing
18 Aug 2010 4 Comments
in Craft, Creativity, Culture, Inspiration, Japan, Japanese Culture Tags: crafts, Japan, printing, woodblock printing
First, draw your design on paper, then transfer to tracing paper. Make the lines thick and strong in pencil. Tape to your wood pencil line side down and trace again, transferring the lines to the wood.
Transferring the design.
Second, start carving! Use a set of 4 traditional wood carving tools. Carve for several days, until complete, or until your wrists fall off!
Carving carving carving!
Prepare your paints (water-based poster paints are a good choice and more traditional in Japan). Wet down your block (it shouldn’t be dry) and pat it dry. Apply the paint, not too much (or you get a weird stipple effect) and not too little (or you’ll get nothing).
Printing stage!
And print! Place your paper down and cover with some newspaper. Use your bahren, a smoother, to make sure the paper has come into firm contact with the block.
The finished products...
And you’re set! It’s a lot easier than I expected, the process at least. It takes a long time to master this process. Ukiyo-e prints actually use up to 120 prints and several block for different colors and details. But you can do a single block type and paint the colors n seperately!
~MS the Younger
Aug 27, 2010 @ 08:14:35
I love the goldfish & lily pads
Aug 28, 2010 @ 01:01:49
M&S
I knew i was missing something then i said lets go to M&S….love the art..you made it look easy……..you all are still one of my favs…zman sends
Aug 28, 2010 @ 11:52:33
aww Zman thanks! nice to hear from you! I’m happy you liked the print, I should show y’all the smaller one I did of a mini fish-shaped pancake, you’d get a kick out of it!!
Sep 13, 2010 @ 05:08:34
I haven’t done this for quite some time, but I enjoyed it as much as creating linoleum blocks. I’ve also created printing ‘blocks’ with Styrofoam meat trays.