What is woodblock printing?
Woodblock printing is a way to copy a picture many times. The artist carves a picture on a flat piece of wood. The picture is made of raised parts. Ink goes on the raised parts only. Then paper is pressed on the block. The raised parts leave ink on the paper. This is called relief printing, because the picture stands out in relief (raised).
Woodblock printing is used in many countries. China, Japan, Korea, India and Europe all have old traditions.
Making the block: drawing and cutting
First the artist draws the picture on thin paper. The drawing is glued face down on the wood, or the lines are traced on the wood. The artist then uses a carving knife, gouge (a curved cutting tool) or chisel to cut away every part that should be white.
- Cut parts are low. They will print white.
- Raised parts are high. They will print in ink colour.
- Fine lines need slanted walls, so they do not snap.
Wood that is hard and smooth, like cherry or pear, gives fine detail. Soft wood is easier for beginners.
Inking, pressing and the mirror image
Spread ink on the raised parts with a brush or roller. Place a damp sheet of paper on the block. Rub the back of the paper with a baren, a flat round pad, or the back of a spoon. Then peel the paper off slowly.
The print is a mirror image. A letter R on the block becomes a reversed R on the paper. If you want the print to read correctly, cut the letters backwards.
Pressure matters. Too little pressure gives a faint print. Too much pressure squeezes ink into the white parts and makes a smudge.
Colour prints and registration
For a picture with many colours, the artist makes one block for each colour. Often one block (the key block) holds the black outline. The other blocks hold colour areas. The paper is printed on each block, one after another.
To make colours fall in the right place, the artist cuts two small notches on every block, called kento in Japan. The paper corner always sits in the same notch. This is called registration.
All the prints made from the same blocks form an edition. Artists often number them, like 3/10, and sign them in pencil.
Where do we see woodblock prints?
Japanese ukiyo-e pictures of waves, mountains and city life are famous woodblock prints. Old books in China and Korea were printed with blocks. In India, block printing on cloth (Bagru, Sanganer, Ajrakh) uses carved wooden stamps with dye. Today many students make linocuts in class. Linoleum is soft, but the idea is the same.
Key formulas and definitions
- Relief printing: raised = inked = prints
- Cut away = low = stays white
- Print = mirror image of the block
- Edition = all prints from the same blocks, numbered like 3/10
- Registration (kento) = notches that keep paper in one place
- Colours needed = one block per colour
Worked examples
1. A block has the word "BOX" cut so that it reads correctly on the block. What will the print show?
The print is mirrored. It will show the letters reversed. To print BOX correctly, cut the letters in mirror form.
2. An artist wants a print with a black outline and 2 colours. How many blocks does the artist need?
One block for the outline plus one for each colour: 1 + 2 = 3 blocks.
3. The print has smudged white parts and thick lines. Name two likely causes.
Too much ink on the block, or too much rubbing pressure. Ink gets squeezed into the cut parts.
Common mistakes
- Cutting the picture the right way round and expecting the print to look the same. It will be mirrored.
- Inking the whole block, including the cut parts. Only raised parts should get ink.
- Using too much ink. It fills the fine lines and makes the print blurry.
- Placing paper by eye for colour prints. Without registration notches the colours drift.