Home » Arts & Design » Fine Art » Printmaking

Woodblock prints and printing

Ranked #6,482 in Arts & Design, #102,349 overall | Donates to ASPCA

So, what is woodblock printing?

Woodblock, or woodcut, is a method of printing in which an image is carved into a block of wood, which is then inked, and the image is pressed onto a sheet of paper. The print is a mirror image of the woodblock, and the areas to show as white are cut out of the wood

It has its origins in China where it was first used to print on textiles, then Buddhist scriptures. Today it is mainly used as an art technique.

Some basics about woodblock printing

Woodblock printing: A brief history from Wikipedia.
What Is Moku Hanga?: Moku hanga is the Japanese term for woodblock print and has been practised there since the 8th century when it was introduced from China.
Ukiyo-e: Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints. This article from Wikipedia details the history and outlines the method.
Woodcut: The woodcut is the wooden printing surface used in woodblock printing.
Ukiyo-e Periods and Movements: Ukiyo-e art can be divided into five different art periods and movements: The Edo Period, the Meiji Period, the Shin Hanga movement, the Sosaku Hanga Movement and Moku Hanga.
Hokusai's 'The Great Wave': How did 'The Great Wave' become one of the most famous images in the world? Find out by listening to this radio program from the BBC.

Moku Hanga Printmaking

Graham Scholes demonstrates a 17-colour print

See Grahams work at woodblockart.ca.

Learning about woodblock printing

Woodblock Workshop: Graham Scholes offers a very informative hands-on Moku Hanga workshop they call Boot Camp. This is an informal,very motivational and important learning experience as attested by numberous students, from around the world, who have attended during the last 6 years. Graham has been studing with Noboru Sawai, a Japanese Canadian master printmaker who was taught by Toshi Yoshida in Japan.
The Technique of the Color Wood-cut: An online version of the book by by Walter J. Phillips, published August 1, 1926, by Brown-Robertson Co. Inc. (New York)
Guide to Print Workshops in Canada and the United States: An extensive list of open workshops: about 500 places, techniques and press sizes, paper and book arts, photo and computer facilities, galleries, classes, handicapped accessibility, more.
Ukiyo-e Techniques: This site is intended to help students, collectors and researchers better understand the Ukiyo-e technique. It focuses on techniques utilized in prints and is not meant to be a survey of Japanese prints or a history of Ukiyo-e. Photographs and video clips show demonstrations of the techniques.

Some books on woodblock art

Ukiyo- e

A Japanese artform

Ukiyo- e is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan. Prior to the 17th century, printing in Japan was restricted to making text and illustrations for books. Ukiyo- e originated with the single-color works of Hishikawa Moronobu in the 1670s and the art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo). Traditionally, ukiyo-e was made with a collaborative system where the artist, carver, printer, and publisher engaged in division of labor. During the twentieth century revival of Ukiyo-e, some practitioners began taking responsibility for the whole process. This came to be called Sosaku hanga, which struggled at first to gain acceptance, but has come to be the dominant school of practice in post-war Japan.

Add this to your lens »

More about woodblock prints and printmaking

Utagawa Kuniyoshi at the Royal Academy: The 19th-century prints of Utagawa Kuniyoshi are on display at the Royal Academy in London. According to the Telegraph's art critic, the prints expose the Japanese artist's creepy imaginative vision, and explain where Japan's taste for manga comics comes from. Includes a short video. (30 March 2009)
The Woodcuts of Lynd Ward, graphic novelist: Lynd Ward (1905 - 1985) was an American artist and storyteller, best known for his wood engraving and was the first to produce an entire novel entirely in woodcuts and is considered one of the founders of the American graphic novel.
After Hiroshige: A Century of Modern Japanese Prints: "This exhibition at the Johnson Museum emphasizes the push during the Meiji period in Japan for modernization and industrialization, a move reflected in the shin hanga (new prints) and sosaku hanga (creative prints) that became popular during this time. With this new modernization, artists reflected a nostalgia for the past, as well as the growing influence of the West." (1 April 2009)
19th Century artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi's woodblock printed art work: Blogger Kim Dellow reviews the current exhibition of Utagawa Kuniyoshi's work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. (April 4, 2009)
James D. Havens carved his legacy into woodblock prints that captured the world around him: Rochester printmaker James D. Havens (1900-1960) is considered part of the color woodblock revival of the early 20th century, generally viewed as an outgrowth of the arts and crafts movement. (April 5 2009)
Interview with UK printmaker Mark Mason: Mark talks about how he became fascinated with printmaking, his creative process and inspiration. (April 6, 2009)
Master of the Skies: Paul Binnie has created an intimate series of small, directly carved cloud studies. These clouds are explicit and bold renderings of the sky's landscape captured in evocative woodblock prints. (April 9, 2009)

Woodblock supplies on eBay

Organizations

The American Print Alliance: The American Print Alliance is a consortium of non-profit printmakers' councils in the United States and Canada. Lots of on-line resources. Some require subscription.
WorldPrintmakers.com: Serves two clear-cut collectives worldwide: working printmakers, and fine-art print lovers. The former deserve all the help they can get, and the latter, a select-but-devoted minority, need a dedicated printmaking center on the Web where they know they can always turn for reliable information, up-to-date news, interesting work for sale and sheer visual delight.
PrintMakers.info: A website where printmakers from around the worls can showcase their work and their websites.

Woodblock Supplies

Aboveground Art Supples: Toronto based supplier whos Lino/Block Printing range includes Water Soluble Ink, Oil Based Ink,
Blades & Handles, Lino Blocks, Brayers and Accessories.
The Japanese Paper Place: supplies several thousand different kinds of Japanese paper.
McClains Printmaking Supplies: Dedicated to the Art and Artists of Relief Printmaking
Block printing supplies: from DickBlick.com

Woodblock dreams

An artist exploring moku hanga, traditional Japanese woodblock printing

Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Woodblock RoundTable

The work of woodblock printmaker David Bull