Woodblock Prints

Woodblock Printing is a technique of making prints made from blocks of wood carved with pictures or text. The blocks are covered with ink an dthen pressed where the image or text is transferred. Woodblock prints is also called Ukiyo-e, which was originally used to describe actor and courtesan prints depicting life in the Epicurean world of the Edo middle-class.

Woodblock printing was originated in China between the mid 6th and late 9th centuries. This invention had an enormous cultural impact on human civilization. From China it was spread to India and Egypt. This art was then practised in Europe during the middle ages and reached a climax of perfection in 18th century in France and England.

One of the first forms of wood block printing done on paper was carried out by Buddhists to transcribe and disseminate the text and images of Buddhist deities. Printing with the same block of wood offered a way to mass-produce, in scroll form, the sacred words and images (Heller 1972). One of the earliest known Chinese woodcuts of text and image is the 17-foot long Diamond Sutra, which was discovered in a walled-up cave in 1907 and dates from 868 A.D

The three necessary components for woodblock printing are:

• Printing Block, which carries the design
• Ink, to color the desired design
• Paper on which the designs are printed. The best paper for wood cuts are soft, thin and tough papers like Japanese paper, rice paper or European papers.

Method of Making Woodblock Print Paper

• Draw any desired object on the wood
• The areas to be unprinted should then be cut away.
• Oil based or water based ink is used to add color to the design.
• The block is then inked.
• The block is then printed by printing the block on a press.
• Colored wood block prints can be created by using number of separate color blocks.

Chinese Woodblock Prints
The design is drawn or painted on a special, thin paper. The woodblock is covered with rice paste. The paper is pasted with front side against the block. The paper is rubbed off and only the design is left out. The wood used is preferably from pear trees or jujube tree. the carving is done with a special fist knife called Quan Dao. Ink is applied on the block. To achieve color gradations the color can be intensified using another brush or diluted with water. Finally the sheet to be printed is laid over the woodblock and rubbed with a chinese kind of baren.

Japanese Woodblock Prints
The old tradition of Japan is still alive and is used for high quality reproduction of famous masters or contemporary prints. Japanese Prints made in old tradition are the result of a team work of four different persons- the artists, the carver, the printer and the publisher.

The creation of a Japanese wood block print is started by the artist who makes an outline design on thin, translucent paper. this is called hanshita-e. The carver dampened the paper and pasted it face down on a wooden block. Then the carver carefully carved along the lines of the design removing everything except the design lines. This forms the wooden blocks. The carver had to cut the most delicate lines. Then the printer stepped in to rub ink on the raised lines and made several copies from the relief block and these copies were sent to the artists to mark the right colors to be used. One wooden block was carved for each color by the engraver. The printer had to work meticulously to align the colors well along the lines. At the end the publisher commissioned the artist and paid the carvers and printers.

For traditional Japanese wood block prints hand-made papers are used. They are referred as washi. The basic fibre is mulberry and is quite different from Western papers made from linen or wood-pulp. For older prints there are basically two types, masa and hosho. Hosho is thicker and was used for deluxe prints and in general until the middle of the nineteenth century. For modern prints you can find nishinouchi and kozo, which is dyed with natural plant extracts. Aniline and vegetable dyes are most widely used for wood block printing.

Indian Woodblock Prints
The striking geometric patterns from India are individually hand pressed on handmade paper with woodblocks using a method adapted from fabric printing. The sheets with one impression are hand blocked; the sheets with two often have the second impression is silk-screened over the block print. The patterns range in color and design from subtle to vibrant. Paper base is 100% cotton rag. Handmade Woodblock Printing Paper is used for decorative, book arts, and collage.