Diary of Carving Woodblocks

Series White Fox

Temptation

The 1st Week

From June 7th to the 13th, 2006.

Making the rough sketch

Drawing the design for the key block

The 2nd Week

From June 14th to the 20th

HOME

Cutting along the lines to an
even depth using the hangi-toh

Clearing away the unnecessary parts
using the komasuki and aisuki

After completing the rough carving

Moistening the woodblock with water
(to flatten any slight dents )

Applying oil-based ink on the key block with a roller. (to make the actual lines clear)

A

B

A

B

A

B

A

B

I usually carve the key block in at least three or four steps:.the rough carving, the middle carving, and the final carving.

Making the Kento

The kento is a simple device which insures the correct registration of the image
throughout the printing process.

Kagi-Kento or corner (A) and Hikituke-kento or side (B)

It took 11 days to finish the rough carving
this time.

All of the lines are 3 or more times thicker than they should be.

The goal is to make every line thinner and smoother.

Beginning the middle carving step

NEXT

From June 21st to July 4th

Hi, everyone ! Thank you for your kind e-mails !

Ryusei Okamoto

Starting the rough carving

Comparison of the carved lines before (A) and after (B) the middle carving step

I express my heartfelt thanks to Mr. David Bull, Mr. Mike Lyon, Ms. Aeleen Frisch, and all of Baren members.

The blocks after printing
The blocks after printing might tell you something important about how to make a woodblock print.

The Scenery

A girl

Gradation

For Beginners

How to make a small and easy print in a day.

The Beginners' Class

The Intermediate Class

Printing

The biginners' class


The intermediate class


For seniors


s@o

How to get two colors by one printing