How Woodblock Prints are Made

The process of traditional woodblock printing is accomplished through the work of three different people: the artist who draws the prints and decides on the color scheme for each one, the publisher who commissions the work and the carver who cuts the prints out of either cherry or pear wood (or other similar woods).

The process starts with a black-ink block and follows through with successive color blocks, which ultimately produces a finished print.

The Ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period produced hanshita-e (underdrawing) in accordance with the plan of the publisher who commissioned the work. It was then submitted to the censor, who was either a representative of a wholesale dealer, or in later times, a government official. Once approval had been obtained, the carver prepared the blocks, and the printers produced the prints.

Hanshita-e

The artist first sketched an underdrawing that was exactly the same size as the finished print to be completed. Over this, the artist placed a thin sheet of strong minogami paper and traced the outlines of the sketch in black ink.

Carving the ink block

The hanshita-e was pasted face down on a dried block of straight-grained cherry wood, which was then carefully carved so that the lines of the drawing were left in relief. Complicated areas were carved with small knives, while large areas to be left blank were hollowed out with round or square chisels. To secure accurate register, guide marks called kento were carved in relief of the block (and all subsequent blocks): a right-angled mark in the lower right hand corner and, to the left of it, a straight mark in line with its lower arm. This ensured synchronization of each color in the print.

Overview of the printing process

The impressions were then achieved by scrubbing the back of a slightly moistened paper placed over a painted block with a round-shaped pad called a barren made from the outer sheaf of bamboo. The printer would throw his weight onto this pad using a zigzag or circular motion. The number of impressions is broadly varied according to the style and success of the print. An edition of 200-300 was usual, as after this number the block would expand through absorbing water. Drying out hen became necessary before more impressions could be taken. It is believed that a fine edition of 200-300 would take approximately 2 weeks to complete, but lower standards such as fewer colors and less care could reduce this time drastically. After the first printing, the blocks would start to show signs of wear, particularly the finer lines such as those representing hair and features. Pigments used were mainly of vegetable and mineral origin colors. The harsher aniline dyes of the mid-19th century from Europe might come initially as a shock, but one learns to accept the particular merits. The paper chiefly used was a variety called Hosho. This was made from the fibers of the bark of the Mulberry tree. Its soft texture allowed good penetration by the pigment and yet was strong enough to resist the rubbing of the barren.

Indicating the colors

The ink block next went to the printer, who painted it with black ink, placed on it a thin sheet of high-quality Japanese paper, and then rubbed the paper with a barren pressing pad to make an ink proof. He repeated the process until he had produced ten or more such proofs, roughly the same number of colors to be used in the completed print. These proofs were delivered to the artist, who indicated on them the colors for which the various color blocks were to be carved. One proof was used for each color, and the artist marked in red the areas that were to carry that particular color.

Carving the color blocks

The color-block carvers, having received the proof sheets, pasted each on a separate block and carved out all but the areas indicated for the individual colors. On the ink block, all outlines were raised, but now only the individual color areas remained in relief. Again, as in the ink block, guide marks were carved. A carver was required to serve an apprenticeship of about ten years under a single master before he was considered to have mastered his craft. The master, for his part, customarily distributed the work among his apprentices according to their respective levels of skill, and therefore benefited from the division of labor.

Printing

After leaving the hands of the carvers, the ink block and the color blocks were handed to the printers, who had prepared the sheets of printing paper by sizing them with a mixture called dosa and then moistening them. The printing stand was covered with a wet cloth to prevent the blocks from sliding. First, the ink block was placed on the stand and painted with black ink. Next a sheet of printing paper was placed on the block in careful alignment with the guide marks. The printer then pressed the paper down and rubbed it with his barren pressing pad. After the ink impression had been made, the ink block was removed from the stand, and the color blocks were employed in succession to produce the first complete print. This print, the specimen proof, was made exactly according to the artist's instructions concerning such matters as color tones and the distribution of dark and light shading. Once it had been approved, production went forward in earnest.

A clear distinction was made between color printers and ink printers, and the production of polychrome prints was, of course, the business of color printers. The master printer, like the master carver, divided the labor among his subordinates according to their various abilities. It is interesting to note that during the Edo period the artist would never furnish the printers with a proof that he himself had colored, regardless of how complex the color requirements might be.