| |
|
|
|
|
Some thoughts about woodcut printmaking
The simple process outlined above becomes magical for me every time I start
a new work. More traditional approaches require that the ink be perfectly and
evenly laid, that the wood grain be eliminated through careful planing or sanding,
that the paper be the exact right type, etc etc. To me, the wood must have a
voice in the final print, the ink must leave its visible marks, the implement
for printing must also leave a trace, the paper, above all, the paper must show
its beauty through the design. The entire process has to be visible—the process
must show.
Process Overview
Cutting the block
The magic begins with cutting. Designs take on their own personality once the
wood and the knife meet. Chisel marks become movement, lines become alive, flat
areas are full of wood-life. I like the marks that the chisels make, often
I leave them shallow enough so that ink will get on them and they will print.
The marks give the print life and movement and print less precisely than the
perfectly cut lines so that a wider variety of "marks" are printed. I let the
chisels make their characteristic marks and modify my designs as they wish.
The resulting prints tend to be more "woodcutty" this way.
Printing
One of the magic things about printmaking is that the process modifies the final
result. I think accepting the process is part of printmaking, knowing
that the block and the ink will have their own say on what the final print looks
like.
Once the paper is soft and ever so slightly damp, printing begins. Whatever
ink I am using is rolled out on the marble slab or glass slab to a very thin
and even sheet. Printing is a matter of rolling out the ink on the block until
it is loaded with ink. Then I place paper on the block, making sure the margins
and non-printing areas are clean.
Obtaining a good even print is hard work and takes some muscle. A print is obtained
by rubbing the back of the paper with a printing tool. This can be a traditional
Japanese Baren or rice spoon, or anything that will push the paper against the
ink. I make sure as I go along that I am not moving the paper from the
registration marks and that I am getting all the areas printed evenly.
A sheet of glassine on the back of thinner paper assures that I don't tear it,
thicker paper can stand the punishment and you can see the design from the back
in the form a burnished mark.
Editions, or how many prints are made from one block, vary from 10 to 200 for artist pulled prints, whether by hand or press. Hand pulled editions are usually less than 100. In order to truly limit the edition, the wood block is defaced and in some cases, destroyed.
| |
|
|
|
|