Making Japanese Woodblock Prints

Japanese woodblock printing is a beautiful art that traces its roots back to the eighth century. It uses a unique system of registration, cutting, and printing. This practical book explains the process from design drawing to finished print, and then introduces more advanced printing and carving techniques, plus advice on editioning your prints and their aftercare, tool care, and sharpening. Supported by nearly 200 color photographs, this new book advises on how to develop your ideas, turning them into sketches and a finished design drawing, then how to break an image into the various blocks needed to make a print. It also explains how to use a tracing paper transfer method to take your design from drawing to woodblock and, finally, explains the traditional systems of registration, cutting, and printing that define an authentic Japanese woodblock.

Laura Boswell is a landscape printmaker working exclusively with linocut and traditional Japanese woodblock. She has trained in Japan, studying woodblock printmaking with master craftsmen, and her work is inspired by Japanese style and design.