Japanese Woodblock with Laura Boswell

We’ve been thrilled to have Laura Boswell here for two Japanese Woodblock Workshops over four days this week. Laura’s workshops are packed with essential
woodblock skills and invaluable advice to get you started with the art of Japanese Woodblock.

Over the course of each two day workshop, the techniques are broken down into separate skills that Laura demonstrates before going round the group to help
each person achieve each skill. On the first day of the workshop we learned the correct way to use a Hangito tool and how to carve a block.

We then designed our prints and, with help from Laura, worked out the order in which the blocks would be printed before transferring our design onto
Japanese ply.

After the edges of a block has been cut with the Hangito, the U tools are used to carve a gully around the edge of each shape. 

The elegant Japanese registration system of Kento marks enables your blocks to line up perfectly so that they fit together and can be overprinted for layers
of tone and shading.

After a full day of designing and carving, the blocks were ready to print. 

Japanese Woodblock uses watercolour paints and nori rice paste. The blocks are inked up with brushes

Laura demonstrated how to ink up and print your blocks using a baren

…and we spent the day printing with and layering our blocks to form our design. 

 

Here are some examples of the work produced over the two workshops:

Book now to reserve your place on next October’s weekend and weekday workshops! The weekend workshop
has only two places remaining.

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