Woodcut Printmaking

This course will provide an introduction to woodcut printmaking. Fundamental relief techniques will introduce you to the tools and methods needed to allow you to carve and print from your own relief woodblocks.

We will explore carving techniques to obtain a range of textures, depth and contrast to create strong visual statements in your artwork. We will examine the conventional and contemporary practice of these techniques, to gain an understanding of how these tools can be applied in the expanded field of printmaking.

Topics Covered:

• Prepping blocks for carving
• Transferring drawings to the block surface
• Carving wood (large areas and small details)
• Textures and mark-making in wood
• Registration
• Mixing oil-based inks for relief printing
• Printing by hand with a barren or spoon
• Editioning, signing and numbering prints
• Monotype methods (painterly prints)
• Split fountain inking
• Reductive prints
• Printing with a press
• Water-based mokuhanga printing

What you will learn:

• To identify the difference between the woodcut and other printmaking processes
• To carve wood blocks safely using different techniques of mark making
• To print your wood blocks by hand
• To know the reasons for choosing their wood and paper and the outcomes to expect
• To gain an understanding of the role of woodcut printmaking in historical and contemporary contexts