Woodblock Painting // 木版画

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by: Hokusai

Japanese Woodblock Prints

The brilliant appealing art of the Ukiyo-e woodblock print is the most universally known of all Japanese arts. This particular style of art flourished in Japan from the Edo Era to Meiji Era.

The Chushingura Drama by Utamaro

Japanese woodblock prints are often referred to as Ukiyo-e. The word Ukiyo-e means "floating world" referring to be one of transient pleasures and freedom from the cares and concerns of the world. The prints and paintings that the merchants bought, almost always portrayed a carefree existence, and were therefore called Ukiyo-e: 'pictures of the floating world'.

To understand the prints, and gain respect for the art, we must understand something of the Ukiyo-e, or at least those aspects of it which the print-makers were especially fond of depicting: the theatre, life in the pleasure quarters, and travel. In essence, Ukiyo-e reveals much of the rich history of Japan.



How to Make you own Woodblock Art



Materials:
Paint Roller or Brush
Pen
Scissors
Foam Tray

Step One: You can get these trays with pretty much any cut of meat that you purchase. We added a bit of bleach to the water and gave the tray a soak.	Step Two: Cut off the sides of your tray and discard. Cut the remaining rectangle into a variety of
Step Three: When you're ready, use the tip of a pen (I've found this works best) to etch in your design.	Step Four: Try to fill up your entire shape. Use different lines and even poke a few holes if you have the space.
Step Five: When your design is finished, you want to paint over it with your color of acrylic paint, and a soft foam brush. A roller brush would work well too!	Step Six: Make sure that you're not pushing the paint remain unpainted so they will show up as the white part of the print. If you get bubbles, just blow over the top.
Step Seven: After you've covered the patter with ink, turn your stamp over and press firmly to your paper. Gently smooth over the entire shape.	Step Eight: Very carefully pick the stamp off of the paper. You'll see your print underneath!
Step Nine: You'll have to do a few trial and error prints until you find the right amount of paint to put on your stamp. The image on the left had less paint, and shows up a bit more grainy. Decide which you like better and paint accordingly!	All Done! Make yourself lots of different prints: room, or fold them into cards to give your friends and family! Experiment with different colors too!