WOODCUT
Cut along the grain
A woodcut is carved from a block cut along the grain. Europe used woodblock printing from the twelfth century, first for textiles, with images on paper by the late fourteenth.
Compare the blocksA PLAIN-ENGLISH GUIDE TO RELIEF PRINTING
Carve it, ink it,
press it.
The oldest way to print a picture is also one of the simplest.
RELIEF the raised part prints
up to 8,000 Impressions experts believe were printed
- Cut away
- Ink the top
- Press
- Repeat thousands of times
In relief printing you cut away the background so the image stands up from the block. The raised surface is inked, paper goes on top, and pressure transfers the image. Woodcuts, wood engravings and linocuts all work this way.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Same idea,
three different blocks.
What changes is the block,
and how it lets you cut.
LINOCUT
No grain at all
Linoleum, invented as a floor covering, is soft and has no grain, so it can be cut in any direction. It became popular with artists and amateurs in the twentieth century.
Try one
EDITIONS
Thousands from one design
Experts believe up to 8,000 impressions of Hokusai's Great Wave were printed in Japan from carved woodblocks in the 1830s.
See the numbersWHICH BLOCK?
How hard is
the block to cut?
Pick a relief method. The value names the block, and the bar shows how hard it is to cut, from soft linoleum to very hard boxwood end grain.
Descriptions from Tate's glossary of art terms.
THE PROCESS, STEP BY STEP
From block
to print.
Every relief print follows the same four steps, whichever block you choose. Lino is the usual starting point because it is soft and has no grain.
Choose a block
Lino cuts easily in any direction; wood is cut along the grain; hard boxwood end grain allows the finest lines.
Cut away the background
Remove everything you do not want to print, so the image is left standing as a raised surface.
Ink the raised surface
Only the top of the block takes ink. Lino's slightly textured surface accepts ink evenly.
Press, by machine or hand
Lay paper on the inked block and apply pressure, in a press or by hand, the way Japanese ukiyo-e prints were made.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
One famous wave,
many blocks.
From a British Museum study
of 111 surviving impressions.
up to 8,000
Impressions experts believe were printed
Print runs were rarely recorded, but publishers are estimated to have needed to sell at least 2,000 impressions of a design to make a profit.
THE GREAT WAVE · BRITISH MUSEUM
7 blocks
Separate woodblocks used, at least
Comparing 111 original impressions showed at least seven woodblocks were used for the early printings, most likely carved on both sides of four physical blocks. None of the original blocks survive.
THE GREAT WAVE · BRITISH MUSEUM
Very popular designs went further still: Hiroshige's Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō is thought to have been printed between 12,000 and 15,000 times.
A SHORT HISTORY
From textiles
to newspapers.
Woodblock printing was used in Europe from the twelfth century, at first for textiles. In the nineteenth century, wood engraving became widely used to reproduce pictures in books, newspapers and journals, until photo-mechanical methods replaced it.
Blocks wear out. The British Museum study of the Great Wave traced small breaks and damage that appear in later impressions, and found signs of retouching by hand on 16 of the 111 impressions it located.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is relief printing?
A way of printing in which the image stands up from the block. The background is cut away, the raised surface is inked, and paper is pressed against it.
What is the difference between a woodcut and a wood engraving?
Tate explains that a woodcut is cut along the grain with the background cut away, while a wood engraving is usually made on the hard end grain of boxwood, with the line cut into the block, allowing extremely fine detail.
Why do beginners use lino?
Linoleum is soft, has no grain, and can be cut in any direction, more easily than wood. Its slightly textured surface also takes ink evenly.
Do you need a printing press?
No. Tate notes that woodcuts can be printed without a press by placing the inked block against paper and applying pressure by hand, as with Japanese ukiyo-e prints.
How many copies of the Great Wave exist?
Experts believe up to 8,000 impressions were made. A British Museum study gathered photographs of 111 original impressions from museums, galleries, auctions, dealers and books.
Where the facts come from
Updated