Japanese woodblock printing - final class

Last woodblock-printing class today, last in the current series that is; more are coming up next term, including one that combines printing with book making ... but it's on Monday evenings, those dark winter Monday evenings... Anyway I shall set aside Weds mornings for continuing with the printing, till xmas. It's rather addictive - I love to do the cutting, and might do just one more ... so many are already on hand. There are all sorts of combinations I want to try, but they do take a while to print.... which is part of the pleasure of the process. Perhaps I can find a way to be more systematic in terms of what to combine; or focussed in terms of what the desired outcome might be. 

Yesterday evening I sorted out papers and prints, in whatever stages, and tried to think about what to concentrate on.

"Double" sheets printed from quickly-cut mdf - it's already showing signs of wear

Getting a glimpse of what the layering might look like

Categorising what's been done so far

Here's the one I prepared earlier - the diptych bound into a book

The cut blocks retain, but don't transfer, the colours of previous printings -

Carol showed us how to stretch a dampened print by taping it to plexiglas/perspex, then rubbing the tape to remove possible air bubbles -

Once the paper is dry the tape is removed  in a practised motion -

 

 This is the mirror image of the one that looks green, above -

 I printed both versions, and then got very confused about which one got the dots, and which way round the paper went! -

The green ones had been printed last week, but show the combination of various blocks; the others were printed this week, and are on their way to becoming "diptych books" - what about the covers... and what about colours, next time ...

To finish, a chance to look at everyone's work -

 ... and the other end of the table -