Japanese woodblock session 2

They may look like kitchen towels, but they are woodblock prints. I took the pictures in the afternoon light, it comes through the window of my work space. I liked the way it made the prints look light and floating.

One of the nice things about Japanese wood-block printing (moku-hanga) is that you can do it at home, and you don't need a huge printing press. You use a tool called "baren" (a disc covered with bamboo leaves) to impress the ink/colour into the paper. There are numerous steps to make before you start printing, though... cutting the block, preparing the paper, making the nori (a binder consisting of rice paste and water) ... But it's all very low tech, non-toxic and the technique has not changed much since it was introduced to Japan by Bhuddist missionaries in the 8th century. I like it.