Recently I use a computer to draw images for woodblock printing. Selecting a thick line in the tool pallete I drew dynamic lines by moving the mouse.

As you know, it is not easy to draw a picture using a mouse.

Although lines often stretch into wrong directions or places such lines sometimes create unexpected and interesting pictures. When a rough outline is drawn I start adjusting the picture. I kept the energetic and lively lines to make a vivid picture. I also balance the colours.

When the picture was ready I printed it out and then traced it onto a piece of tracing paper.

I first planned the color layers.

As I thought 5 blocks would be needed I copied each color part onto a block, including the border line.

Since I wanted to print many copies I chose hard cherry blocks and carved deeply.

These pictures are the result of the test printing.
Printed order is from left to right.

After studying these images I realized that I could eliminate the final block by printing the first block a bit stronger. The tail part might look a little different but it was not important. When you are going to print a lot it is very important that you arrange as few blocks as possible.

Have you thought the same way? Then you must be a very experienced printer.

After more than 15 times 'trial and error', I finally started printing.

Even at this final stage I didn't have confidence about the color of the tree the snake is hanging on. I confess that I tried a different colour than I had first planned

The two pictures on the right are the final versions. Which color do you like better?

For 'Final 1' I used a regular post card and for 'Final 2' I used a Washi card (Torinoko white) -one of our products. I didn't moisten the washi cards and yet they were very easy to print.

When you compare the original picture drawn by the computer with the final ones made by wood blocks, you will find a big difference even on the computer screen. Woodprinted images are simpler and nicer, aren't they?

The first block had a wide surface to be printed, and needed a deep color.

So I put on quite a lot of pigment. But the dried regular post card didn't absorb the pigment well, making it very difficult to print this block. The result was not very satisfactory.