Video: Printing a Reduction Woodcut

Here’s a video illustrating some steps on how I print a seven colour reduction woodblock print. For those who aren’t familiar with the process, it’s a method of making an intricate multi-colour print using only one block, which is printed over and over again on the same paper with different colours after subsequent parts of the design are cut away. In other words, the block becomes destroyed as the printing process continues. Some collectors like these “suicide” prints because the actual block degrades into a cancellation block as a consequence of the process.

In my case, I prepared twenty sheets of paper, hoping that all will turn out. Miscalculations and missteps happen. In this case, I had a yield of fourteen acceptable prints out of the original twenty I started with.

You can see the finished product here. And here’s a nice example of reduction printmaking.

Reduction woodblock printmaking can be super rewarding. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment area below.

2 Comments

  • John Steins

    Thanks for checking this out. That registration system seems to work very well. Pretty much bang on. Glad you found this useful.

  • Linda

    Love this! So ingenious the registration system and the print is lovely. Oh those Golden Gates.
    Thanks for your grand generosity in offering so much information and inspiration. It goes a lonnngggg wayyyy. I cherish my visits to this website. LP

So great if you could take a minute and leave your thoughts on this.