Studio: international art (3.1894)

Woodcut Printing in Water-Colours

can be most beautifully rendered by a graduated too closely, what men of another nation or age have
wash of colour over the large surfaces of the block, perfected."

or by wiping off some of the paint with a rag ; in " May I see your own work ? "

fig. 7.—panel for a pianoforte front, copper by h- pepper

short, manipulating the ink much in the same " Certainly ; but I wish to explain that if I con-
way a skilful printer of etchings prints his sidered they showed any attainment or accom-
p]ate." plishment it would be ridiculous to show them.

" This would affect the plan of the design from They are, on the face of them, experiments, on the
the very first, would it not ?" face of them failures, but not necessarily less

" Yes :, you must think it out in spaces and lines instructive on that account. They are at any
a fair distance apart. By this method a complete rate evidence of some of the difficulties to be
representation of the appearance of things is abso- encountered."

lutely impossible; nor could you hope to imitate " Where do the difficulties come in ? "
the effect of an ordinary oil painting ; but I would " From the very first, with the cutting of the
not have you think such limitations are irksome, blocks. I read that the Japanese cut their blocks
They seem to me most helpful in fencing off a in cherry-wood and along the grain, not across it.
pitfall into which the So for experiment I

greater part of the colour- jjpSjpjpsg ^■^^^^'^f'^^^wm^^ chose the same method,
printing of Europe has anC* snowec^ a voung

tumbled, and now lies LJB' W&^wPji fM&M^ljH engraver the blocks at

helpless and deplorable." ji^^p il ^2,'l5ir /€■ ^KP^^A ^^fS South Kensington Mu-
" Accepting in part ||fiy J | «%;*f' ''^ry'^^'^^i^^f' scum> anc^ Save him an

that there is much that IP JJj C M »J^^y/^^^^^ w|V^||R jljl outline design to cut in
this method of printing ^ (I111 V H^^^11!'I' /#/i/Wx^vM )■ their fashion. Although

must not even attempt, lilM/CwiMl /ll^^^^ S/ '^^^fl/lft /Jlw/^B^* A«^WitlH he had had seven years'

what can it do ? " lillMvvf if WmWl'KV'^MrlllMiliMM. 71 111IIII apprenticeship to Eng-

" One might refer to RwS^^R^I^j^^^BOP^^«^BKi^ ^mt M ''sh wood-engraving, in

Japanese prints for m£t Yv"!^ fi ft^r^P / TlS two or three days he

evidence ; but we need pSLiS i^Aws^L^M jji'J^Jt'Iigf came back and said he

not conclude they would f^mW^^^mtLJ^^Wmm^^i !te?WjBr«3' found it was impossible

supply the complete ^SfcWB^S^l^^^^^^^MH^EI^i^^il^ to cut it along the grain

answer to your question. ^g^^Sp^ei ^^S§^ in Japanese fashion, and

There is no need, and it ^^^—^i^^^^^^^^f^^^^^^^^J^^^^, ne showed why. Then

would show, I think, but ——■-' I saw that, with English

little wisdom on our part, fig. 8.—panel, copper and brass by h. pepper ways of cutting and Eng-
to imitate the art of the lish tools, it was impos-

Japanese. They are supreme in their own realm, sible to imitate the Japanese with his own knife
and a large realm it is, but it is not the universe, held in his own fashion."

Japan need not block the way. Many generations " You are speaking now of the outline block, I
of men might work at this very method of colour- imagine ? "

printing without coming in touch with the deaden- " Yes ; I gave in to his objections and asked him.
ing influence felt by those who attempt to imitate, to cut it in the usual way; but the colour blocks

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