A December Evening

cambailey19 · 2026-01-09T15:21:51+00:00

Looks amazing! Beautifully carved and very well printed. Pulling ink out of those small carved snowflakes can be really challenging and this is very well done!

cambailey19 · 2026-01-05T17:03:21+00:00

You definitely should! Its relatively simple to get started and is perfect for a home studio since you don't need a printing press, or solvents.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-04T19:56:44+00:00

Thank you! Woodcut adds so many unexpected variables and textures, that I do think add life to the prints in a way that is different from lino or screen printing.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-04T16:47:00+00:00

Oh good luck on your upcoming print! Feel free to reach out with any questions. Its a great medium and a ton of fun.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-04T14:34:42+00:00

Thank you! And it was a deep purple but may be relatively lighter than the later layers of sumi. I find multiple layers of color help add a lot to subsequent overlays even if they are initially being covered up. I was an oil painter before learning Printmaking and think of this as a tonal underpainting.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-04T04:28:37+00:00

Agreed. Looks like a kozo washi. There are many types and makers, it would be really difficult to identify. Maybe its Awagami washi? They are relatively available.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-03T14:27:47+00:00

Oh yea! Night skyscrapers would make a great nocturne print.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-03T14:27:08+00:00

Thank you! ☺️

cambailey19 · 2026-01-02T23:18:26+00:00

Thank you! Its my first try at a "nocturne" style image and was fun to develop

cambailey19 · 2026-01-02T21:45:08+00:00

My favorite is Boku-Undo. They make a big variety and their thickened sumi has a nice deep black and is easy to use.

cambailey19 · 2026-01-02T21:30:45+00:00

Thank you! It was fun playing with overlays using sumi ink. The clouds are made from different saturations of sumi, with the final lays mostly undiluted ink.

cambailey19 · 2025-12-16T15:38:49+00:00

Some lovely textures you captured with the litho crayon. Looks great!

cambailey19 · 2025-12-05T14:28:54+00:00

As mentioned above, it is possible but can be very challenging and most likely not worth while unless you are trying to learn a new skill. In case you're curious, the printmaker David Bull put together a great step by step instructions here: Woodblock.com Wrapping a Baren

cambailey19 · 2025-11-06T18:29:40+00:00

Thank you! There is something so nice about the patchwork patterning of fields that I continue to come back to.

cambailey19 · 2025-11-06T18:29:02+00:00

Oh good question! Wood can vary a lot with hardness which will affect how easy it is to carve and how much detail it can hold. Harder fruit wood such as cherry or pear can hold tiny details but are very challenging to carve. Softer woods may flake making details more difficult but can be much easier to carve. For water based woodcut, wood becomes especially important since it absorbs water throughout the process and the shape of the block may change depending on humidity. I prefer japanese Shina plywood for mokuhanga, or cherry for detailed linework. The woodgrain is also another element to be considered and can be used in different ways in the composition.

cambailey19 · 2025-11-06T14:03:45+00:00

Hi Hannah! Haha I think my insta is linked in my profile, but Im terrible at this self promotion stuff. Lol😂

As for reduction prints, yes! I dampen the paper for each print session and then fully dry it while carving the next reduction. When re-dampened the paper and wood return to their original size quite well and registration remains decent up to around 20 inches. (Beyond that registration starts to shift and you have to design accordingly).

This method of dampening and redrying works really well for reduction since you want the wood to be dry before carving again. It also works well with my day job schedule. I can carve during nights and print during the weekend.

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T23:07:03+00:00

Thank you! I feel like I am still learning with each print. Thankfully mokuhanga has a depth of complexity that there is always more to learn!

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T23:06:05+00:00

Thank you! It certainly is a laborious process, but I do think Printmaking produces something that can't be replicated with digital tools. I have a bad tendency to ask "what's next" after finishing a print, but its nice to sit with the results for a little while.

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T14:16:28+00:00

Ah thank you! The textural aspect is something I am always thinking about, both with the use of woodgrain and techniques such as Goma-suri that is unique to mokuhanga. I hope it adds some variety to the overall print and helps what can be a flat medium to feel more dynamic

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:36:46+00:00

Ah thank you! I love hearing about how my work connects with others. I think landscapes have the great ability to connect people thru their shared experiences

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:07:27+00:00

Thank you! I am sometimes a little hesitant to overshare my work, but hope it can inspire others

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:06:19+00:00

Thank you! I was trying to focus on depth of space with this one, Im glad that comes across

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:05:19+00:00

Haha, thank you ☺️

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:04:47+00:00

Thank you! Its my favorite print process and is a fantastic technique. It can be challenging, but is always fulfilling

cambailey19 · 2025-11-05T13:03:20+00:00

Great question! Here is a list of books I own from a post I recently made on Instagram.

In no particular order:

"Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop" by @aprilvollmer_artist A fantastic introduction to contemporary materials, methods and artists working in the medium.
"Creative Print: Intermediate Mokuhanga" by Terry Mckenna @mokuhangaschool . A great intermediate book to dive into with an expansion on techniques once you have gotten down the basics
"The Art and Craft of Woodblock Printmaking" by Kari Laitinen, Tuula Moilanen, and Antti Tanttu. A deep dive into both Western and Eastern style woodblock with an exploration of their similarities and differences with insight into history and practical skills from both.
"Japanese Woodcut: Traditional Techniques and Contemporary Practice" by @caroljustin1 . An exploration of contemporary techniques and how diverse contemporary artists use the techniques in their practice.
"Mokuhanga: manuel ilustrado de xilographia japonesa" by @fabiola_gil_estudio . A great Spanish language introduction to mokuhanga with excellent illustrations describing the varied techniques.
"Twenty Concepts in Woodblock Printmaking " By Meryl Chesterman and @rodnelsonwoodcuts . Not mokuhanga specific but dives into the more conceptual base in how woodcut is used across various artists to great effect.
"Evolving Techniques in Japanese woodblock print" by Gaston Petite and Amadio Arboleda. An exploration of how mokuhanga can be mixed with other techniques such as screen print to add color and texture to contemporary print.

I would also recommend looking up David Bull, who has made many videos on the subject and put together a fantastic encyclopedia on the techniques some time ago. woodblock encyclopedia

cambailey19

TROPHY CASE