![]() When the printing is complete, the prints are left to dry in such away that they remain flat. Often, one color may be printed more than once to achieve a certain effect and so a print may be labeled as having been produced from three blocks but five impressions. Each color is printed on each piece of paper before moving on to the next color-for example, if the you were making 10 prints of a design using two colors, you would print the 10 sheets of one color before proceeding to print the second color. These notches are referred to as kento marks and consist of an "L" shaped notch on the right-hand side of the block and a straight, horizontal, notch on the left-hand side of the block. ![]() Each sheet of paper is registered-so that all the colors/designs match-up-using a set of carved notches on the wood block. Subsequent colors/designs are applied in a similar fashion until all colors/designs have been printed. Then, the already dampened paper is placed on top and burnished with the baren (a Japanese tool consisting of a disc made from layers of "washi" or Japanese paper, which sits on a braided coil of bamboo rope and covered with a bamboo sheath), transferring the raised design to the paper. Additionally a binder made from rice or wheat paste is mixed with the ink while on the board. Water-based ink is applied onto the carved block using specifically designed Japanese horsehair (or boarhair) brushes, rather than a brayer. A different block of wood is carved for each color to be printed. As with any relief print, the parts of the design not to be printed are carved away. This type of wood combines an ease of carving with the ability to hold a fair amount of detail. Today, cherry planks are expensive and also slightly difficult for a beginner to carve and while other woods can be used, shina plywood (a Japanese basswood) is often used. To create a Japanese woodblock print, designs are drawn on planks of wood, traditionally, cherry planks were used. The paper is also printed while dampened rather than dry, as occurs with Western printing press techniques. A Japanese woodcut is a form of relief printing in which each color of the final print is carved on a separate piece of wood and each color is registered to the single piece of paper using "kento" marks and the pressure is applied using a "baren" (a bamboo covered disc) rather than a printing press. Relief prints are prints in which designs are carved in wood and all the material that is not going to be printed is carved away, thus leaving the design on the wood block "in relief." This relief surface is then inked and paper is printed under pressure, transferring the ink (and design) to the paper resulting in an original print.
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