Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
In this video, Tokyo-based printmaker Dave Bull shows the entire process of making a batch of woodblock prints from blank paper to finished print - in PPOV style (Printer's Point Of View) - with each of the impressions happening in an uncut, unedited, uninterrupted flow, of ten sheets per colour. The viewers can get a very good feeling for the rhythm of the process, and can see just how the pigment/paste balance is controlled along the way.
00:00:00 Dave's introduction
00:01:52 Impression #1 : Key block : Black
00:13:15 Impression #2 : Distant lines : Teal
00:17:51 Impression #3 : Bamboo : Light green
00:25:36 Impression #4 : Kimono pattern : Red
00:31:04 Impression #5 : Garden fencing : Brown
00:38:58 Impression #6 : Ground / bamboo : Teal
00:50:45 Impression #7 : Shadow tinting : Purple
00:58:53 Impression #8/9 : Sky gradation : Blue (Each sheet twice)
01:22:09 Impression #10 : Sky gradation : Green
01:29:23 Impression #11 : Worker names / Print title : Embossing
The print used for this demonstration is ‘Takeoff’, which was designed for us by Atelier Sento. It is part of our 'Dreams of Future Past’ subscription series; information here:
https://mokuhankan.com/subscriptions/...
The block set was carved for us by Taran Casey, and he produced a video on his own YouTube channel showing _that_ process:
youtube.com/watch?v=XIYfuYO1sHY
[ Note: there is no narration included in this video, in an attempt to bring you into the undisturbed 'world' of a printer's work. Dave will be watching the comments, so drop your questions there, please. (And maybe scan through the comments first, to see if your question has already been answered) ]
There will undoubtedly be questions about the three bowls. They are, from left to right:
- the pigment for that impression (powder pigment mixed with water)
- paste (a starch paste, mixed in water)
- water (used to help 'balance' when the colour starts to get a bit too deep in the prints)
The Mokuhankan website:
mokuhankan.com/index.html
Our Twitch stream (live three times a week):
https://www.twitch.com/japaneseprintm...
The Mokuhankan Patreon:
patreon.com/mokuhankan
In this video, Tokyo-based printmaker Dave Bull shows the entire process of making a batch of woodblock prints from blank paper to finished print - in PPOV style (Printer's Point Of View) - with each of the impressions happening in an uncut, unedited, uninterrupted flow, of ten sheets per colour. The viewers can get a very good feeling for the rhythm of the process, and can see just how the pigment/paste balance is controlled along the way.
00:00:00 Dave's introduction
00:01:52 Impression #1 : Key block : Black
00:13:15 Impression #2 : Distant lines : Teal
00:17:51 Impression #3 : Bamboo : Light green
00:25:36 Impression #4 : Kimono pattern : Red
00:31:04 Impression #5 : Garden fencing : Brown
00:38:58 Impression #6 : Ground / bamboo : Teal
00:50:45 Impression #7 : Shadow tinting : Purple
00:58:53 Impression #8/9 : Sky gradation : Blue (Each sheet twice)
01:22:09 Impression #10 : Sky gradation : Green
01:29:23 Impression #11 : Worker names / Print title : Embossing
The print used for this demonstration is ‘Takeoff’, which was designed for us by Atelier Sento. It is part of our 'Dreams of Future Past’ subscription series; information here:
https://mokuhankan.com/subscriptions/...
The block set was carved for us by Taran Casey, and he produced a video on his own YouTube channel showing _that_ process:
youtube.com/watch?v=XIYfuYO1sHY
[ Note: there is no narration included in this video, in an attempt to bring you into the undisturbed 'world' of a printer's work. Dave will be watching the comments, so drop your questions there, please. (And maybe scan through the comments first, to see if your question has already been answered) ]
There will undoubtedly be questions about the three bowls. They are, from left to right:
- the pigment for that impression (powder pigment mixed with water)
- paste (a starch paste, mixed in water)
- water (used to help 'balance' when the colour starts to get a bit too deep in the prints)
The Mokuhankan website:
mokuhankan.com/index.html
Our Twitch stream (live three times a week):
https://www.twitch.com/japaneseprintm...
The Mokuhankan Patreon:
patreon.com/mokuhankan
