The making of Baa | Woodcut Print | Original Handmade

sudesha flaunting her Baa print

I remember those days when Potters used to come carrying the clay pots they made.  I recall them from my childhood. They were wearing traditional clothes; Daura and Surwal (it’s the national dress of Nepal).

Gradually they were replaced by the people carrying Aluminium utensils.

They used to sell the utensils, and also exchange our old utensils with the new ones. But these days we barely find  Baa coming to sell anything at all. The ancient tradition seems to disappear along with the time and modernization it brought.

Baa is no longer selling all those items. There are few places where people still make these pots. But the rest, they do not remember that Baa even exists or not.

So I am doing this art to preserve our history. History is forgotten and replaced. Overlooked by our generation and replaced by the plastic. We should always look back to what we were.

Below I have tried to explain how I did the woodcut print of Baa. Any art enthusiasts can carefully follow these steps and carve out their own prints as well.

Process

Step 1

First, I took the measurements of the woodblock onto my paper. On the paper, I did the preliminary sketch of the photo that I had downloaded from the internet.

After I completed the sketch, I traced the outline with the help of carbon paper/ tracing paper on the woodblock. We must be very careful at this step because the traced image must be the opposite of the original image. It’s only then the final image which we will print on paper will come just like the original sketch we did.

Then I worked on the sketch furthermore on my traced image on the woodblock.  I planned to work with lines only. Hence I used a black marker with a thin tip to create lines and patterns on the woodblock.

 

 

 

Step 2

After completing all the preliminary sketches, I started carving away the negative space (unwanted portions). This process will remove all the unwanted wood leaving only the outlines.

I have a special woodcut tool. One can always make a costume tool at any local tool making places. But they are a little hard to work with because of the shape. They are generally long and thin, without any handle.

       

Always use both hands. Using both hands gives us an advantage of tool handling. The tool may sometimes slip and carve out our sketch. Using both hands gives one the benefit of just enough pressure needed to carve.

I did not rush. I made sure that the pressure I am putting onto does not damage the woodcut. This process may take a couple of days (depending upon the details of the print). If one is not careful, one can damage the wood and have to start from the beginning (on a new block of wood).

 

Step 3

Don’t get shy to ask for help if needed.

Printmaking is not an easy task. It is very tiresome. For this particular print, I took help from my friend, CA Sandeep Gautam. He is an art enthusiast and has keen interest in learning the art skills. With his help, I saved a day. And saving a day means I could brainstorm for a new print, or do some research.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4

Once I finished all the carving, I started coloring.

For this process, we need special printmaking colors. We cannot use generic colors available in the market.

There are various printmaking colors for different printmaking mediums. It’s the best practice to use a specific ink for one particular printmaking method.

First, I mixed the color with a little Linseed oil. This mixing makes the color a little soft. Then I used a roller to color my wood. I took a fair amount of color on my roller and rolled that onto the top of the woodcut. As you see here, the carved portions are colorless, and only the sketch outline has color.

After this, I lay down the wood and put the paper on top of it.

I was very careful while doing so. If placed slightly off, the print might not be parallel to the paper and might effect while framing.

So always measure the wood and paper and make sure that there is enough space. If confused, always make a Registration.

It ensures that each time we do a print, we have the print at the center of the paper.

 

After placing the paper on to the woodcut very carefully, I started rubbing the back of the paper, gently. This gentle pressure transfers the color from the woodcut onto the paper.

I wanted to do a grey color print. So I mixed black and white and made an impression. But it did not come out as I had imagined. The color ultimately blended into the Nepali Lokta Paper and it seemed faded. So I went with black instead.

The moment of reveal!

I then pulled out the paper very slowly. We know only now how our hard work comes out. We know where we have missed carving or where we overworked.

                 

 

 

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I remember those days when Potters used to come carrying the clay pots they made.  I recall them from my childhood. They were wearing traditional clothes; Daura and Surwal (it’s the national dress of Nepal).

Gradually they were replaced by the people carrying Aluminium utensils.

They used to sell the utensils, and also exchange our old utensils with the new ones. But these days we barely find  Baa coming to sell anything at all. The ancient tradition seems to disappear along with the time and modernization it brought.

Baa is no longer selling all those items. There are few places where people still make these pots. But the rest, they do not remember that Baa even exists or not.

So I am doing this art to preserve our history. History is forgotten and replaced. Overlooked by our generation and replaced by the plastic. We should always look back to what we were.

Below I have tried to explain how I did the woodcut print of Baa. Any art enthusiasts can carefully follow these steps and carve out their own prints as well.

Process

Step 1

First, I took the measurements of the woodblock onto my paper. On the paper, I did the preliminary sketch of the photo that I had downloaded from the internet.

After I completed the sketch, I traced the outline with the help of carbon paper/ tracing paper on the woodblock. We must be very careful at this step because the traced image must be the opposite of the original image. It’s only then the final image which we will print on paper will come just like the original sketch we did.

Then I worked on the sketch furthermore on my traced image on the woodblock.  I planned to work with lines only. Hence I used a black marker with a thin tip to create lines and patterns on the woodblock.

 

 

 

Step 2

After completing all the preliminary sketches, I started carving away the negative space (unwanted portions). This process will remove all the unwanted wood leaving only the outlines.

I have a special woodcut tool. One can always make a costume tool at any local tool making places. But they are a little hard to work with because of the shape. They are generally long and thin, without any handle.

       

Always use both hands. Using both hands gives us an advantage of tool handling. The tool may sometimes slip and carve out our sketch. Using both hands gives one the benefit of just enough pressure needed to carve.

I did not rush. I made sure that the pressure I am putting onto does not damage the woodcut. This process may take a couple of days (depending upon the details of the print). If one is not careful, one can damage the wood and have to start from the beginning (on a new block of wood).

 

Step 3

Don’t get shy to ask for help if needed.

Printmaking is not an easy task. It is very tiresome. For this particular print, I took help from my friend, CA Sandeep Gautam. He is an art enthusiast and has keen interest in learning the art skills. With his help, I saved a day. And saving a day means I could brainstorm for a new print, or do some research.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4

Once I finished all the carving, I started coloring.

For this process, we need special printmaking colors. We cannot use generic colors available in the market.

There are various printmaking colors for different printmaking mediums. It’s the best practice to use a specific ink for one particular printmaking method.

First, I mixed the color with a little Linseed oil. This mixing makes the color a little soft. Then I used a roller to color my wood. I took a fair amount of color on my roller and rolled that onto the top of the woodcut. As you see here, the carved portions are colorless, and only the sketch outline has color.

After this, I lay down the wood and put the paper on top of it.

I was very careful while doing so. If placed slightly off, the print might not be parallel to the paper and might effect while framing.

So always measure the wood and paper and make sure that there is enough space. If confused, always make a Registration.

It ensures that each time we do a print, we have the print at the center of the paper.

 

After placing the paper on to the woodcut very carefully, I started rubbing the back of the paper, gently. This gentle pressure transfers the color from the woodcut onto the paper.

I wanted to do a grey color print. So I mixed black and white and made an impression. But it did not come out as I had imagined. The color ultimately blended into the Nepali Lokta Paper and it seemed faded. So I went with black instead.

The moment of reveal!

I then pulled out the paper very slowly. We know only now how our hard work comes out. We know where we have missed carving or where we overworked.

                 

 

 

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