How do Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Wood Engravings Differ?

By Jim Hingst 
@hingst_jim

In discussing relief printing with blocks of wood, three similar terms used are often misused. These are “woodblock”, “woodcut” and “wood engraving”.  Admittedly I have used woodblock and woodcut interchangeably, although I was well aware of the distinctions. To use Hillary Clinton’s phrase, “what difference does it make?” To the purists in the printing field, the differences are significant.  To avoid any criticism from quibblers, you should be aware of the traditional definitions.

Woodblock Printing.

Woodblock printing refers to the type of relief printing that the Japanese and Chinese practiced using water based inks.  What’s more, the term refers to a specific process of printing practiced according to the traditions of these Eastern peoples. The tools, materials and methods used in the Japan and China were very different than those used in the West.

Many artists today still practice the ways of their ancestors in printing with woodblocks. Traditionally, a key block is cut, which defines the outlines of the images. After printing the key block with black ink, the print has the appearance of a coloring book line work. Prior to the 18^th century, woodblock prints were hand colored.

Hand coloring was later replaced by printing the colors, one color at a time. After printing several impressions of the key block, allowing for at least one print for each color, the prints are then pasted onto other woodblocks and carved.

Many of the Oriental prints that fascinated European and American collectors exhibited gradations of color, which revealed the still and artistry of the woodblock printer. These subtle color gradations were achieved by the way the block is inked. Unlike European artists, who use a brayer or roller to apply the ink to the wood, the Japanese artist uses a brush which allows him more latitude in how the ink is applied to the woodblock. Printing of one transparent layer over another also enhanced the complexity of color that the Japanese artist could achieve.   

 

Note the beautifully subtle gradation of colors in the print
by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist, Hiroshige. (Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons, PD-1923.)  

Woodcut Prints.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
woodcut by Albrecht Dürer in his series Apocalypse  (c.1498)(Public domain, PD-1923.)

Woodcuts are also a form of relief printing. Perhaps the biggest difference with woodblock printing is that the Japanese used water based inks, while the European artists used oil based inks. These water based inks are transparent, producing a very soft and airy visual appearance that is similar to the effects achieved by water colorists. Oil based inks used in the West are usually opaque. Areas of color are more defined and bolder, as well as being more durable. During the period, when Dürer and Holbein produced their woodcuts, prints were black and white line work.

Woodcut depicting Otto Mueller
by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938) 
(Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, PD-1923.) 

The other significant difference between woodblock and woodcut prints is the printing process.  Carving of woodcuts was accomplished with the same type of woodcarving gouges used in relief carving or wood sculpture. Instead of using brushes to ink the printing block, Western artists used brayers.

Video about woodcuts

Wood Engraving.

The third relief printing process, which involves printing with a wooden block, is wood engraving. All three processes involve removing wood from the printing block. Both woodblocks and woodcuts are carved in a block of wood with a straight grain. In describing the grain of the wood, if a block is cut with a straight grain, it means that the wood is cut in the same direction as the fibers of wood.  

In wood engraving, the artist carves the end grain of the block, which is when the block is cut at a 90° angle against the grain, so that you can see the growth rings of the tree. On the surface, this may seem like a very odd thing to do. It is also very difficult to do. What makes the engraver’s job even more difficult is that hardwood is generally used. So why do engravers carve the end grain?

The reason is that the end grain is very strong. So strong that carving knives were not suitable for wood engraving. Instead, the engraver used the type of tools used for metal engraving. The specialized engraving tools called burins, featured a sharp V-shaped cutting tip that could carve very fine lines into the wood.

The strength of the end grain made it ideal for long production runs in a letterpress. This process was introduced in the 19^th century and was used in the United States in several of the country’s major publications. The advantage of wood engravings was its ability to reproduce the realistic drawings prior to the introduction of halftones used in offset lithography.

Compared to woodblock printing and woodcuts, this art form captured the subtle gradations of value required in printing intricate illustrations as well as fine art drawings. Wood engravings typically were printed with black ink only. 

RELATED ARTICLES

What is Relief Printing?
What are Ukiyo-e Prints?
How Japanese Printmaking Influenced Western Art
The Evolution of Color in Japanese Woodblock Printing

How do Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Wood Engravings Differ?

The Division of Labor in Ancient Japanese Print Production

The Shin-hanga and Sōsaku-hanga Art Movements

Checklist for Relief Printing with Oil Based Ink
Japanese Carving Tools for Woodblock Relief Printing
Japanese Carving Knives for Woodblock Printing
Safely Carving Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Linocuts
Linocut Tips
Japanese Papers for Printmaking
How Japanese Mulberry Paper is Made
How Handmade Papers in the West are Made
Selecting a Brayer for Relief Printing
Selecting Wood for Relief Printing
Selecting an Ink for Relief Printing
Inking the Woodblock Panel
Clean Up After Relief Printing

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2017 Jim Hingst