Easily Enjoy Engraving and Printmaking
Using commercially available carving knives, you can easily enjoy engraving and printmaking.
Compared to stone, this material is extremely easy to carve, making it perfect for beginners and casual printmaking.
Beyond postcard prints, Saitama boards can be used for relief carving, block printing, and more.
Small carved designs can become charming original stamps, and adding color with gansai to the letters or surrounding areas makes the process even more enjoyable.
Engraving Supplies ColumnKOKUJI Colum
How to Engrave
Easily Enjoy Printmaking with Saitama Boards!
Saitama boards allow anyone to enjoy carving with ease.
By carving small stamps, you can casually add color and originality to letters, postcards, or New Year’s cards.
Why not create an original nameplate for your entryway instead of a standard one?
Enjoy the freedom of creating designs that reflect your own ideas.
① First, design your original print. Since prints are usually transferred in reverse,
draw the design on separate paper and transfer it onto the Saitama board using tracing or carbon paper.
② Carve away the areas you do not want to print, starting with the larger sections.
③ Gradually carve finer details. Different knife shapes—flat, round, or triangular—produce different effects,
so proceed carefully while checking the overall balance of your design.
If guide lines fade, redraw them lightly with a pencil as needed.
④ Once carving is complete, apply water-based paint, poster color, or printmaking ink evenly with a brush or roller.
Place paper or a postcard on top, cover it with another sheet, and rub gently with a baren in circular motions.
⑤ Hold the paper in place, check the print gradually, and reapply pressure if needed.
Your print is now complete.
For quicker projects, try cutting the board into smaller pieces—adding stamped accents to letters is another fun way to enjoy printmaking.
