Easily Enjoy Engraving and Printmaking
With commercially available carving knives, you can easily enjoy engraving and printmaking.
Unlike stone, this material is very easy to carve, making it ideal for casually enjoying printmaking.
In addition to postcard prints, you can create various works using Saitama boards such as relief carvings or block prints.
If you carve small designs, they can become cute original stamps, and if you add colors with gansai to the carved letters or surrounding areas, the fun doubles.
Engraving Supplies ColumnKOKUJI Colum
How to Engrave
Easily Enjoy Printmaking with Saitama Boards!
With a Saitama board, anyone can easily carve.
By carving and creating small stamps, you can casually add color to letters, postcards, or New Year’s cards.
Instead of an ordinary nameplate for your entrance, why not decorate with an original one?
Create whatever artwork you like and enjoy the process.
① First, draw the original design for the print. Since prints are generally transferred in reverse,
it’s best to draw the design on another paper and transfer it to the Saitama board using tracing paper or carbon paper.
② Next, carve away the areas other than those you want to keep.
Start by roughly carving out the larger sections.
③ Then, carefully carve the finer details little by little.
Depending on the blade shape of the carving knife—flat, round, or triangular—you’ll get different carved shapes,
so carve gradually and carefully while checking the overall balance of the letters or design.
If the draft lines disappear during the process, redraw them with a pencil as needed.
④ Once the carving is finished, move on to printing.
Use water-based paints, poster colors, or inks for printmaking, and apply the color evenly with a brush or roller.
Place a postcard or paper on top of the inked surface, then put another sheet of paper over it. Using a baren, rub quickly in small circular motions from above.
⑤ Hold one side of the paper to keep it from moving, and check the printing result gradually.
If it is uneven or not fully printed, simply try again.
And now your print is complete.
While larger works may take more time, you can start small by cutting the board into smaller pieces.
Stamping casually in the margins of letters is another unique way to enjoy it.
