Got Wood 3: It Got Bigger

So a few weeks ago, I was talking to my course leader here about the upcoming international students exhibition and what I was planning to exhibit. I showed her all of the work I'd done up until that point; my etchings, my first woodcut, my calligraphy etc. and she was a really big fan of the large, floor calligraphy that I'd done at the beginning of the term. She then came up with the idea that I should do a really large woodcut inspired by one of the kanji that I had drawn, with the goal of exhibiting them side by side in a few weeks time. Though hesitant at first due to the practicalities of taking a print that large home to England, I agreed, and she told me that she would have some wood ready for me to carve by that time next week. Blissfully ignorant of what I was getting into, I went about my business, and the next week I came to class with a design in one hand and my cutting tools in the other. People. This piece of wood was big. Like, the size of a large door big. I then spent the next five hours drawing out my design onto tracing paper, transferring it to the wood and then painting it with watercolour so that I would know which areas to cut and which areas to leave be.

"Job well done!" I thought, "Now all I've got to do is carve it out and I'll be ready to print!"

Foolish child. If only it were so simple.

Based on the size of the previous woodcuts that I had done and how long it took me to cut them, I conservatively estimated that it would take me about 1 uni day - 12 hours at the most.

I could not have been more wrong.

I then spent every free moment during the course of the next week working diligently until my Thursday class rolled around again and, even though I hadn't finished carving yet, I asked my teacher when I'd be able to print so that I'd know when to have it finished by. One thing I should mention at this point is that I was going to be printing in oil based inks, which usually take about a week to dry (depending on the paper) and I had about two weeks until I had to display it in the exhibition, so I knew that I'd have to get it printed in the next few days if it was going to be dry in time. Somehow, we agreed to print the next day at 5pm and, though I was excited at first, I suddenly realised I had to finish cutting the wood if I had any hope of printing it. Cue headphones and intense music. Luckily, I managed to finish it the following day by 3pm, racking up a total of 25 hours of carving; more than double what I had previously estimated. The truth is, though size obviously has an influence on how long it takes you to cut a piece of wood, the complexity of the image is really what makes a difference. Though the images of the previous two woodcuts I had done were very different, they were both made up of mostly straight(ish) lines, whilst this one was riddled with curves which are incredibly hard to carve into wood. It's safe to say, though, that I've learned my lesson.

"Well all I've got to do now is print!" I thought, "At least the hard bit is over and done with!"

Foolish child. If only it were so simple.

You see, because my woodcut was so large, we had to print it by hand, which involves using a baren to essentially massage the paper onto the wood so that the ink transfers to make your print. Not only this, but due to it's size, we had to print on the floor. I am not made for working on the floor. I may be only 21 years old but I have the mind and knees of a 50 year old. We didn't actually start until 6.30pm, but two and a half hours later, my teacher, her assistant and I had successfully managed to produce two prints! As proud as I was of them, at that point I was honestly more excited to go home to bed.

For those of you who were wondering, the drawing, cutting and printing added up to a total of 32.5 hours for 2 prints. If I work for a wage of £10 an hour and include material costs, that would make each print worth £169.50. Any takers? I'm not sure Ikea does a 1mx2m frame though...

So was it worth the multiple injuries, hand strain, exhaustion and 32.5 hours work? Hmmm, probably. I mean, I got to do the largest and most challenging print I've done in my entire life and I doubt I would have had the space (or the hours in the day) to do this back in England. And I am really pleased with the outcome, but forgive me for refraining from doing this again until I have a large printing press to hand!