History behind woodcut printing

Different arts and crafts carry different values of the culture and traditions they come from. It is quite significant how people can convey their thoughts and beliefs through their arts. From the beginning age of human civilization, arts and crafts have been very important to their respective nations. Among the methods of arts and crafts, woodcut printings have always carried a significant existence. People use it for different purposes depending on their interests. Some people use these woodcut printings as an important element of the decoration of their home and office areas. Some people just collect different types and designs of woodcut printing as a collector’s hobby to appreciate the unique and creative crafts of different and famous woodcut artists. Regardless of the type of user, woodcut printing has created a unique interest among the people who love and appreciate arts and crafts. You can find different types of woodcut crafting in online stores or local art stores to choose from according to your taste.

 

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Chinese people were the first ones to introduce the woodcut print methods. They started woodcut printing for religious purposes around the 5th century. But they could not become the prominent designers of this art. The art then passed to the Japanese people. They learned the techniques of woodcut crafting and came up with some new techniques of their own. From that time to present, Koreans are the ones who are producing and selling the most prized woodcut printings now.

 

At first, woodcut printings were supposed to be created in black and white and it became the rule. But from time to time the techniques evolved and new patterns were created for woodcut prints. Japanese people introduced woodcut prints in three colors. As time advanced, the designs of woodcut printing became sophisticated as people had new ideas to implement in their art works. People started to follow their respective techniques to make their very own unique woodcut prints. For example, change of shades is one of the vital differences between the western and oriental designs of woodcut. Some people use brushes with water colors same as painting to achieve the required shades. On the other side, others use the depth of curved designs in the wood block and their engraving for their desired shades.

 

During the middle ages, people used woodcut printing for fabric designs around Europe. They also used these printings in playing cards and religious pictures. The increase of usage of woodcut prints happened when the movable types were introduced. It increased the amount of woodcut printing in history books and bibles as well. The invention of photography has reduced the use of woodcut printings. No one uses woodcut prints for mass-production purposes anymore. But still people are hanging on this form of art.