Pigment dispersed in a water and rice paste are placed on the block and smoothed across the surface with a brush that looks similar to a shoe brush. Areas that are not to be printed are cut away, leaving a raised surface, as in the principle of a stamp. Initially, the artist carves a block of wood for each color to be printed. To move from the inspiration of the sketch to the mechanics of the print requires thoughtful organization of color and space. The process, however, is labor intensive for the artist, who must undertake the roles of designer, carver, and printer. Wood, water, paper, pigment, paste, and simple carving and rubbing implements are all that is needed to make a print. Japanese woodblock printmaking, moku (wood) hanga (print), is distinguished from other printmaking techniques by the simplicity of material involved in its creation.
