Yakisugi
As part of my MA and printmaking practice, I've been investigating different ways to enhance and raise grain in the wood I'm using for prints.
The first method I used involved brushing the surface of the wood with a wire brush. This works, although I've found that you often pick up incidental texture from the brush itself (small scratches etc). I think my brush was a bit too abrasive - I'm going to invest in a softer one!
The next technique is called yakisugi (-ita) (焼杉板) , or sometimes shou sugi ban (both meaning 'burnt cedar') . It's a traditional Japanese method which involves charring/scorching wood in order to preserve and weather-proof the surface. It is not strictly a process designed for pintmaking; its used widely in architecture (wall cladding and interiors) in Japan. However, it also produces some very beautiful effects when used in relief prints.
The process and results are really quite special, not to mention the stunning pieces of wood you are left with once the process is complete.
The two pieces I started the process with were (left) a piece of pine (reclaimed shelving!) which I carved, and a cross section of wood I pinched from my dad's wood shed. I'm not at all sure if the cross section will burn or print evenly due to chainsaw marks and an uneven surface but experimentation is how you find these things out!
Both pieces were dried thoroughly before beginning the process since damp wood will not scorch effectively. Burning the surface is done using a blowtorch. Keep the flame moving over the surface to get an even result.
The surface will begin to char and will then crack slightly. At this point, you're done. I found that the knots (visible in the pine piece) were tricky due to sap rising to the surface and bubbling when I used the blowtorch (Pic below left). We'll see how it impacts the printing once I've finished the process...
Once the burning is done and the wood has cooled, it needs to be brushed along the grain to remove the burnt wood and reveal the grain for printing.
This is already quite a long post so I'll follow this up with another to show the results and how I've used them in some artwork so far.
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