Becoming a Blockhead

I started in on Moku Hanga (wood block printing) over the weekend. I was missing woodworking, but that is not a feasible pursuit in a small apartment. Carving the blocks puts my brain and hands in the same vibe as when I was woodworking. It also has that wood smell that is wonderful for woodworking.

So far, I am at the "what is this tool for” stage but learning pretty quickly. Our local 100-yen store has woodblocks and water-based ink. It’s nice to practice and mess up with cheap supplies while I get my head around this. Keeping things black and white for now. Maybe someday I will get into the whole multicolor printing, but for now, one color is fine.

My theme, for now, is drum-related. I thought it would be fun to try and convert some drum photos to prints. It's either that or something with words. Like a single word with chunky letters or something. I don’t know...I am still trying to figure out the tools level. ( ^ . ^ ) \m/

(Right when I pasted that kaomoji, I realized I should carve a kaomoji block.)