GREAT Work, Dave! Where do you keep all carvings whenever they are not in use? Since you have been doing this for decades, you must have quite a collection!

(Dave's reply: Hi Eric, how are the printmaking experiments going? As for the blocks, yes, there are piles of them all over the place here, stacked up in every nook and cranny. Actually, there are some photos of this in my next newsletter, which will be online later this week ...)

Hi Dave, Watching you print your key block now has me wondering about what you are doing...inking the block, putting what appears to be a lot of force into the baren while printing, then rolling the sheet back, re-inking, and then wiping back a small area with a cloth, and reprinting that area. Why are you doing that? After printing, I see you are occasionally using your loupe to examine both the paper and the block...what are you double printing, and what are you checking for? I also can't tell if you are using paste with your black ink - are you?

(Dave's reply: (Break time ... this is difficult work!) I need a double impression on the hair, in order to get it to look black, but that would destroy the face, which needs to be delicate. So here's the drill: (1) run over the entire block first (fairly dense black, with just a hint of paste); (2) use a rolled-up tissue to dab the face, removing most of the pigment; (3) take the impression, going easy on the face, but also trying to get firm on the hair (the baren is specially shimmed for this job, to give it a pronounced curvature); (4) roll back, and re-ink the head area; (5) again, dab off the face, as much as possible; (6) flip back and rub the hair again, trying to avoid the face. As for the loupe, I'm simply inspecting regularly as I go along, because there is no way that I can see how cleanly the eyes, etc. are printed just by looking at it. I'm now finished the first 1/2 of this batch, and will let the block rest for a couple of hours before doing the second half ... (It's a full-face boxwood block, by the way, wonderful to carve, but very difficult to print, as boxwood doesn't hold a nice water balance the way cherry does ...)

Dave, it's been almost 3 years since I sat in that kitchen, drinking hot chocolate (on a surprisingly steamy September day). I never figured it for a sizing factory!
Kudos for taking on yet another part of the process. I hope you don't wind up having to make your own paper too, though I'm sure you'd find a way to pull it off.

(Dave's reply: It's a very nice day for the job today ... clear blue skies ... As for making my own paper, that is something that I am interested in, but common sense has always kept me away from it - it's of course a career in itself. But if the supply of useable paper disappears, then yeah, I guess it'll be time to give it a try - if I live that long!)

Kumano Junisha Shrine, Tsunohazu

This appears to be Hasui's 'Mount Unzen, Hizen' print of 1927. Hard to be sure as your image is reversed and in the rough stages.

So your fourth print is the young girl designed by Kawabata Gyokusho, see David's Choice: Volume 1 :-). Very nice!

(Dave's reply: Yes, and you knew I'd be doing it one day, didn't you!)

Oh! You're working later than usual! Specail push to finish a project?

(Dave's reply: Just the usual ... trying to get the printing of this second batch of the first pair of Mystique prints done ... Three impressions left; can't finish tomorrow, but it should be done the next day.)

Thanks for the view out of your window. Is that blooming tree across the way a flowering cherry?

(Dave's reply: Yes, it's a yamazakura (mountain cherry), the same type that I use for my woodblocks. But it's getting pretty old, and is on an unstable slope over there, so I suspect it might not be there for too many more years ...)

It is a pleasure to watch you printing this morning. I so seldom can be here at exactly the right time. I am looking forward to this new series and to receiving the final Solitudes.
Best regards

(Dave's reply: Anita, thanks for looking in ... Sorry that our time zones don't make it so practical for you! But for the rest of this week I should be here _lots_ ... plugging away at this pair ...)

Very nice carving, Dave. The blocks are works of art in themselves!

Hah! I swear I'm not a stalker, and I'm not up coz my wife kicked me out of bed. I'm in the middle of a killer illustration deadline right now, so it keeps me up till the wee hours. Knowing that you're working half way around the world is comforting somehow. :)

Okay, I can't even guess what those long blocks are for.

(Dave's reply: Hi John ... if you check this post of the RoundTable, you'll see ...)

Wow! The detail work is mind-blowing!

(Dave's reply: Jed, it's 2:30 in the morning where you are ... and you're watching this webcam?? But yeah ... it's nice to be 'back in harness'!)

Thank you for turning the camera out toward your beautiful 景色. So beautiful.

(Dave's reply: Better than watching my 'blue' hands hack away at this block today, I'm sure!)

Glad to see you're back at the webcam! What's this block for? It looks very organic, like the shadows on snow or water.
Have a wonderful evening!

(Dave's reply: It's good to be back at the carving ... those long breaks for printing (and other work) really put a crimp in my technique. Sometimes I feel as though I'm starting from scratch again each time! As for the pattern on this block, all will come clear in due course ... )

Dear mr David Bull .I prepared colors with your method (pigments+eau + alcohol) - Sometimes add you of the nikawa in colors to make more glossy or ever?Thank you very much for your answer.

(Dave's reply: There is no standard rule about putting glue - nikawa - into the pigment mix. I don't use it very much, and in most cases it is not necessary. It is useful in adding 'body' to the colour, and if you want deeply saturated colour, it does help. You also have to ensure that you wash your brushes very carefully, as if you let the glue harden in the brush, it can be very difficult to remove.)

Dear Mr David Bull a question on the nikawa and the sumi juice.
Making bokuju (sumi 'juice') - A typical ratio might be sumi '1', water '1.5', nikawa 'a few spoonfulls'.
Put you the nikawa in the sumi in jar for a long time before using him ? It make mouldy you he? Or it is ca the good smell of the studio? + Of nikawa = +more glossy? What quantity to put in the sumi juice? A spoon has coffee ?Thank you very much for your answer.

(Dave's reply: I'm not quite sure what you are asking ... There is no specific 'recipe' for mixing sumi pigment; it can be made as weak or as strong as you need at any particular moment. I keep two containers with some sumi ground and blended - one 'standard' and one quite thick. I have no experience of it becoming moldy, although there is indeed a certain smell that it gives off - which you also experience when you visit a calligraphy teacher's studio ...)

Hello .Bravo Mister David Bull for your I work .Also engraves some wood in the japonaise.j\' would like to know what is the material of the small carpet under your wood? Thank you very much.

(Dave's reply: It's nothing special ... just a couple of pieces of 'non-slip' mat. Actually, it's a bit too thick, and the wood bounces a bit too much on it; next time I'm in the hardware store, I'll try and remember to look for some thinner stuff ...)

Sorry, Dave. I used the wrong word. After checking the dictionary, I realized that I have used this word improperly. I meant that it looked time-consuming in the sense of being careful to carve the intricate lines. It definitely looks like fun. I never meant that it looks tiresome. Keep up the fine craftsmanship!!

Very tedious work on this one! What is the average time it takes to finish a block with such detail? Looking forward to your CD!!!

(Dave's reply: Well, if 'tedious' is the word that comes to mind when you see a block like this, then perhaps you are going to be in the wrong business! It's very peaceful work ... and the streaming audio from the BBC that's on in the background here helps to make it all very pleasant ... As for how long these take, there is some information on that over on this blog post I made a while back.
(Hope you enjoy the eBook ... they'll be in the post soon ...)

I just enjoyed watching you carve away on the webcam for a couple minutes, and I can see you are using some very fine lines for the close-up part of your design. It is definitely not a spider web :-), but maybe some very delicate grass, flowers or foliage? The protecting paper on your keyblock, is that to avoid accidentally hitting the block with your knife outside the area you are now working on?

(Dave's reply: First day back, and already people are tuning in! No, no spider web on this one, I'm sorry ... (although that was indeed a good idea, and one that has been filed for future consideration.) As for the paper: it wouldn't help if my knife slipped; it's there to stop the pasted-down hanshita paper from being overly abraded by my skin as I turn the block this way and that while carving. (Something I'm not 'supposed' to be doing, but that's another story!). The sizing on that paper isn't so strong, and if the back starts to 'fuzz up' too much, it gets difficult to see the lines for carving. So I just tape a protective sheet over the block, and trim it back bit by bit as I advance across the area of carving.

Dave, I just saw that Boots made an appearance on 5-12-09 - strangely enough she made an appearance on 5-12-08 when I saw her with no appearances seen in between dates! A little strange?? I enjoy the Boots card you sent me then. Thanks-Margie C.

(Dave's reply: Hah! Interesting coincidence! She comes around a lot more than once a year, although I have to admit that in winter her visits are few and far between. Anybody watching this Webcam in January hoping to catch her is probably wasting time! (And there are more 'sightings' that the ones that appear on this page - many people write to me directly, rather than post it here ...)

Ah, the famous Boots has arrived for a visit! She'll have green feet from walking on your block this evening!

(Dave's reply: Yes, now that spring is really here, she's starting to hang around downstairs again. This morning she was just here for a few minutes; luckily she decided not to try taking a nap on top of the stack of paper waiting to be printed, as she sometimes does. (Your 'Where's Boots?' postcard will be in the post soon!)

Dave, could you tell your interested viewers a bit about the blocks that you are using? What size are they (length, width, depth), and how thick are the cherry faces on which you carve your designs?
I was glad to see you are following your usual carving routine - cutting the most intricate and difficult blocks first! This print is going to be very interesting! Dale

(Dave's reply: The blocks of course just match the prints - in this case, they are about 270 x 190mm. Thickness is traditional, around 25mm. They are a dense 15mm plywood base, with a 4~5mm layer of cherry bonded to each face. 4mm is more then deep enough, and it's very rare that I ever cut down far enough to meet the core layer.
As for the 'difficult first' stuff, I've always done it that way ... it makes it much easier to project the schedule, when trying to plan the work for the other people involved (translation, book binding, etc.))

Dave, I don't see anything with respect to properties of the inks you use. What are they about in terms of colorfastness etc.?

(Dave's reply: The term 'ink' isn't really appropriate here; as I'm working almost exclusively with 'raw' powders. As for their 'colourfastness', it's anybody's guess really. The places where I buy these traditional pigments don't seem to have much interest in that topic. What I've found in practice is that they seem to vary quite widely; indigo and the yellows are on the weaker side, prussian blue is OK, vermillion is fairly strong, and the reds I get these days are way worse than the ones I was able to get some years ago. If you've had any experience with picking up prints on eBay - perhaps some of the many Yoshida and Hasui prints from the immediate post-war period coming onto the market in recent years (the ones taken home by the GIs) - you'll see the results. The lesson is pretty clear - woodblock prints are not for hanging up - keep them in portfolios!)

David, I noticed that you are using a loupe to view a portion of the green that you are printing today. What are you looking for? Alignment? Color smoothness? Bark in the paper?

(Dave's reply: Alignment. The lines of the key block on this one are extremely delicate, and with the naked eye, I can't confirm that the colour are actually within the lines properly ...)

Dave, the image is coming along very nicely with the crashing waves and all but I don't see any small boats in the horizon...you promised !

(Dave's reply: I did? Gee Julio, I don't remember that ... are you sure it was me you were talking to? :-)

Hello Dave, Could not catch you on screen for a long time... As a side comment, I fully support John's comments "As my budget is inevitably tightened up these days, I'll be forgetting about eBay and saving up to make another order for your prints." and I also hope your fans will do the same. In the meantime, I look forward to receiving your next marvel.
Kind regards.....Serge

(Dave's reply: It's on most days ... most reliably in the morning here in Tokyo - which unfortunately is past midnight for you in Europe ... Thanks also for the kind comments ...)

Dave, it's great as always to see you working on your next print. I can't wait to see what all those circular shapes turn out to be!

I was thrilled to receive the New Year's print you sent out to all your current customers, and especially so because I'd seen you carving the blind embossed block right here on the webcam. But what really impressed me was the incredible lines in your keyblock. Their fineness and fluidity impressed me, but what had me floored was the fact that you controlled the width of the lines so well, they looked like they'd been drawn with an ink pen. Incredible.

For those of you who haven't paid close attention, those wonderfully thin lines in Dave's prints are the result of *two* cuts - one on each side of the line. It's one thing to carve a thin line, but it's something else entirely to carve a thin line of uniform width. Something like writing your signature twice, and having them look identical. It's impossible, but Dave pulled it off in his New Year's print. The fact that he sends these prints, free of charge, to those who have puchased his prints in the previous year, is just one more reason to support his work.

Dave, thanks as always for the print and for the newsletters that help me feel connected to what you're working on. As my budget is inevitably tightened up these days, I'll be forgetting about eBay and saving up to make another order for your prints. I hope the people who frequent this page will do the same.

hi, dave brazil winter time: 23:25 h glad to see you working you're always there, congratulations! it's a meditation ok? happy new year murilo in florianopolis - santa catarina - brazil

Hi Dave. You're working late. It's the first time I've managed to catch you on the webcam. It's mid-day in the UK, clear and cold. It's great watching another left hander carve.
Happy New Year.

Was watching you work yesterday (your time about 9.30pm). You were clearing unwanted wood to create space, but had left a barrier to protect the fine line work while you did so. Just one of those 'obvious' tricks that one never thinks to do, until we get the chance to see a skilled master at work. Thank you as ever for the sharing.

(Dave's reply: It's part of the general 'three steps' approach to these blocks: cut the lines first, then clear the wide waste areas, then as a final step trim right up to the lines ... (the page here shows the general process ...) Thanks for watching!

Dave, it turns out that the perfect light for viewing woodblock prints is also pretty great for watching you carve a keyblock. And thanks for getting such a close view of you work!

Thank you... for your sharing of knowledge, for spreading the beauty and, as a personal point, for showing me a live example of human universality: an English Canadian living in Japan, hundred of years old art reborn today, crafts and arts 'twisted' together...
Sometimes I'm proud to be a human being and glad to be alive... viewing your site was one of this... all the best!
Malone6x6

(Dave's reply: Thanks for the kind expression of your thoughts ... glad to hear that you have enjoyed my work! (The Webcam will be up and running again from tomorrow, as carving on the next block gets underway ...))

Dave, as someone who has seen it firsthand, the view really *is* that interesting! But you must consider than I'm a Japan geek and have a long list of Japan webcams bookmarked. Looking out your window is more interesting than most of what I see here. ;-)

all the empty promises about the outdoors a little time out the window while you are doing paperwork would be nice. domo domo thank you.
i know that your time is valuable and it takes time to set up the camera . good luck and have a good day.
wayne

(Dave's reply: The problem with that, is that whenever I'm not in the workshop - when I'm having a day upstairs in the 'office' doing paperwork - the computer down there is shut off. But OK, I'll try and leave it running now and then, if the view is _that_ interesting! :- )

Love that bokashi turntable! Gotta make one of those. And three (or is it four) barens.

(Dave's reply: It's fun! And it sure makes it easy to put just the right curve on things sometimes. Here's a page that shows it in action ...) (PS: and there are around a dozen barens in the drawer there ... :-)

That fire light is looking nice and cosy. It's a winner from what I can see

Your website is amazing. I am a somewhat experienced wood cut printer in the western tradition, but, am enthralled with what you are doing. How wonderful and encouraging your website is.

Hi Dave, so working on a quick batch of Heron and Crow I see. How's the Solitudes latest progressing? Any updates soon? Hope you are well and Best wishes

(Dave's reply: It's pretty much done. At least, the first batch of 100 is finished, and is now over at Ichikawa-san's place, where she is busy sewing the books together. After this bit of 'extra' printing for Mokuhankan today and tomorrow, I should be starting the second batch of 100 ...)

Dave! I'm thrilled and would love to receive a print from you!! I've been watching you for years and have a degree in printmaking. I really admire you for sharing your printmaking. ... THANK YOU SO MUCH and give BOOTS a good scratch from me! Margie C.

I just saw BOOTS on your lap and you were petting her. She really is pretty. I am very fond of the print you are currently making. Congratulations.

(Dave's reply: Hey, great! Hey, great! Send me your address, and I'll fire off a print!)

please if would, tell me what you are( were just) thinking now, as you begin to start carving again today. were you saying a prayer?

So much time is spent rotating the block.

So much enjoyment and inspiration from your site and your work. It's great to see the webcam; I am such a wooblock print fanatic but have never seen the actual process. Many thanks for your hard work and dedication.

Hi Dave, After many years this is the first time I've actually seen you printing. I think the Solitudes work is going well. Are you getting good feedback?

I can clearly see the baren in the background, but I have to wonder which part of the printing process requires a crowbar??? ;)

(Dave's reply: You're not the first to ask that! What I was printing that day were the covers for the books in the new Solitudes series. They have a silver pattern printing in a kind of pearl powder. Because that stuff is dry, the paper can easily slip on the block while I rub the back side, so after I lay the paper down, but before rubbing, I but a weight on one edge of it, to hold it securely in place ... That crowbar is just what was handy!)

I was lucky enough to visit Dave back in the middle of September, and I can attest that the studio looks just the same in person as it does on the cam and in the studio construction pictures. We spent a bit of time talking about prints and looking at some of Dave's most impressive collection. After lunch at the udon restaurant across the street, I purchased the Hanga Treasure Chest and thanked Dave for a great afternoon. When I arrived back in the States, the prints were here waiting for me. I gotta tell ya... Dave does a great job photographing his prints, but you've got to see them up close and personal to really appreciate the beauty of these three dimensional objects.

Dave also gave me some great tips on where to find the storied woodblock print dealers in Jimbocho. I hold him personally responsible for causing my credit card to melt down! ;-)

Dave couldn't have been more friendly or more gracious in allowing me to drop in. I don't know how soon I'll get back to Japan, but another visit and another purchase are high on the agenda!

For all the visitors here at Dave's site, I hope you'll consider buying some of Dave's prints. They're more beautiful than you can imagine and a bargain at the price. It doesn't cost a lot to be a patron of the arts!

(Dave's reply: Thanks for the nice 'review' John ... and thanks for the order! For those who are interested, John has created a comprehensive website describing in detail his recent trip around Japan ...)

Hey I have finally caught you at work doing some wonderful wooshey waves! It is lunchtime here and late for you. Lovely work J

Your various websites have inspired me for years. First learning basic techniques from the ebooks and encyclopedia you so generously created and made available, now practice, practice and always learning. These work in progress sets have been inspirational, especially those multi levels of greys before the greens. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing skills and knowledge, you have totally changed my personal art path, and I am grateful. I will never win the Boots prize, I have yet to catch you on the webcam, but live in hope. All the very best with your ventures. Jennifer

Am I really winner ? It sounds impossible! Anyway , thank you. I am keen on your website and especially in you work. Under this influence I have try to make some woodcut. That was really disaster ,far far away from your delicate prints ! I must say it is really hard work AND you must be skilled AND you must be patient !! Now I know it ! My hat is going down before you and your art! Btw. I make a link to your website and mentioned it in my blog : http://sevenplums.blogspot.com/2007/08/happy-months.html . I hope that is not problem.

Hi David! Great to see you printing... I love the way Solitudes is turning out... (#1 I like landscapes & maybe 'cause it reminds me of The Group of Seven) I need to make arrangements with you to subscribe!

It is 2:42am here in Slovakia and from webcamera it seems that Boots is extremely interesting about the process :-)

(Dave's reply: Hey, another winner in the 'Here's Boots' contest! (Reminder to 'winners' that if you let me know your address, I'll get a print off to you right away ... use the Contact link at the bottom of this page ...) Thanks for following along ...)

My lucky day! It\'s 8:20 pm here on the U.S. east coast, and I get to see Dave up bright and early, carving a keyblock! Can\'t beat that!

Now, if you could just train Boots to hold that baren between her paws....you just may have a worthy apprentice !

Well, we certainly know who is in charge around Dave's studio...it's Boots the cat of course...

Dave - So nice to see you producing your Solitudes series.
Best of luck (as always),
-John

Mr. Bull, I have been fascinated with your website ever since I first discovered it. I come back often just to see what you have been up to. Hopefully one of these times I will be able to actually watch you work. You have contributed so much to the woodblock community that I wanted to stop by and thank you for your generous and giving spirit. Traditionally speaking I have always been intrigued by linoleum prints. But now you have inspired me to expand my horizons with woodblock printing as well. I thank you for being you. Sincerely, Sassafrass Winter Solstice

Mr. Bull, It's been a pleasure to watch you work. My best on your new venture and I'm looking forward to seeing your new work!! Any chance of sharing digital photo of your place of inspiration as a reference point to the new works??
Best Regards.

(Dave's reply: Once the new series is under way, the website will be expanded to included views and images of the three places I have chosen. But it's too soon just yet ...
Thanks for following along ...)