Posted by Thomas Crossland on August 22, 2001 at 13:11:17:
In Reply to: I am ignorrant, forgive me. posted by Ed Tsunoda on August 21, 2001 at 14:02:09:
Hi Ed,
Your red and black ink sketches are “preparatory drawings,” the first step in the production of multi-color woodblock prints. Their correct storage would involve simply avoiding contact with acid-containing materials, excessive moisture, and mechanical damage.
In producing these “preparatory drawings”, Yoshitoshi’s first step was to quickly sketch his design using a thin wash of red/orange ink (“beni”) as this lighter color would allow for subsequent “corrections” to be easily made using the final/darker black ink. Interestingly, you will note that Yoshitoshi (as a consummate artist) often FIRST drew his human figures as unclothed bodies—then, only when “satisfied” with their correct anatomical appearance would he next add their external “clothing” as a next step.
Then typically when satisfied with the overall artistic result , as a followup step a much more accurate final finished black ink drawing (known as a “hanshita-e”) would be produced which could then be passed on to the actual block carver.
Of course, few original “hanshita-e” exist today since they are destroyed in the actual woodblock production process where they were GLUED upside down onto the flat surface of an uncarved cherrywood block. The carver then began his tedious and very exacting task of carving (through this glued paper’s surface) along both edges of all the sketch’s lines, resulting in only very thin, raised wooden edges left standing in relief. What remained then was known as the wooden “keyblock” which was used to print the BLACK outlines seen in the final woodblock print.
As a final step to produce a multi-color woodblock print, by inking this “keyblock” with black ink, several black-outlined copies are printed (again onto thin papers) which after being dried are similarly glued facedown (always reversed) onto the surfaces of the additional, yet-uncarved woodblocks. The various areas between these black lines then define the boundaries of each INDIVIDUAL color. Again, the carver then carves away much of the surfaces of these various woodblocks—one woodblock for EACH color required—in each case leaving standing (to be later inked) the various areas needed to print that specific color.
Hopefully, all of this better explains how your “sketches” fit into the entire woodblock production process.