Workshop: Mokuhanga Holiday Card Printing for Kids

Date: Sunday, December 3rd, 2023

Time: 1:00-3:00 pm K-3rd graders / 4:00-6:00 pm 4th-8th graders

Where: Whitman College, room TBD.

Cost: Free. Sponsored by Sheehan Gallery

Registration: To sign up for a spot contact Ben Selby at selbyb@whitman.edu by November 20th. 10 spots are available in each section.

In this two-hour workshop kids will use laser carved relief blocks to print their own original images by hand using traditional mokuhanga techniques! Participants must send in their drawings by November 24th to give us enough time to laser carve the blocks. Detailed and easy to follow instructions will be given once you sign up.

What is Mokuhanga? The word mokuhanga 木版画 broken down into its characters can be translated as 木 wood, 版 printing block, 画 picture. This traditional Japanese relief printmaking process uses water-based inks and is always printed by hand, unlike western style woodcuts. Increasing concerns about health and safety in art practices has made this non-toxic process increasingly popular over the last few decades. Laser carved wood relief blocks, like we will be using in this workshop, are a new innovation many artists are beginning to adopt.