ZHANG FUMING
Artist / Printmaker
About Woodcut Printmaking
Woodcut printmaking is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression, involving the carving of a design into a wooden block, inking it, and printing by hand. This technique allows me to create multiple original prints from a single block, each retaining the natural texture and unique qualities of the wood.
In Singapore, woodcut gained prominence during the Social Realist movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Artists used this method to reflect the lives of the working class and raise social awareness. Today, while I honor the traditions of those early pioneers, my approach also incorporates contemporary themes and aesthetics. This blend of the old and new brings fresh relevance to the practice, making each edition both a tribute to history and a reflection of today.
My process is fully manual, from carving the blocks to hand-printing each piece using a wooden spoon. This allows for intimate control over the final outcome, embracing the materiality of the block while introducing modern influences that keep the practice evolving.
How I Work:
Design & Carving – I begin with a drawing, carefully drawing it onto the block before carving it with traditional woodcut tools like gouges and knives.
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A collection of carving knives and gouages.
A drawn woodblock in the process of being carved.
Inking – Printing ink is applied to the block’s surface with a roller called Brayer, ensuring the raised areas are inked while leaving the carved-out sections untouched. Dependant on the wood choice & quality, some wood offers more textured grains then others.
Applying of printing ink with a brayer. If the block is too big, it may be easier to work directly on the floor.
Detail shot of a inked block. The non-white areas are carved, creating a negative space untouched by ink.
Printing – A piece of paper is carefully laid on top of the ink block, I hand press them using a wooden spoon. This manual printing process brings out the unique texture of the wood and allows for subtle variations in every edition.
This method takes time, the biggest piece could take anywhere between 4-8 hours. It is especially more difficult and labour intensive as your paper sheets get bigger and heavier requiring more pressure to make a clean transfer.
The Printmakers' dream is of course to print all our creations with a Printing Press. However it might not be readily available, or our blocks may simply be too big for a press. By hand printing, you learn intimate detail of the materials you work with.
A woodcut and it's finished print. The wooden spoon is used to burnish the paper against the block to transfer
the ink.