Photoshop & traditional skills : MAKE WOODBLOCK STYLE PRINTS

Tom Foster demonstrates how to replicate the gorgeous look of a traditional Japanese woodblock print

- Tom Foster

Although Japanese woodblock printmaking is a tradition that goes back several centuries, it's an aesthetic that tends to look timeless - particularly the Shin Hanga prints of the early 20th century. The tightly rendered line work has so much in common with contemporary western artists like Frank Quitely and Chris Burnham, that it's easy to imagine it appearing in the pages of a modern comic book. But there are a few tell-tale signs that betray the age of the originals and it's these I'll be focusing on here, in order to mimic the style.

On its own, trying to create an authentic-looking period piece might be an interesting technical exercise, but it may not be all that interesting to anyone other than a specialist, so I've opted to add some futuristic touches to the subject matter. I think these bits of futurism with the traditional-looking style make for a nice contrast.

Traditionally, the artwork for a print like this would be painstakingly carved out of wooden blocks. Since I have absolutely no experience in the field of engraving (and none of the appropriate tools), I'll instead be doing the line work with pens and brushes, then using Photoshop for the colouring. I'll only be using a small Wacom One graphics tablet and the default Photoshop Pencil tool for the digital work - no custom brushes. Right, let's get to it!

1 Concept sketch

I start out with a rough concept sketch, just to establish the main elements of the image. In my comics work, this would normally just be a pencil sketch, but since colour is going to be so important to the mood of the picture, I add a quick dash of colour in Photoshop.

2 Source reference