ween each
impression, so that the wood gives up its colour more readily. In the
case of a very heavy colour such as vermilion a drop of glue and water
may help; but with practically all the colours that are generally used
the rice paste and careful printing are enough.

The amount of size in the paper is another important factor in the
printing of colour. If the paper is too lightly sized the fibres will
detach themselves and stick to the damp block. Or if too heavily sized
the paper will not take up the colour cleanly from the block, and will
look hard when dry. One very soon feels instinctively the right quality
and condition of the block, colour, and paper which are essential to
good printing; and to print well one must become sensitive to them.

PRINTING OF GRADATIONS

Beside the printing of flat masses of colour, one of the great resources
of block printing is in the power of delicate gradation in printing.
The simplest way of making a gradation from strong to pale colour is to
dip one corner of a broad brush into the colour and the other corner
into water so that the water just runs into the colour: then, by
squeezing the whole width of the brush broadly between the thumb and
forefinger so that most of the water is squeezed out, the brush is left
charged with a tint gradated from side to side. The brush is then dipped
lightly into paste along its whole edge, and brushed a few times to and
fro across the block where the gradation is needed. It is easy in this
way to print a very delicately gradated tint from full colour to white.
If the pale edge of the tint is to disappear, the block should be
moistened along the surface with a sponge where the colour is to cease.

A soft edge may be given to a tint with a brush ordinarily charged if
the block is moistened with a clean sponge at the part where the tint is
to cease. This effect is often seen at the top of the sky in a Japanese
landscape print where a dark blue band of colour is printed with a soft
edge suddenly gradated to white, or sometimes the plumage of birds is
printed with sudden gradations. In fact, the method may be developed in
all kinds of ways. Often it is an advantage to print a gradation and
then a flat tone over the gradation in a second printing.

OFFSETTING

No care need be taken to prevent "offsetting" of the colour while
printing. The prints may be piled on the top of each other immediately
as they are lifted from the block, without fear