About Colour Woodcuts: A woodcut involves cutting out portions of side grain often fruit wood planks. Tools used are gouges and knives. The areas left on the surface are inked and printed by hand or prepared for the press. Colour woodcutting involves cutting multiple blocks, one for each colour. The printing process involves strict registration as each colour is printed in succession over the last. A key block of general outlines is common. Further colour effects are obtained by the layering of transparent and translucent inks from blocks designed to overlap. Japanese colour woodcuts have been long admired for their mastery.