Raluca Iancu: Japanese Scroll Books

Workshop Description

During this two-day workshop, students will learn how to create traditional Japanese scroll books from beginning to finish, using traditional Japanese materials, including the Japanese Urauchi technique for backing cloth. The instructor will bring materials from Japan for this workshop (end caps for scrolls, clasps, cords, and cloth).

Students will learn how to: determine grain direction for paper and cloth, back the cloth with paper (Urauchi), cut and combine several sheets into one continuous piece of paper, carve the wood dowel for the scroll book roller (jiku), prepare the cover, and assemble all the elements together into a Japanese handscroll, or scroll book. Each student will complete one Japanese scroll book by the end of the workshop. 

Students are encouraged to bring finished prints or drawings to bind into their books; the book height will be 9″.

Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Students

• X-Acto knife
• Bonefolder
• Awl
• Pencil
• Ruler (12″ or 18″)
• Glue brush (½″ flat)
• Cutting mat (minimum 12″ x 18″)
• Optional:
  • Original art

See Materials Glossary for definitions and images

Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Instructor

• Paper
• Wood dowels
• Glue
• Glue brushes
• Bookcloth
• Clasps
• Cords
• Carving knives
• Craft irons
• Plexi for the Urauchi technique

Instructor Biography

Raluca Iancu is currently an Associate Professor in Art & Visual Culture—Printmaking at Iowa State University (ISU). She earned her MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, Canada. Recent awards include a 2025 Art Project grant from the Iowa Art Council, a 2024 Bridging the Gap Interdisciplinary Grant (ISU), and a 2024 Polster Teaching Award from the College of Design (ISU). Her work investigates disaster, memory, and vulnerability through different media, ranging from printmaking to performance, edible art, and printed objects.

Instagram: @raluca_iancu