Sometimes I do away with the tracing on paper, and draw the outline directly on minogami for the block. The direct application often produces excellent lines. Sometimes errors are made in so doing, but one can always correct such by pasting paper over them. Before I actually make a drawing, I sometimes consult members of my family, by merely describing to them in words what sort of a picture I have in mind. It is important that the lines should be clear and definite.
Ink is to be avoided, for it blurs when the paper is pasted face down on the block to be cut.
When taking a pen, sumi should be used. When the drawing is ready, the artist must not be hasty in pasting this sen-gaki on the block and proceeding to cut lines. One should hang it on the wall for a number of days and contemplate it, thinking about the later processes which must eventually follow. If one is too hasty, and it is found necessary to alter or add something afterward, it will be extremely difficult to make the change. It is very essential that one should give all the thought possible just here, before pasting the sen-gaki on the block for cutting.