Here is my latest attempt at moku-hanga, the traditional Japanese technique.
I actually had fun this time! I enjoyed working with transparent colors even though some need to be printed twice for my preferred saturation.
I used the Baren Mall's hanshita paper to transfer the key block to the color blocks, kento and all. Then a mixture of tube watercolors, raw pigment also from the Baren Mall and Akua suspension pigments for tinting.
All in all, a fun image to work with. I tried for "goma" on the tree blocks, but the truth is that I can't control it quite yet. No problems with registration, actually got 46+ good prints out of 48 pieces of New Hosho paper.
When I was a child I used to clim trees, mostly as an escape from the "cliques" and "groupies" that children form around each other. I was a bit of a loner...and a great tree climber! While I was printing with my Murasaki Baren (in dire need of a new skin) I got swept by the rhythm of the printing action and a poem came to me. My husband says it's sad but I didn't really see it that way.
Me in a tree
No one looks up
No one can find me
Or laugh at me
The gory details:
Look at you moku-hanga-ing! Excellent technique - registration looks great, ink consistency terrific, nice blending of colors in your overprinting. And 46 out of 48 is way better than my reject ratio!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your report on the Baren Mall hanshita paper. I haven't yet tried it.
I like the poem, too. And the piece. I'd be happy to have a place like that to retreat to. Great work.
NIce details, haven't tried Hosho paper.......
ReplyDeleteHi Annie, well this is a much! smaller print than yours so my degree of difficulty was lower. Thank you for your nice comments. The Baren Mall hanshita was great; did not buckle or stretch one bit and I only had to correct one kento due to "operator error". Not yet going to invest in a kento-nomi though.
ReplyDeleteThanks d.moll! The New Hosho paper is nice and thick and strong which I really need for my over-inking, over-pasting, over-everything! Absorbed very well and I didnt' get any offset. I bought it at the Baren Mall http://barenforum.org