Netsuke Frog - Breaking The Silence

Mini woodblock print from my sketch of an antique Japanese netsuke frog (unsgd) at Bristol Museum.

“Breaking the silence

Of an ancient pond,

A frog jumped into water -

A deep resonance.

This poem was written by our master on a spring day. He was sitting in his riverside house in Edo, bending his ears to the soft cooing of a pigeon in the quiet rain. There was a mild wind in the air, and one or two petals of cherry blossom were falling gently to the ground. It was the kind of day you often have in late March - so perfect that you want it to last for ever. Now and then in the garden was heard the sound of frogs jumping into the water.”

From Matsuo Bashō - The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches. Translated from the Japanese by Nobuyuki Yuasa.

It has been a little quiet over here at Into The Wood so it’s lovely to be woken by the sound of Bashō’s frog and see this beautiful blossom on my journey home. 

Close to home and heart. Cherry plum blossoming in late March.

Books

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Bashō - Translated from the Japanese by Nobuyuki Yuasa

A Miniature Woodblock Print from Mokuhankan

Mokuhankan Patreon - Miniature woodblock print from the Mokuhankan studio - design by John Amoss. 

Woodblock Printmaker David Bull

I’ve been following David Bull’s woodblock printing website for a few years now and what I love about David is his absolute passion and dedication to woodblock printing and generosity of sharing his process. He has built an online extensive encylopedia dedicated to woodblock printing. This wealth of information includes advice on tools for carving, sharpening stones, tools for printing, wood for carving, printmaking papers, sizing recipes, pigment and paste recipes. Whatever you’re looking for this is definitely a fantastic place to explore.  

http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/index.html

Mokuhankan

David is based in Tokyo at his studio Mokuhankan where he has a number of carvers and printers working with him in the studio to create exquisite original woodblock prints and reproductions of some well known prints including those of Hiroshige and Hokusai.

David also produces videos which give a real insight into his world of woodblock printing. (Almost 100 videos to choose from on Youtube!) He has created a series of Ukiyo-e Heroes with illustrator Jed Henry, a Hiroshige reproduction of ‘Heron and Irises’ - edition printed by Ayumi Ohashi, a reproduction of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’. His latest video shows the whole process, in real time, from start to finish, carving and printing the well known Japanese woodblock print ’Female Nude Seated in Water’. Original design by Ichijô Narumi (1877~1910).

I recommend anyone with an interest in woodblock printing to check out David’s amazing world of woodblock printing at woodblock.com, mokuhankan.com and his YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/seseragistudio/videos

Mokuhankan Patreon - To our fans and supporters - a miniature woodblock print - design by John Amoss.

Patreon

By becoming a patron ‘Patreon Chibi’ I am now a patron of David’s work and just before the New Year I received my first miniature woodblock print from the Mokuhankan studio - design by John Amoss. 

Beautiful Japanese postage stamps too : ))

"Mokuhankan is my attempt to see if traditional woodblock printmaking can perhaps find a place in contemporary society. I am going to publish some prints - on a very small scale at first - and see if I can find the combination of image, quality, price, and presentation, that will achieve that goal." David Bull

Thank you David and John and all the production crew at Mokuhankan. I think traditional woodblock printmaking certainly can find a place in contemporary society. Your print is a joy to behold. 

Japanese Woodblock Printing with Laura Boswell

A question I keep hearing recently is ‘Does this add value to my life?' It’s a question The Minimalists ask themselves throughout their daily lives. I recently saw their wonderful film Minimalism about how having less is definitely more.

What adds value to your life?

It’s a useful question and one that I’m beginning to look into a little deeper. For a few years now I’ve been exploring a few different printing methods. From rubber stamp printing to linocutting, to letterpress and more recently woodblock printing. Through the process of exploration I’ve come to find that the process of woodblock printing resonates with me the most. I am drawn to the process from beginning to end, from sketching an image, transferring the image onto the woodblock, then carving the image into the wood, dampening the paper and finally making a print with the baren. I love the materials used in the process and the way it helps me to slow down, focus and be more present. This process definitely adds value to my life. So I wonder why then I seem to be spending the least amount of time actually woodblock printing? 

Laura creating Kento registration marks

Woodblock BLOCK!

One reason might be my slight phobia of multi-colour printing. I have continued to tell myself that I have woodblock BLOCK and a fear of creating a multi-colour print. It’s not as though I haven’t made a multi-colour print. I’ve been on a couple of group courses where I came away very happy with my colourful prints. But I also came away with that overwhelming feeling that the registration process was still somehow out of my reach. I had not asked enough questions. There was not always time or space in a group setting. When I had tried to make a multi-colour print back at my studio, each time the blocks wouldn’t line up but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. It was as if I had been transported back to the school maths class but this time the tutor had vanished. The 'how to' books and online videos were not helping. So it remained a complicated puzzle that I just could not unravel and so I put all the mistakes back in the drawer and froze. 

What I really needed was a one-to-one session with a printmaker with a hefty plunger who could help remove this gigantic blockage. Someone at my side to show me the process, who I could directly ask questions at any point in the day without interruption and be able to extinguish those burning questions in a moment. That someone was indeed the wonderful printmaker extraordinaire, Laura Boswell.

Printing my woodblocks 

Thank you Laura Boswell

Laura simplified the registration process for me, she made the whole woodblock printing process very accessible. She took measurements off the map, put my fears to rest and renewed my faith in my own ability to go forward with the process. Her down to earth approachable manner made the whole day a complete joy. 

So thank you Laura for helping to unblock the woodblock BLOCK and restoring my confidence. Your woodblock printing course has definitely added value to my life! 

Call for Entries - AIMPE 2017

Two years ago when I was searching barens at Intaglio Printmakers in London, I stumbled across a leaflet with a call out for entries for Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition held in Japan. I was in the early stages of my woodblock project focusing on mini woodblock prints of Japanese netsuke. AIMPE sounded like the perfect place to submit my prints but I wasn’t ready. And the following year I still wasn't ready.

This year I'm ready! : ))

In the last few weeks I have been working on ideas for a new woodblock print for the exhibition. Last week I submitted my application and this morning I posted two mini woodblock prints to Japan! 

The mini prints will be revealed once the exhibition launches in October. 

"Awagami Factory is a brand of Japanese washi papers produced solely in Tokushima, Japan. Awagami operates on 8 generations of family knowledge and skill focusing on quality and refinement within this world-heritage craft.” Awagami

Boats in the Sand - A Reduction Woodblock Print

Here are the results of my reduction print. The boats in the original sketches were actually in a lake but as we chose colours it felt right to have a rusty mustard and pinky pigment around the boats suggesting sand rather than water. I was quite overwhelmed by which areas to cut and which to leave at each stage but Paul was extremely helpful all the way through the process so I managed to get quite a nice result for my first 4 colour reduction print. It was quite liberating to explore the process of reduction printing and I spent more time printing than carving which is just what I wanted.

I also had extra time to carve and print another image. This time carving abstract shapes directly on to the block being more aware of my carving technique rather than worry about the composition. With the first print I accidentally printed the second colour the wrong way round but it was a happy accident as it showed me what can happen when over layering different colours.

Boats in the Sand - Japanese Woodblock Print

I recommend this wonderful Japanese woodblock printing course with Paul Furneaux. He has a wealth of experience and a brilliant tutor. A fantastic weekend! Thank you Paul and the team at Edinburgh Printmakers. Oh and I also picked up this lovely guide to Edinburgh written by locals for visitors and locals from their lovely shop.