{"id":1192,"date":"2023-03-19T17:44:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T21:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2023-09-08T17:53:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T21:53:40","slug":"studio-notes-moku-hanga-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2023\/03\/studio-notes-moku-hanga-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Studio Notes: Moku hanga progress!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last spring I mentioned that I was rekindling a relief printmaking practice — specifically, Japanese woodblock (“Moku hanga<\/strong>“), and I have indeed been spending a lot of time on this over the past year or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Printmaking is very process-oriented, and it can take a long time (at least for me) to get finished results. It had been perhaps 10 years or so since I had been working in this medium, and this time around I have really been making a study of traditional Japanese methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
A straightforward one-block print testing out Japanese inks on Japanese paper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Japanese approach uses certain woods, carving techniques, a method of setting up registration (making the paper line up properly on multiple blocks), water-based inks with rice paste as a binder, and hand-printing without the use of a press. It’s a lot to learn and absorb! But also a lot of fun, as long as you have a good store of patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patience is not always my strong suit, so this has been a learning process all around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Another one-block print on Japanese paper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The process-heavy nature of the artform means that one doesn’t necessarily know how the work will turn out until the very end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lots of skulls in different colors and different papers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are, of course, special tools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Some moku hanga equipment and media<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the photo above, I show some of the brushes used to mix and apply the ink to the plates, a jar of pre-mixed rice paste (sorry, I don’t yet have the patience to mix my own!) and some of the inks (sold as ‘pigment pastes’ or liquid black sumi ink).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inks are brushed onto the plates, opening up some creative possibilities (note: practice and skill will be required! This will take time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far I’ve put together one 3-plate piece, and I’ve done some proofs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
3 plates for moku hanga project (doesn’t look like much at this stage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Getting the right balance of ink to rice paste, and right amount on the plate takes some practice, then there is the actual printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Some proofs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
3-color moku hanga proof, image size of about 8 inches square.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Another proof of the 3-block moku hanga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Presently, I’m gearing up to 3 a limited edition print on good paper of this image, as well as some other single blocks I have. Then it will be time to begin planning the next work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll try to develop some more posts on the process, in the meantime, follow me on Instagram<\/a>, where I frequently post directly from the studio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last spring I mentioned that I was rekindling a relief printmaking practice — specifically, Japanese woodblock (“Moku hanga“), and I have indeed been spending a lot of time on this over the past year or so. Printmaking is very process-oriented, and it can take a long time (at least for me) to get finished results. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"An update on my recent 'moku hanga' efforts.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11,16],"tags":[134,19,132,133,43],"class_list":["post-1192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-studio-notes","tag-artprocess","tag-landscape","tag-mokuhanga","tag-printmaking","tag-woodcut"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/MokuHanga-7.jpg?fit=905%2C1024","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5zpKF-je","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1130,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2022\/04\/an-exhibition-and-other-spring-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":0},"title":"An Exhibition, and Other Spring News","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"April 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Good afternoon friends, Spring is popping here in Brooklyn and there's lots going on! \"Dharmadhatu 3\" oil on panel, 18\" diameter, 2021. 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