Pochoir and Parrots.

I'm a subscriber to David Bull's Japanese woodblock series, 'The Mystique of the Japanese Print'. Dave produces a new print for this series every month, each illustrating a different technique or style. It has been a fascinating journey, some I have loved more than others, but I have learned lots by being able to hold the prints and examine them close up. The latest arrived a week or so ago, and is called Parrot and Acorns,shown below:

Dave had this to say about it:

…..”It is clearly ‘modern’ in appearance, even somewhat abstract in the way the elements are depicted. Yet it actually dates from sometime in the late 1700! ...Just how is it that such ‘old’ work can look so new?….the story of the huge influence of Japanese prints on the artists of the west has been told many times. The basic design elements of this print - wide areas of flat colour, plenty of empty space, perfect balance of the parts of the design - were all standard practice for Japanese artists, but were ‘hidden’ from the rest of the world for many years..."

     I was surprised to see just how much the style of Japanese woodblock had influenced the work of Saude, Barbier et al in the early 1900s, which had in turn influenced my own work. The two images below are from the miniature book Qualicum Blue and are about a quarter the size of the Parrot shown above.
Woodblock and pochoir have many similarities in the way they are made. For both, the complete image is first drawn

or painted, and colour separations worked out. For woodblock, multiple blocks are carved, one or more for each colour. For pochoir stencils are cut, one or more for each colour. In woodblock sometimes the block is reprinted, selectively inking up with a slightly different colour for shading, (see parrot's head and wings) or maybe using a different block, and in pochoir the stencils can be re-used to apply shading, or a new stencil is made (see jay's feathers, leaves and wings of butterfly). With pochoir it is not possible to achieve the stand-alone 'white line' Dave has used here for the leaves - at least, I should say I haven't found a way.

     Both methods build up the image with flat layers of colour, which can be quite subtle. The Pochoir artists of the early 1900s used a similar colour palette to Japanese woodblock. Woodblock is perhaps more versatile, there are certainly things you can do with woodblock that you can't with a stencil. Both methods allow the artist to create coloured prints, and require a degree of muscle and skill. 

To see more pochoir images, the Smithsonian has a great online gallery, with lots more info on pochoir. Dave Bull's woodblock site is brimming with interesting and beautiful pics. A great contemporary pochoir artist is Walter Bachinski.

A Sticky Gilding Situation

          Reporting back on the Simple Scribe gold size, this material is indeed very sticky. In fact I think it is the stickiest substance I have ever encountered. It comes in a plastic bottle about three inches high, with a plastic screw cap with a neck opening of about half an inch diameter. I found it quite difficult to get the brush or pen into this without getting size on the side of the handle. As it is so sticky it is hard to wipe off anything it comes into contact with. I then tipped it over, but managed to save most of it, and spent an interesting time trying to wipe it off the formica work surface. It is also very difficult to remove from your fingers.

          I tried it with both brush and pen. You have to use a brush you don't care about, as it is hard to wash out of the bristles. The pen was quite successful, (dark marks are inky residue on the pen nib), and the gold sticks very well to this size. I found it difficult to control with the brush, applying more than I intended. The brush had seen better days and I couldn't get a fine enough point  to apply it exactly as I wanted, even though I was trying for a more casual effect.
          I have a concern with this size that it stays sticky for a very long time (up to six weeks?) and for my project, in a book, it may stick to the opposite page. Once a book leaves my hands I have no control over the conditions in which it exists, it may be in a hot damp climate, in freezing temperatures, under heavy objects.....I left it under a heavy weight for a few days and it seemed OK, and the experiments of about three or four weeks ago seem to have dried off, and are not apparently sticky. But it is an element of risk to consider.
          I may revert to the reversible PVA from Hewit's, that I have used for years, and there is also the shell gold (powdered gold mixed with gelatine) that I haven't yet tried on this paper... So many avenues, just the one pair of legs...
          Here comes another shameless plug, this time for a very accomplished printmaker,
 David Bull, who has spent many years learning and making Japanese woodblock prints (Moku Hanga). I came across his work when searching for another way of editioning coloured prints. (It quickly became obvious that there was no chance I would live long enough to become proficient in this method of printmaking, it is something that takes years to perfect.)
          His latest project is The Mystique of Japanese Prints and he's producing a series of modestly-priced prints that exemplify different techniques, one a month, and a special elegantly designed wooden case that acts as a display easel and storage chest in one. As well as being exceptionally talented he is also very generous with his knowledge and shares his techniques. He has produced a DVD "Your first Print", a step-by-step guide to Moku Hanga, also for a very modest price. Worth checking out if you like artists' original prints and a good way of collecting original modern art. End of plug.
          I've been working on more illustrations and the title page and will show them in another post soon. My feet are paddling away like mad under the surface of the water, although I may not seem to be making much progress.