Woodblock Wednesday - betazuri

This week I managed to fit in a session at home, trying the kakewasi (light under dark) technique, or perhaps it was more my version of it than the real thing! And with a few experiments along the way.

The first print went quickly and not too badly

Not enough pigment!

Blotchy...

... might as well try the lighter-under-darker effect (kakewasi)- but you
do need a clean block - here the white picked up the ochre

Applying more white over it (paper is still damp) doesn't work

The first layer of ochre is very grainy - too dry?

Another layer - a gap between "mountain" and "snow"
- and still grainy

Better, but ... still grainy...

Dotting the sky with some nori...

... again, the faintness that signals dryness...
(the lines are laid in the non-japanese paper)

At the end of the day - four prints, but many printings!

 Today in class - deomonstrations and "just getting on with it" -

 I have photos of, and notes on, the demos, but my main aim was to do the most basic thing - get a good layer of colour. It turns out that more-is-more: more nori and pigment are needed for betazuri than I thought possible!

First print of bottom mountain - not enough pigment, and too dry

Second print, after further soaking, and with more pigment - so much better

Top - registration is off; bottom, natural colours are easier to print (ochre)

Trying that mountain again on a sky that didn't really work

The remains of the day

The mount is smaller than the print size, and hides a multitude of sins!

The demos provided various ideas for adding the foreground
(atenashi, haburashi, stencils) - and adjusting the sky; something for later...

With a little framing, a scrap used as a mask for
printing the sky becomes the star of the show

What other people did...

... so interesting to hear what they had to say about it all

Carol brought in the large print of limestone cliffs she's working on (4 blocks)

Class resumes on 1 May. I've set aside Wednesday mornings for printing, and am making a list of what to focus on each week. 

Developing skill isn't just a matter of endless practice, it's also important to notice what needs to be done differently. That is to say, insight - focus - attention - analysis - adjustment, but without time and reiteration the new skill can't become habitual.

Drawing Tuesday - British Museum

We found our way to the new Islamic galleries and settled in...

I couldn't resist the gleam of gold in these glass tiles ...

 ... and the morning quickly became a hunt for patterns ...

 ... somewhat crude, it's true, but not without self-critique and paying attention to where/how to improve similar drawings "next time" ...

Along with the "matchbook" people in boats, and an example of archaeological stippling, Jo found a couple who obligingly, if unwittingly, posed without moving for quite some time -

Judith's ceremonial axe...

 ... and a section of a contemporary linocut -

 Carol was drawn to the shoes -

 Sue found an incense burner...

 ... and a hat decorated with loose strands of cotton -

 Janet B's vase -

 Joyce's cones, by Tunisian painter/draughtsman Khaled Ben Slimane -

 Najlaa's vases and axe -

Janet K's dandy (love those curls!) ...

 ... and various animal representations ....

 Extra-curricular activity

Joyce has been intensively embroidering -

 Janet K has been watching the willow outside the window come into leaf...

 ... and rearranging her double-sided throw to best effect ...

 ... and capturing her pot of tools -

 That pot led to the (optional) "homework" - to notice the things you use every day.

Sue brought the pedestrian crossing near the Barbican to our notice -

 Not was that the only crossing worth a second look -

 Afterwards

Popping in to Contemporary Ceramics, across the street, we found Robert Cooper's latest work had been given "top shelf" status -

This gallery/shop has many other lovely ceramics... In the back room was a show by Rebecca Appleby -

The joys of spring

Halfway through today's walk I could bear it no longer and pulled out the camera to record some of "the joys of spring" along the way -

Most of the camellias and magnolias are nearing the end of their bloomtime - all the more reason to have a good look at them -

 Over the hill and down to the dale ...

 ... to Rathcoole Gardens, where the wallflowers have come back in glory -

and tulips, skimmia, forget-me-nots, and small self-seeded plants with an unknown name are bursting out too -

Later in the week I'll bring secateurs and get to work, before a trip to the garden centre ... the window boxes need attention, and there's a plan to put a planter in the sunny spot beside the back door to grow herbs, instead of paying ££ for them at the supermarket. (I do love a trip to the garden centre!)

All this burgeoning certainly raises the spirits. Shine on, sweet sun, shine on...