#Moku hanga reduction print registration#
#Moku hanga reduction print plus#
#Moku hanga reduction print series#

But they both can create wonderful prints. I say 'pick your poison' in the title because the difficulty of both can make them both occasionally seem like two unpleasant choices. But for me the lack of solvents, the ease of printing, even though I recall that my first print proved no easier and probably harder than my first reduction print, the small space required to both carve and print all make it something that fits easily into my life. Moku hanga can proceed at a much calmer pace, though of course this wasn't true when it was done in its heyday in Japan I imagine since it was a business. With reduction cuts I was exhausted by the time I was done.

In both reduction prints and in moku hanga, especially as I continue to add blocks of new colors, it can seem like trying to juggle too many balls at the same time. Everything about moku hanga seems organic: the materials used, the method of printing, the many slow, at least for me, processes that make up moku hanga. Mays has a fine description of reduction on his website, here. But I think the most telling word is this: organic. On this episode of The Unfinished Print I speak with mokuhanga printmaker. Why you might ask do I so prefer one over the other? Well I'm sure that there are different answers for different people and I should also add that I don't really do traditional moku hanga. There is still a fair amount to do and I need to switch to at least one and perhaps two better papers for the edition. I liken the results to watercolor as opposed to western techniques which are more like oil painting. Surely there must be a better way.įor me that is moku hanga, as seen in a recent proof of an Eastern Amberwing. Japanese-style Woodblock Printing (moku-hanga)Basics John Amoss / Traditional eastern printmaking techniques use water-based relief processes using woodblocks as matrices and a printing pad as a means of pressure. I didn't find the mental wear and tear, coupled with piles and piles of print that had to be rejected as I made more changes, were worth it. Though there was always something thrilling about doing them I eventually gave it up. Woodblock reduction print, moku hanga style with a brush and baren on handmade. Reduction Woodcut Printmaking ANNEX Repeat. This woodblock printing technique originated in China and then moved to Japan as a way to spread printed texts and create Japan’s traditional color washed prints such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. So as usual I just do what I like and assume that my work will eventually find an audience.īut the reduction part of the Blackpoll Warblers also reminded me of the blood, sweat and tears, and at one time volatile fumes as well, that accompany them. This class will introduce the basics of Japanese moku-hanga woodblock printmaking. Throwaways, in the sense that I did them relatively quickly, are more popular than I would have guessed. The ones that I think will be popular, largely often because I think that they are just plain good, often are not.

It also reminded me of Robert Gillmor saying in 'Cutting Away' that he could never tell which prints would be popular. It took around eight reductions to create this print of a. It reminded me of just how difficult it is to make any sense out of web stats. Woodblock reduction print, moku hanga style with a brush and baren on handmade Japanese paper. I decided to write it after I took a look at my Etsy shop's stats for last year and saw that the Blackpoll Warblers among Swamp Dogwood was by far the most viewed work for 2019.

Multi-block woodcut of Blackpoll Warblers among Swamp Dogwood, Copyright 2014 by Ken Januski. Two moku hanga working proofs with odd colorings remain available ($250 each) email artist to order any of these.

#Moku hanga reduction print plus#

Upon returning from Japan, Killion carved a sixth ‘green’ tint block and completed the oil-based ink/handpress edition (pictured) of 160 prints plus several artist proofs in November 2018. have all the color blocks handprinted in Japan and then key block printed by Killion on his handpress with oil-based black ink once he returned from Japan, these have more consistent key block quality and lines are clearer (these moku hanga prints are sold-out).

#Moku hanga reduction print series#

of 6 plus 2 a.ps was entirely handprinted by Killion in Kyoto, quality varies as these were ‘learning prints’ (out of print) Series II, ed.

#Moku hanga reduction print registration#

Initially, five wood blocks were carved with traditional Japanese kento registration marks and taken to Kyoto to print moku hanga (traditional water-based ink handprinting) style in October 2018 a small number of moku hanga prints were completed, and two separate batches were made available: Series I, ed. Six block multi-color print with overprinting for bokashi effect on sky-lake block. Printing History: Note: This print was made for the film production “Journey to Hokusai” (see Printmaking Page for video).