Mokuhanga Watercolor Print
"Tranquility"Medium: 8" x 6"
Water color, Rice paste, printed on Paper December 2020 Exhibition TextPrinting has always been hard for me, so I wanted to really challenge myself with this piece to create a surrealist piece, but I wanted it to stand out and really fit my theme of self indulgence and Love. I decided to use an ancient Japanese technique called Moku Hanga, leading to this calm and tranquil piece.
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Inspiration/Thought Process
Most of my projects deal with Anxiety and the feeling of self hatred and always being on your toes about what bad could happen. I wanted to shift my viewpoint on the world for this project. I wanted to show a brand new idea of work for this project, and I wanted to leave 2020 off with a lighter note. My focus for inspiration this time was the Japanese technique of Moku Hanga which is a style of printing utilizing a Linoleum block or a wooden block to create a block print. you scrape away the layer you want to be the first color utilized, then scrape away more and print with a different color, leading to a fully printed picture. I saw this technique and wanted to incorporate the current emotion I was feeling through my color choice and theme within the art. My research of the art form was really easily done as this form of art is still very popular with Japanese artists such as Katsuyuki Nishijima who has made the two examples I will provide to be my current favorite of her works. I took the style of printing not the actual style of art, so mine looks the farthest from hers.
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One of my strongest ways to relax and feel tranquil is to think about space. the vastness of its beautiful warm and cool color expanse has always enthralled me, and made me feel like I was swimming within my own mind. I wanted this to be the focus of my piece to give off that emotion of peace and tranquility. I staged the entire piece on an alien like planet with inverted colors and a swirling symbol infested night sky to give off the feeling of warmth yet also cool by utilizing color to my advantage. I wanted to incorporate a small amount of surrealism through out my piece by making those choices within the color pallet to give off that surreal drug trip like look to my work.
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Planning/Thumbnail Sketches.
This section will be unlike my usual sketches as it wont have the standard 3 sketches to relate to the final piece. I had around 15 thumbnail pictures that all had different compositions but all gave off certain emotions based on myself. I wanted this to be personal
Final Chosen Sketch
I chose this as the final image I would be translating onto my Linoleum Canvas to carve into because I felt it was the most baked and the most thought provoking. It spoke to me on a personal level and also spoke to me on a physical level. I also felt that it would be easy for others to relate to and to understand as while it is personal it can also be perceived as general.
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Process
Experimentation
I actually had 2 different failed attempts at a different kind of printing, that being a block print, which I have done in the past, but I had some complications with the materials this time that lead me to pursue a different form of printing to be able to have this project finished on time.
This was the Lino Cut printing board that I used to print both the Ink and the Rice paste watercolor Moku Hanga While most of the color went onto the page how I wanted it to, I still had to edit the actual printed image to more closely reflect the actual colors I wanted to show, so I went over it again with water color and actually accented with white sharpie and Copic markers.
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^ This was my first horrible misprint, During my printing while using lock print black ink, it was too thick and had broken my roller, which was glued together just hours before, So I had tried to get out as much ink as I could to make sure that It looked right, but I seem to have failed. I wanted to go one more time to be sure though.
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This was my second print, which seemed to have actually turned out great but halfway through I actually did end up breaking the roller beyond repair which lead me to try a different method as this print didn't feel right and I wanted to give it WAY more color than this, So I decided to use the Moku Hanga method.
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Process
The process of creating Moku Hanga starts by drafting a small 6" x 8" sketch of what you want to be on the Lino to cut into it. You take graphite paper to transcribe your concept onto to the lino cut by putting the drawing over the graphite paper which is placed over the lino cut. I remember doing this for the block print so this was no trouble. The next thing I did was take my 3 pieces of paper and soaked them in water for around 25 minutes so they would retain the rice paste and water color mixture on them. I then take the etching tools to carve the details into the block but making sure you carve into it one at a time to be able to do the style of Moku Hanga, This can be a long process but I found it enjoyable. After the first layer of color was carved out, I covered the surface in rice paste and water color and placed my moist paper onto the lino cut to print the section, making sure I label what side was the top and what side was the bottom after doing so. I then wash my Lino cut and repeat the process to finish the print that I am making. After all of that is done and my print is all finished, I wait for it to dry and edit the work with markers and water color to fill in the holes that may have occurred from the print.
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Alternative Process
The block printing process is basically the same thing except for 2 differences, Ink, and printing all at once. you cover the finished cut lino block with lock printing ink by rolling it out with a roller, from here you place your paper after the lino block is sufficiently covered and use a Baron to rub the back of the paper to make sure the ink settles on the moist paper. Afterwards I take the paper off and let dry.
Compare/Contrast
My piece is filled with the natural colors of space and utilizes the warm and cool color spectrum to create a stunning style of cohesion from opposites, I wanted to convey tranquility and peace within the work, utilizing the style of Moku Hanga to show a unique way of printing to make a stunning visual piece. the color pallet is way different from my inspiration though as they are standard colors of a japanese barhouse, while mine is a serene field.
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The colors represented within this image of space which I feel encapsulated my idea of space for this piece uses the same mix of bright warm colors and dark cooler colors to create a movement through the contrast of the images.
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Katsuyuki Nishijima piece utilizes specific colors to create a beautiful serene barhouse and uses the Moku Hanga art technique just like I did but we created extremely polar opposite pieces of art coming together to make a nice opposite scenario within my compare contrast. I think the idea of serenity is consistent through both of them though as I get a relaxed feeling through my work and both of my inspirations.
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Reflection
I am very happy with how this piece came out although I really did not like the process as my roller and supplies broke during some of the creation of the project. It was fun to revisit the Moku Hanga block printing style as It was a really interesting experience and really taught me a new style of creating water color art which I think I might utilize in the future, which I will enjoy the entire process. I loved the color and the message I brought with my piece and I feel that I really furthered my portfolio with this work, but I think I need to work on time management as of now/
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
The inspiration and my art work has the same methods used in the inspirations, I wanted to recreate the same symbolism they used. like using applicable emotions to non human figures.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Symbolism is the idea of taking a non human figure and giving it human ideas and emotions, to symbolize the human condition within the context of the art piece.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Symbolism doesn't have to be made a certain way, but it is a piece that is seen a certain way, so any media can work, but the idea behind it has to be applicable
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
To find similarities in the actual message of my work that are similar to other works of art.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Symbolism is a gateway to a hidden or deeper meaning within a work, and can be used to express strong emotions.
The inspiration and my art work has the same methods used in the inspirations, I wanted to recreate the same symbolism they used. like using applicable emotions to non human figures.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Symbolism is the idea of taking a non human figure and giving it human ideas and emotions, to symbolize the human condition within the context of the art piece.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Symbolism doesn't have to be made a certain way, but it is a piece that is seen a certain way, so any media can work, but the idea behind it has to be applicable
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
To find similarities in the actual message of my work that are similar to other works of art.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Symbolism is a gateway to a hidden or deeper meaning within a work, and can be used to express strong emotions.
Bibliography
https://www.artelino.com/articles/popular-moku-hanga.asp
https://www.artranked.com/topic/Surrealist+Landscape
https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2019/04/26/relief-printing-japanese-woodblock-printmaking/
https://www.artranked.com/topic/Surrealist+Landscape
https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2019/04/26/relief-printing-japanese-woodblock-printmaking/