Early in 2010, I resolved to make etegami of at least 100 Japanese proverbs before the end of the year. So this week's IF topic was perfect for me. The one shown here is an etegami/chigiri-e hybrid. I painted the frog as I usually do, on a soft washi card in the traditional etegami manner. Then I cut it out and glued it to a sheet of handmade, hand-dyed washi (such as used in the art of chigiri-e), which in turn was glued to a sheet of paper made from various grasses. The proverb is an oft-quoted one that translates roughly to: A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
illustration friday (proverb)
Early in 2010, I resolved to make etegami of at least 100 Japanese proverbs before the end of the year. So this week's IF topic was perfect for me. The one shown here is an etegami/chigiri-e hybrid. I painted the frog as I usually do, on a soft washi card in the traditional etegami manner. Then I cut it out and glued it to a sheet of handmade, hand-dyed washi (such as used in the art of chigiri-e), which in turn was glued to a sheet of paper made from various grasses. The proverb is an oft-quoted one that translates roughly to: A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.
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Have learnt so much about etegami from your blog. It certainly was an "oceanic view" for me. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and illustration. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteNice proverb. Poor frog.
ReplyDeleteI love your drawing! :D
ReplyDeleteThe dark background really resonates with me and with the quote. Very nice one!!
ReplyDeleteThis washi is really beautiful! Wonderful composition!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful illustration, love the texture!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I read a few entries about etagami, and probably have adequate supplies from past sumei and calligraphy diversions. What defines etagami-style? Are there any books in English?
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the lovely comments!
ReplyDelete@KnittingPainterWoman, there are no books in English yet-- as far as I know. But there is a YouTube series called "Etegami 24 Seasons" that has some English subtitles. I plan to eventually publish a series of books in English about Etegami. This blog is the seed of that dream.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that defines Etegami is that it's a combination of simple images and thoughtful words. The characteristics of the style that I follow (which were articulated by Koike Kunio, the "father" of the modern Etegami movement) are summarized in some of my posts. Check out my early posts, especially the earliest ones from April 2009.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my blog, so that I could discover yours! Just by reading on the side what etegami is, I´ve learned a completely new thing today! Thanks! :-) I´ll be working my way backwards in your posts to see more of your fine work!
ReplyDeleteA hundred proverbs... I had problems thinking of more than one... Where did you find them all?
... well, at least more than six...
ReplyDelete@spindelmaker, I have a 2010 Calender that reveals three native Japanese proverbs per week as you peel off the pages. Originally I was going to illustrate them all, but I decided I didn't like some of them, and others weren't suited to being illustrated, so I whittled the list down to 100. I'm not even half-way done, though.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! I love all the different textures
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful, and thank you for sharing such a rich cultural tradition very interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteLovely work! So original :) x
ReplyDeleteI knew this proverb for a long time, and I love it. I love your Etegami
ReplyDelete