the dragonfly's spectacles

Another etegami carved out of corrugated cardboard. This one quotes the last verse of the beloved Japanese children's song "The Dragonfly's Spectacles" (Tombo no Megane). The dragonfly's spectacles are red-colored spectacles. That's because he flew through the sunset clouds; he flew through the sunset clouds.

illustration friday (peace)

winner of the godzilla give-away!

First, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed the comments following my last blog post. Christi reminded us that the original Godzilla was female. Thanks to QuiltFrog, I now know that somewhere in the world there is/was a litter of kittens all named after the monster adversaries of Godzilla. I wonder if Miz June still has that walking, spark-spitting, wind-up Godzilla toy. Kathleen, I too am gratified to hear that you and your grandson share a fascination with Godzilla. Linda, a Godzilla movie with Bambi in it? You've got to be kidding! Moy Sauce, I'm afraid there won't be any more characters in this etegami series. Not even Mothra. I'll leave that up to you. Mary, thanks for paying such close attention to the material I used for this etegami, and for appreciating my silly humor. I also really appreciate the kind and funny comments that came from many readers by private message.

Now it's time to relieve the suspense. I tossed all your names into a hat and blindly drew out the name of..... QuiltFrog! Please send an email to dosankodebbie (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) jp and give me a shipping address for the fan & etegami set.

rawr! godzilla give-away

This Godzilla-shaped uchiwa ( flat fan) was being passed out on the streets of Sapporo to promote the recently-released American film, Godzilla. The film was released in Japan only two days ago, so I haven't seen it yet for myself, but I've heard lots of positive feedback from American fans of the original Godzilla series. 

I am offering this Godzilla uchiwa to one reader of my blog as a set with the accompanying Godzilla-inspired etegami carved from corrugated cardboard. 

If you are a Godzilla fan, don't miss this chance to win the drawing. Leave a comment below, preferably one that describes your interest in Godzilla. Drawing results will be posted in 7 days. I will need to be able to contact the winner for a shipping address, so if you enter the drawing, make sure and check back here. Comments are moderated. Anonymous comments and crude comments will not be posted.

UPDATE: Go to this post to find out who won the drawing!

hedgehogs

It's been a while since I added to my animal groups series, but I recently received a request for hedgehogs, so here they are. When there is more than one choice for the collective noun, I use the one with the most interesting sound. "A prickle of hedgehogs" seems almost too good to be true, but I LOVE the expression, don't you?

To see the other etegami in my animal groups series, type "animal groups" into the Search This Blog box in the right column. You can order the tote bag here.

 

fox nap

The ICCPS (International Chinese Calligraphic & Brush Painters Society), which has scheduled an exhibit to take place in Australia later this summer, has decided to invite works from etegami artists for the purpose of showcasing this less-known art expression that shares many of the methods and materials of the calligraphers and sumi-e artists that make up the society, and to encourage connections between them.

So I painted a simple fox using the most basic and traditional of etegami materials (washi paper, gansai pigments, sumi ink, and ink brushes), because we have these in common with calligraphers and sumi-e artists. Once the etegami was finished, however, the image begged to be made into a throw pillow.  I sent the original etegami to the  ICCPS exhibit, and the pillow is available from my RedBubble gallery.

more fun with corrugated cardboard

It's been awhile since I last did this. Etegami "carved" from corrugated cardboard cut into 6" x 4"cards. These are simple images from my Barnyard Series. I used a utility knife to cut around the images and borders, then peeled off the unwanted first layer of paper between them. I've learned that it's much easier to peel off that layer if you first wet it with a paintbrush and water. I took care not to wet the area that I didn't want to peel off. You can paint the "bars" or leave them as they are. In either case the bars add a nice 3D touch to the etegami. If want to give this a try, make sure to leave enough plain surface for your words.