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.

the ainu and the fox

Another etegami from my fox series, this time with a quote from The Ainu And The Fox, an Ainu folk tale rewritten for children by Kayano Shigeru and translated into English by me. To learn more about this book, read this post on my Project Uepeker blog.

fox in the snow

This is another etegami from my Fox series. I was looking up the lyrics to a heart-breaking Japanese love song that I remembered from my youth, and discovered the song is originally in French! Since many of my etegami friends are French speakers, I decided to use the original French words on this etegami. I hope I wrote them correctly...

Here's an English translation:
The snow is falling
You won't come tonight
The snow is falling
And my heart is dressed in black

what does the fox say?

My response to the lyrics of that Norwegian music video that went viral not long ago.

illustration friday (fragile)

What power and resiliency our planet has! And how teeming with life. And yet, that life can be so fragile. When the honey bees recover (as I believe they will), I will watch them with even greater fascination and affection. I share a name with them, you see. Deborah comes from the Hebrew word for bee, and in spite of my nervousness around insects in general, I've felt a kinship with bees since childhood.