I've been spending a lot of time in Atsuta Village, on the Japan Sea coast side of Hokkaido. It's only a little more than an hour's drive from my home in Sapporo, but it's a different world. Atsuta is where the stars live. They press against my window after dark to kiss me goodnight.
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You're a poet in addition to everything else!
ReplyDeleteHow did you make the stars? Did you manage to paint around your background, leaving it unpainted? Or did you make white dots on top of the sky background?
Also, would you consider making a simple youtube video demonstrating how you make the "living lines," especially the speed at which you paint them? Everything I've found so far on youtube shows the artist painting fairly quick lines.
Hi Kathy,
DeleteI made the dot-stars first, with white crayon on a blank washi card, then painted over them with gansai paint. But you can also put in the dots by using a white-ink gel pen after first painting the sky.
It frustrates me too, that etegami artists on Youtube make their lines too fast. I suppose slow lines don't make for interesting video. And it would take some skill to record it so that you could really see what a difference it makes to move the ink brush slowly. I certainly don't have that skill, and I've never done a video before. I don't have the know-how or the devices to do so, but maybe some day I can get someone to help me....
Thank you for your helpful explanation, Debbie. Just my opinion, but I'd be happy to watch a less-than-professional video of you making wobbly lines and tapping the gansai on the washi paper. (I've never seen any video of the gansai - or more often, it's watercolors - being tapped on. It's always just stroked on. I'm winging it, trying to do what I think playing a drum is like.) Couldn't some decent light and the video function on an etegami friend's cell phone do the trick? Have an "etegami attitude" about it: just make it and send it out there!
DeleteKathy, I belatedly noticed that you wrote a review of my book on Amazon. At least I think it was you. It was such a lovely review. Thank you so much! I'm still working on the possibility of of a video.....
DeleteDebbie, I just saw this, only a year and a half after you wrote it! Yes, I wrote the review of your book on Amazon. You're welcome. Write another book and I'll write another review. And how's that video coming along?
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