accute japanophilia attack and an invite

this morning in front of the computer and with my coffee i checked into sharon b's  and being naturally curious,i  followed a link she provided.there it was the name of this tool i had bought years ago in sado-ga-shima! i once heard its name in a documentary i was watching, but not having a pen near not mentioning the darkness made it impossible to note down  and retain. this beautiful tool is called a baren  馬連、馬楝  and it is used as a brayer in block printing. once you know the name it's the proverbial piece of cake.with icing.

the find incited more knowledge acquisition :D  and as everyone knows one thing leads to another, another and yet another one. so i spent practically the whole day  in a very non academic research  rich with finds.

you are invited to follow my steps if you'd like to.

firstly baren and japanese brushes here. they are irresistible, and work like no other, trust me. you can give them  other uses than those prescribed.

there is a wealth of information in this one. some techniques are applicable to surface design.

over here you get the why and how of nikawa　膠 or binder glue and /or paper size that can be bought here.

for my book arts friends perhaps you already know this paper place that also carries japanese brushes.but the top shelf find are these papers.don't tell me they are not the essence of awesomeness. 

as they say here i'm  roaring like a motorcycle, como una moto. this is not to mention the amusing maiko and geisha groupies that i found and sakuran via joan lintault at facebook.

 but those will be subjects of another post.
i think i need a rest.

neki desu 

few things compare

few things compare to a nice stitched border. this one is a vandyke stitch. it is an easy stitch with an almost zen like quality ,once you get the hang of it, that works quickly and fills up nicely. 

this piece has gained a lot by using it as a border.more of the piece tomorrow. perhaps.

turning a page yesterday i mentioned colorand composition and on my visit to blogs found a  great post regarding color at mags ramsay's. she talks about  color as less representational and more allegoric of the subject, as a creator of moods.

follow the link she includes as  it is a very good read.

must be the zeitgeist as there a few people in the community reflecting on the topic.

neki desu

game over

curious how some works tell you when they're finished and some others don't. and even more curious how a smudge of gold wraps it all together. this one's done. i think i worked more with the mood of the piece and worried less about color and composition which was becoming a stress factor  with this  heat.

i have come to really enjoy ermine stitch. it's a simple, effective stitch that paired with straight stitch or seed stitch can make up  a whole scene.

and the idea for setting off and also blending the image with the background  with slpit back stitch comes from jude over at spirit cloth.

this putting together from two sources has made me think and i'm considering  putting  a resource page to share weaving drafts, images etc. the vintage stitching charts will be there also.

need to do a bit more thinking about the  logistics.

ideas anyone?

neki desu