Posted on March 22, 2013 [Permalink]

Continued from [Arts of Japan #5 - 6] : printing steps 6~8 | Starting point of the thread was [Arts of Japan #5 - 1] : carving begins!

Another good day of work on this print. Getting a very early start (before the other printers get here) helps a lot!

First today was the wide, faint gradation on the water ... dissolving to nothing over at the left side of the paper:

I wasn't sure how vivid to make the colour in the cartouche; too strong and it would draw the eye away from the main design. But with the bright flame right there in the center to attract attention, I think the cartouche won't interrupt:

And then the final - almost random in some places - splashes of black to highlight the birds' bodies:

That leaves us with four to go, and I think I should be able to get it done by (late) tomorrow evening ...

The thread continues in [Arts of Japan #5 - 8] : final steps ...