Splashed Ink Landscape

From the editor | Holly

Hello lovely patrons!

Today I’m sharing some writing about a rather mesmerising technique – splashed ink painting. 

Bokushō Shūshō | Muromachi period, early 16th century | Hanging scroll; ink on paper | Image: 31 1/2 × 13 3/8 in. (80 × 33.9 cm) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This rather long and (seemingly) sparse ink painting is simply titled Splashed Ink Landscape, and was illustrated by Japanese artist Bokushō Shūshō in the early 16th century (you can read about Japan during 1400-1600 in this MET article). It was created with an application of layers of ink wash, applied from lightest to darkest. This technique was perhaps most famously practiced by the artist Sesshū, particularly the work Splashed Ink Landscape (15th century), shown below. In looking at both artworks, it becomes fairly clear that the illustrations were composed more thoughtfully than “splashed” implies (though the origins of the technique itself are rumoured to have originated in a more accidental splash).

Sesshū Tōyō | ca. 1413 | Ink on paper | 111.5 × 75.8 cm (43.9 × 29.84 in) | Myōshin-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan

Bokushō’s work depicts a restrained illustration of a mountain scene. Perhaps your eye, like mine, was drawn first to the larger, more heavily worked form of the tree in the centre of the composition. Here the ink has been applied in several layers to create tonal variation, lending the tree a feeling of gentle movement. Light might flicker through its branches, a breeze might sway its leaves, perhaps a gentle clatter of leaves is heard.

The eye might next catch mountains in the background, which appear rising out of fog, formed with expressive and gestural brushstrokes, and only lightly worked to give a suggestion of form. This rendering might be considered imperfect, or perhaps insufficient, as it doesn’t attempt to formally define or figuratively represent its subject, however it is exactly these aesthetic qualities for which this work is valued. In examining the reasons for this tendency, Yuriko Saito (a scholar who has written extensively on aesthetics) looks to the philosophy of Kenkō, who reasons that the natural world is most deeply moving when it is not “perfect”.

Saito also investigates this tendency towards the ‘imperfect’ by looking at Shinto, a faith founded on appreciation of the natural world. Saito writes that Shinto encouraged the aesthetic tendency towards “imperfection” (though she also notes that this was more formally developed by Zen Buddhism). Shinto acknowledges that “nature might be great, but greatness is not the same as perfection.” The mountains and trees of Splashed Ink Landscape are not overly formalised or realistic, because perfection of trees, rocks, mountains, and clouds are not valued. Perfection has no bearing on their greatness.

Zen Buddhism values the overcoming of our “natural” tendency to appreciate only what is perfect. It privileges self-discipline and self-reliance, emphasising spontaneity and simplicity, values that can be found in the very medium of Bokushō’s work. Processes like splashed ink painting rely on the artist’s surrendering to the material with which they are creating with, reminding us of the futility of trying to manipulate and control life.

Nestled closely in this imperfect landscape, are the figures of two humans: one crossing a bridge under the precipice, and one ascending this precipice towards buildings peering from behind landscape. In doing so, Bokushō works human appreciation and interaction with the natural world into the surface of the paper itself, perhaps engaging the viewers mind for contemplation. Where are these figures traveling to? Who are they? What do they feel? What lives do they lead?

Working in a way that uses both recognisable features as well as more gestural marks provides us with a way to navigate the work, while leaving much to the imagination and spontaneity. The forms of trees, temples, mountains and people might be recognisable, but Bokushō has not given them defining qualities, instead creating a scene that might be filled in by our eye – with colours, movement, sound, and detail.

Using only black ink on a lighter paper creates a sense of gentle contrast. Black and white are generally understood to be contrasting elements. The imagery of Yin-Yang, often utilised by practitioners of Shinto, though with Daoist roots, visually defines the two polarities in black and white, with Yin representing the softer, earthier energy, connected to forms of valleys, and Yang representing the harder, more abstract energy, associated with mountains. Together, these two create harmony – a sensibility reflected in many elements of Bokushō’s work. Not only is the black of the ink and the white of the paper in contrast, but texture, space, and representational form all operate in oppositional harmony. Scratchier, rougher textures are united with gradual smooth textures, particularly noticeable in the tree depicted.

There’s also a sense of space and breathing room, created by centring the main detail of the illustration on the bottom half of the page, leaving much of the expanse of the page without markings. The human aspects of the painting, such as the bridge, steps, buildings, and human figures, are represented with much clearer, direct lines, as opposed to the far more gestural strokes of the landscape.

In theory, paintings such as Splashed Ink Landscape were regarded as an aid to meditation, and the act of painting itself a meditation of its own kind, both which were aimed at assisting Zen enlightenment.

What do you think? Would you say there’s a story to be found? Do you find art meditative?

DIY: Make a Puzzle Purse

Words | Holly 

How sweet is this Victorian Puzzle Purse, addressed to a loved one? These ‘puzzle purses’ originated in Japan, where they are called ‘Tato’, and were often used to keep small bits of thread, buttons, or other useful items. In Victorian times, they were often illustrated with little ornamental pictures. 

To make your own tato, or puzzle purse

1. First you’ll need to fold your puzzle, so you’ll know where to illustrate and write. Puzzle purses are essentially paper pin-wheels, which are then folded into a small square. You’ll need a square piece of paper to begin with (you can download a template at the bottom of this post).

2. Fold your square piece of paper into thirds. You can estimate this, or you may choose to mark and measure.

3. You’ll also need to fold your paper into thirds horizontally. Make sure to keep your folds crisp & as neat as you can.

4. Now we’ll need to add in some diagonal folds. Fold opposite corners of your paper to meet. 

5. Repeat for the remaining corners. Before you move to the next step, flip your paper over. 

6. Now we’re going to take the bottom corner of our paper and fold it to meet the bottom right hand corner of the top left square. Unfold your paper once you’ve made a crease.

7. We need to repeat this for all for all four corners. Your paper should have the following marks.

8. Now things get a little trickier. You need to pinch the corners of your paper in, moving the piece into a pinwheel shape. Some of your folds will come in front, while some get moved behind. Play around with your paper here and you’ll see how it all fits together. Your centre square will be covered up by the arms of the pinwheel.

9. Your paper should start to look like this! 

10. Now we will fold each of the pinwheel arms into the centre. You can begin with whichever arm you like.

11. When you get to the final arm, tuck it under the fold created by the other arms, so it doesn’t spring back up. 

12. Perfect! You should end up with a little square that looks like this. 

13. It’s time to decorate. Going layer by layer, illustrate your puzzle purse, starting with the front and unwrapping each layer as you go. Many Victorian Puzzle Purses were decorated as love letters, with snippets of poetry and promises of love. 

You might like to look at this poetry collection for inspiration (collected & illustrated by Chris Riddell in a beautiful hardcover book), or perhaps this one (online & free to all!). Or perhaps borrow from Shakespeare, with one of my favourite poems:

“Doubt thou the stars are fire,

Doubt that the sun doth move,

Doubt truth to be a liar,

But never doubt I love.”

– William Shakespeare –

Some suggestions for making mini illustrations:

Select a limited colour palette

Illustrating with a limited colour palette (try 3-4 colours), will make your illustrations appear sophisticated and easy on the eye. You can learn a little more about colour theory through here! 

Decide on a theme

Find a theme to tie all of your illustration pieces together – perhaps hearts & flowers, animals, autumn, carnival, camping, or something entirely different! 

Combine detailed & non-detailed elements

To create a sense of balance in your illustrations, combine detailed elements with non-detailed ones. Looking at the historical puzzle purse, the illustrator has combined a large heart painted in a single colour, ringed by smaller & more detailed flowers. Working in this way gives the eye places to rest and places to peer closer, which makes your illustrations feel easy to look and beautiful. 

I’d love to see your creations, so please do share!

Colour Magic

Words & Illustrations | Samantha Hughes

Colour not only looks cool, you can use it as a tool to create emotions and moods in your work. It’s like being an evil genius and using colours to make the people who are looking at your work feel strong emotions! You could use a sky blue to make them feel calm or a cold dark blue to make them feel sad lonely feelings.

The Colour Wheel

The colour wheel looks like a super delicious donut – but it is actually a very useful tool to have in your art kit. It can help you to understand how colours mix together and the relationship between different colours.

Primary Colours – Red, Yellow and Blue

Secondary Colours – Mix together your primary colours to make Orange, Green and Purple.

Tertiary Colours – Mix together your secondary colours to create more colours!

Colour Psychology

People feel different emotions when looking at colours. Some of these meanings come from nature – like bright yellow for attention or blue for calm. Some come from how colours are used in our everyday lives – like red for danger. Whether a colour is warm or cool, muted or vibrant affects which mood you will create. Here are just some of the hidden meanings of colours…

Combining Colours

How you combine your colours also creates a story – are the colours you are putting next to each other calm and friendly with each other? Or are they wild and shouty? You can use a Colour Wheel to help put together your colour story. Here are four easy ways to build colour palettes and stories.

Colour Wheeeeee!

Let’s test out our new colour knowledge with this cat illustration I found in an ancient library.

Monochrome

Choosing one colour is hard! I wanted to make a warm and cosy cat story. Which colour do you think works best?

Colour Wheel Knowledge UNLOCKED!

This is so fun! I want to make a story about a cheeky cat next. Which palette do you think makes the cat look cheekiest?

Colour Level Up!

How amazing that changing colours changes the story so much. Clever, Spooky, Magic and Alien cats! Good luck on your colour quest my fellow adventurers. I can’t wait to see what treasure we discover next time. 

x Artie

DIY: Make a Slice-form Pop-Up

Tutorial | Maddie Bjorksten

Sliceform is a technique often used by paper engineers for making sculptures out of paper. The slices can be arranged in acute and obtuse angles as well as right angles and are flexible enough to even be folded flat. For some beautiful examples of this form, check out the sliceforms and paper sculptures of John Sharp, Tatiana Stolyarova, Hiroko Momoi and Sheung Yee Shing.

Hiroko Momoi | Image from the Paper Art Gallery

Make your own Slice Form:

This globe has slots in the top and the bottom which slide together at ninety degrees to each other in order to create an interlocking 3-dimensional form. Pattern pieces are available for download at the bottom of this post!

1. Separate into base (A, B, G), full piece (D), and globe (C, E, F).

2. Time to assemble! Slide piece B onto the centre slit in the base of piece D.

3. Slide pieces A onto the remaining base slits of piece D, one on either side of the centre.

4. Now, take pieces G and slot them from the bottom up into the assembled piece D. You’ll need to line everything up, so it sits together.

5. You’ve finished the base! Now its time to start the globe. Start with piece F, sliding it from the top into the centre slit of piece D.

6. Now, take pieces E and slide them onto either side of the centre slit of piece D, from the top down.

7. Finally, slide pieces C parallel to the pieces you have already slotted in, joining them all together as you did on the base.

8. Your slice form is complete! This technique can be translated into a huge number of ideas. 

What do you think? Would you like more pop-up content? Let us know below!

A Short History of Pop-Ups

Words | Fiona Chamberlain

Can you recall your first magical encounter with a pop-up book? When you turned the page and the picture seemed to step out of the book space and into your own world? The excitement of each page turn? And how it felt as if you could almost wander amongst the drawn and crafted structures?

For many, this original enchantment never seems to diminish. Perhaps we are drawn to the economical ingenuity of a pop-up book, such a lot achieved with so little. Perhaps we also like how the illustrations don’t sit still, how they break the rules and allow a book to belong to the world of theatre and sculpture, if it wants to.

Or perhaps we enjoy how these books celebrate the humble medium of paper for the beautiful and versatile material that it is. And let’s be honest, there is quite a lot of nostalgia in these pleasures, no power or batteries needed, just a wonderfully tangible collaboration between the book and the reader, a hands-on interaction as well as an imaginative one.

Detail from ‘Under the Ocean’ | Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud | Tate Publishing: 2013 | Photographed by Paper Bird.

“Moving books” can be traced right back to the Thirteenth Century, with serious scholarly and religious texts employing “volvelles” (moving paper discs with pointers or cut out shapes) to enhance the understanding of their content and instruct their readers.

A volvella of the moon. Contained in a manuscript that includes an assortment of texts about astrology and medicine. | 1488 – 1498 |  Image courtesy of the public domain.

The nineteenth century saw an explosion in the creation and distribution of movable books, mirroring the rise of literacy in wealthy countries, innovations in the printing industry and the development of books specifically aimed at children. From lifting flaps and pull tabs to the development of 3D scenes and dissolving pictures, the intent of these books ranged from moral instruction for the young, a very Victorian pre-occupation, to joyful entertainment.

Lothar Meggendorfer (1847-1925) a German designer and illustrator, is the most famous artist from this period. Often described as a genius, he created over one hundred works. Contemporary pop-up artists and paper engineers still find his innovative and complex mechanisms fascinating. Megendorfer’s most famous book was “International Circus”, (“Le Grande Cirque International”). Published in 1887 in Paris, it contains a three-dimensional panorama which, when unfurled, measures over a metre in length! Today his contribution is honoured in two awards presented by the Moveable Book Society at their Biennial Conferences, The Meggendorfer Prize: Best Paper Engineering in Trade Publications and The Meggendorfer Prize for Artist’s Book.

A Reproduction of Lothar Meggendorfer’s ‘International Circus’ | Produced for Kestrel Books by Intervisual Communications: New York | 1979 | Photographed by Paper Bird.

It was not until 1929 that Theodore Brown and publisher Louis Giraud created the first “automated” movable books, in which the image springs up when the page is turned. Some consider their Bookano Stories series the first true “pop-ups”, with illustrations that can be viewed from multiple angles. However, it was Harold Lentz and Blue Ribbon Publishing who first marketed their books using the term “Pop-Up”.

Credited with revitalising the European pop-up Book industry after the war, Vojtěch Kubašta, (1914-1992), a Czech architect, illustrator and graphic artist, delighted both children and designers alike with his work. Published by Artia in Prague, he produced over 120 titles and his books were translated into 37 different languages, with thirty million copies distributed!

Today paper engineers admire the wonderful simplicity of his designs and how he was able to create an entire scene from a single sheet, using ingenious folding and cutting and without requiring glue. His Tip and Top series of books are loved as much for the joyful and innocent quality of their illustrations as they are for the economical brilliance of their paper engineering.

Waldo Hunt, a former advertising executive in Los Angeles, was so inspired by Kubašta’s work that he tried to import the books to America. Unable to secure a deal with Artia, he formed the pop-up company Graphics International to produce his own books. Its successor, Intervisual Books, became the world’s largest manufacturer of Pop-Ups, publishing titles such as “The Human Body” by Jonathan Miller and David Pelham in 1983 and “How Many Bugs in a Box” by David A. Carter. One of their most successful publications was the spookily playful “Haunted House” by Jan Pienkowski with paper engineering by Tor Lokvia. “Haunted House” was awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway prize for the best illustrated childrenís book of 1979, a prize rarely bestowed on a pop-up book. (Watch a video of this book here.)

Intervisual’s success in America created the right conditions for a new generation of talented Paper Engineers and Pop-up artists to emerge, including many of the big stars of pop-up books today, such as David Carter, Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.

Detail from “Alice in Wonderland” | Illustrated by Robert Sabuda | Original text by Lewis Carroll | Published October 2003 | Photograph from publisher

Sabuda has been a pioneer in the form since 1994, pushing the boundaries of what a pop-up book can accomplish with incredible engineering and delightful illustration. His pop-up interpretation of the Wizard of Oz with its magical tornado could even be described as kinetic.

The sophistication of his mechanisms has resulted in his books appealing as much to adults as to children, something that Sabuda clearly enjoys.

“I think pop-ups appeal to adults because it allows them to revert back to their childhood experiences with things that amaze them. When an adult’s eyes light up when turning the pages of a pop-up I know they’ve become big kids again”. – Robert Sabuda

In France, the appeal to adults has focused more on the aesthetic qualities of the illustrations and the quality of book production, with the technical aspects very much in service to the overall artistic idea. For example, Marion Batailles’s “ABC 3D”, a very restrained and beautiful pop-up, was initially created as an artistís book with a run of only thirty copies, and has ended up with sales approaching 200,000 worldwide.

With major libraries and museums now taking an interest in its history and artists, educators and theatre creators exploring its possibilities, the pop-up/moving book inspires considerably more respect than the novelty value it was once granted. As a tactile and hand-made object in our digital world, its future is looking bright and hopefully playful!

Browse & shop our favourite pop-ups here. 

Hello!

We have some exciting news to share. We’ve now published four full editions of Flight, and reflecting on this year that is past, have decided to make some changes to our publication.