Chibi Heroes woodblock print production

This video shows the process of making a pair of the Chibi Heroes woodblock prints - from design stage right through to the final trip to the Post Office for delivery.
Details:
- a pair of designs carved and printed together.
- blocks are Japanese 'yamazakura' (mountain cherry).
- paper is Echizen Hosho washi, by Ichibei Iwano (Living National Treasure).
- number of blocks: key block + 3 colour blocks (7 sides in all)
- number of printing impressions: nine
- Designs: Jed Henry
- Carving: David Bull
- Printing: in this video, all by Dave. For the final production run, it is the staff of Mokuhankan, Dave's publishing workshop
Music credit: 'Drops of H2O' by djlang59, who can be found on ccmixter.org at:
ccmixter.org/fi...
A new pair of Chibi Heroes prints is published every month. For details, please see the website at: mokuhankan.com/...
Thank you for watching! Your feedback and comments are appreciated ...

[@seseragistudio]

Carved blocks never leave my possession! They can be used for printing many hundreds of copies (thousands if you are careful), and are very valuable for us!

[@kenjidev576]

It's a pity the carvings only last hundreds to thousands copies, while the copies themselves - as you have shown - may last hundreds of years, if preserved correctly.

[@seseragistudio]

This is one of the things that makes our work so much fun - knowing in advance that the finished prints are going to good homes, and that people are eagerly waiting for them. A lot of people in this field make stuff, and then hold exhibitions, etc. to try and see if people will want to own it; for us with a series like this, it's the other way around. All during the time we are making the prints, we can feel the anticipation of the people who are waiting ...

[@Rideather]

David i am in awe at your art. I'm only 21 so I probably can't afford to buy any of it at the moment, but I think you're an inspiring craftsman. Your stories are exciting as well, I don't know when I'll have the money to by your work, but when I do it will be a priority.

[@Int00blivion]

Art techniques and traditions like this should never die out, and I am both amazing and grateful to you for keeping such an amazing print tradition alive. David thanks for showing us your work, and keeping this art form alive. When I saw you packaging the items carefully it made me want to quit my day job and be a full time artist. After all that work on the carving and printing, it might just be a trill to know that each of those have been sold as art to be appreciated. Well done sir

[@seseragistudio]

Yes, that little piece of his really had quite an impact on me when I first read it many years ago. Hopefully, his message will continue to resonate with those who are ready to hear it! :-)

[@dfrenchorn]

Oh my goodness!!! I have never thought to use a bottle of water to diffuse light away from the eyes! Genius! I also encourage those who are here to really watch what he is doing to use the speed option to slow it down

[@SS-zd5uf]

It's actually to prevent shadow being cast from the knife.

[@seseragistudio]

I'm working on it now ... an overview of the making of the next Ukiyoe Heroes print - 'The Hero Rests' ... Should be ready early next week if all goes well. Thanks for the patience!

[@alebanni]

It's simply marvellous to watch an idea of a screen transform into a work of art that the can hold in our hands. And getting to see the process makes it even better.

[@joshsmith-brennan7442]

Your skill is humbling to watch. So enjoyable!

[@OldGameBox]

What a beautiful work. Thank you for sharing this.

[@unclvinny]

Thanks so much! I love the James Michener quote from your site, too: "Young people, especially those in college who should know better, frequently fail to realize that men and women who wish to accomplish anything must apply themselves to tasks of tremendous magnitude."

[@fsaiki]

Awesome video of printmaking process!!! David, Jed and all the staff are making a huge contribution to woodblock printing by showing us how it's done!!! Marvelous craftsmanship it's very inspiring!

[@rcmast3rtract0rking]

You work and service looks amazing

[@seseragistudio]

It's nail polish, and the purpose is to reinforce the paper corner so that it will go into the registration marks _exactly_ and firmly. Absolute and total accuracy is needed at this stage, and this helps achieve that ...

[@seseragistudio]

Paul, full information on the music is in the KZbin description section ...

[@seseragistudio]

I _do_ have a book! (An eBook anyway ...) I can't link to it here from these KZbin comments, but if you go to my mokuhankan com website, and look for the books, you'll find 'Your First Print' in there!

[@zacknconnorgaming8160]

Excellent demonstration of the woodblock printing process, step by step. Very clear.

[@seseragistudio]

The possible themes for us are absolutely endless, for sure. Jed's not 'stuck' on Nintendo at all; that's just where some very easy fruit was hanging when this whole thing started. If we can get a bunch more people trained at this end, so that our production capabilities can handle it, we'd love to get a whole bunch of different projects moving forward together ... If! Thanks for the enthusiasm!

[@vqprodigy2983]

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I'm SPEECHLESS!!!!!

[@mondoprime]

Incredible work! Very nicely shot, too.

[@ghostdein1]

the fine detail in the color layers is blowing me away! You are incredibly talented, and thanks for sharing this video with us!

[@jlcontarino]

incredible how much work goes into this!

[@KoniraThax]

Best...stamps...ever! I love watching these processes so much. They're so informative.

[@unclvinny]

David, I think it'd be interesting to see a field trip to where you get your wooden blocks. Maybe visit the producer of the blocks, and ask to go to the forest where they're grown? This video is wonderful, as always. Thanks!

[@zherographics8101]

This is masterful!! I have taken up linocut recently with a desire to move to wood. I am now on the fence if this makes me want to work harder or give up. This is true art!!

[@natalialarrea7630]

Amo el grabado, hoy descubrí esta nueva técnica, la busqué en youtube y me encontré con su video: Fabuloso! gracias por compartirlo, ahora usted es mi héroe! =)

[@seseragistudio]

I've never 'worn out' a block, so the question of what to do with them is moot. As I mentioned in another comment here, we very carefully preserve our blocks for future printing. Perhaps the most I have ever printed from one set of blocks (so far) is somewhere on the order of 600~700 copies (some of our Gift Prints), and even after this many, the blocks are still in wonderful condition, mostly due to the fact that we print bit by bit in relatively small batches.

[@nigellee9824]

Started watching David Bull, because it was there, then got hooked on them, then I started to see more than just the work, David is starting to come across as some sort of self made genius, when in reality, and for the most part only reproducing either old work, or others work...if you want to see some real modern work, of which is every bit as good as the classical prints have a look at Graham Scholes, he's fantastic. ..

[@JacquelineduPlessis]

wow, wow, wow, wow!!! Just saw your kickstarter and I was like HOLY MOLY 300k and now I understand! Now I see! Amazing! What talent!

[@lionheart7858]

OH MYYY! That is amazing work there, skill indeed! *clap, clap, clap*

[@Andy00011]

It's just amazing! Very nice video! I'm fascinated by the dense and flawless wood you are using, how nicely done and easy it looks when you are working on it! wonderful!

[@tanyakito]

Thank you for sharing your talents to the world !

[@melissa16melz]

this is beautiful, all that work is truly worth it

[@justiceforsethrichwwg1wga160]

Brilliant work!

[@henchmanb]

It's Link and Samus!

[@orlandoaraujo2934]

So beautiful work ! Lovely ! Congratulations !!!

[@IsIzy89cm6]

I've just subscribed for this line of prints, I can't wait to receive the first pair of chibi heroes! Keep the great work! Thanks!

[@seseragistudio]

:-) Thank you!

[@seseragistudio]

In ukiyo-e work the black outlines do indeed come first, 99.99% of the time. We're doing them last on these prints because we're using a pretty rich 'goopy' black, unlike the normal greyish outlines typical of most ukiyo-e. And this rich black tends to transfer to the colour blocks, thus making those tones duller and duller as the work progresses. And we can get away with doing it last on these simple prints, because the outlines are thick enough to give us a bit of 'play' in the registration.

[@inchworm9311]

Well done on the ending shot!

[@seseragistudio]

Thanks for the enthusiasm! The information you need is in the video description section ...

[@geefee0420]

amazing work!

[@incyphe]

As much as I like Chibi Heroes, I just had to have one of the full-size prints. Can't wait til I get mine!

[@seseragistudio]

Hah! And here - after all the comments about my voice on the previous videos - I thought it was a good idea to 'give it a rest'! :-)

[@CMPerkins22]

Beautiful in many ways.

[@bluethundercrash]

Your art is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@marinausselmann5901]

more of this please! So pleasing to watch

[@cndl_lght]

Stupendous work David

[@seseragistudio]

Our thinking at present is that the series will continue indefinitely. We're thinking of each 'set' as having 12 issues (24 prints), and after each set is done, subscribers can leave then, or continue with the next set if they wish. But we recognize that there is plenty of demand for individual prints, so when we can manage it we intend to put them into the web shop, although I guess the price for each one would then be something a bit higher than the subscription price. Still not quite sure ...

[@DecoNancagua]

me gusto mucho este video... un arte milenario japones del cual los europeos tomaron tecnicas para usarlas en sus creaciones artisticas. exelente.

[@Kills99]

David Bull ROCKS!!!

[@DarthGrapeDrank]

Thank you. Should have waited for the credits at the end :-)

[@gerotube5]

awesome work, and nice video. Thanks for that

[@aire930]

mesmerizing! Thank you

[@seseragistudio]

The next video is coming soon, in the middle of next week. I'm not going to post four separate videos this time (like I did for Fox Moon), as I don't simply want to replicate the same thing over and over again. This one will show a bit less of the process itself, and a bit more of the tools and procedures. Hopefully that way the entire set of videos will form a more useful reference ...

[@franzrogar]

Thank you very much for your kind, faster and very informative answer :-) It's a truly pleasure to view and listen to your videos and read your writings. It'd be fantastic if you were to publish some book about printing techniques :-) or video workshops or printing kits or whatever :-D

[@DarthGrapeDrank]

Thanks for the explanation. I was going to ask the same question.

[@moneuwhothermadillesougt4790]

HERMOSO, NUNCA SE ACABA DE APRENDER.

[@seseragistudio]

Muchas gracias por tu comentario!

[@leesponenberg5907]

Cool video

[@seseragistudio]

You're making this request to visit the blockmaker about thirteen years too late, as the last one - Mr. Shintaro Shimano - died in 1999. Since then we carvers have been just getting whatever we can find from general stocks of lumber, not material specifically prepared for traditional woodblock printmaking. If you head over to the index page of my woodblock com website, and scroll down to the bottom, you will see a link to 'Visits to Craftsmen'. An entry there will take you to see Mr. Shimano ...

[@microseed]

Wow great video and amazing work! Keep on! :)

[@kaplico9534]

どうやって色付けされていくのかとワクワクしながら見れた＾ ＾ これは欲しいって気にさせてくれますね

[@SS-zd5uf]

最後に自転車で行くんですね、流石。ｗ

[@Emmagination35]

great video : )

[@mattmcdonnellart]

Enjoyed seeing the process from beginning to end. Just one question, I think I recall you saying the key block (black lines) is the 1st impression usually? Regardless, very enjoyable! Thanks Matt

[@seseragistudio]

+Matthew McDonnell Yes, for most ukiyo-e type work, the black lines are indeed printed first. We can get away with that, because most key blocks are printed with a more delicate black (sometimes even in grey). These lines don't smear when subsequent colours are printed. But for these Chibies, we want a rich black key line, and if we do it first, it tends to smear when printing colours. So we switch it around ... (This makes registration dangerous, because we can't tell if anything is mis-registered, but for prints of this small type, with very thick black lines, such risk is very low ...

[@mattmcdonnellart]

+David Bull Thank you. The process is so magical to watch. A real testament to your craftsmanship! All the Best, Matthew

[@desnumber1]

I admire your work ,sir. I wonder when will you post new video of your next project "The Hero Rests" ?

[@hikariyamamoto1299]

thanks!!!!^^ and very good

[@Chuongston]

wow. I would die to just have one of those freshly carved key blocks as a work of art to display :P:P Have you ever done that for anyone?

[@leashy666]

Omg DBZ stamps?!❤️

[@sonykusumasmoro6811]

Amazing work sir! anyway why there's smoke coming out of printer?? 1:26

[@Zondaro]

Nice video, but I miss the dulcet tones of David Bull talking us through the process.

[@Semitela]

wonderful...

[@franzrogar]

Thank you very much for the information. It's a bit hard to reach the point ( go to "The Prints", bottom of the page, select "Books - Printmaking", and there is the book) though you missed to point in that section the author ;-) You see Yoshida's, Fletcher's, etc. and one without author (until you open the link). That's yours, of course and... I'm going to read it as soon as I received it ;-)

[@diegogaliiano5730]

Hi David, your art work is awesome, i love Woodblock prints too, but i use another kind of wood, i want to ask you, the name of this material you use, im in Colombia, can you give me some advice ? Thanks

[@Leverquin]

you must be very happy person.

[@Patounet]

Nice work ! Thank you ! One question, how come for theses chibi you print the black lines last when you seem to do them first on your other work ? Does it have to do with the colors used for these ? Like them being too dense, thus risking to tarnish the black once applied above it ? Anyway, waiting for it ! あけましておめでとうございます！

[@allewis5880]

I would love to know more about your sizing process. It's the one area that I can't seem to find that much information on. What type of glue are you using? At what proportion? Do you brush the front and back? What is that small strip of paper for in your video?

[@franzrogar]

Wonderful! I also miss your voice. I've a question: what are you doing at 5:23 at the corner of the sheet? Adding varnish to stiff it so it can hold still?

[@mo9ny]

cool!

[@alexandrepohlmann7490]

Cool production... before Casey Neistat you got a cool cuts and music.

[@midlifepublishing]

I have to say as a fellow printmaker I am seriously impressed! Where can I go to subscribe for prints?

[@Jtaavery200]

Why did you choose to do the key block last this time?

[@xingguo7876]

how do you prepare those paper?? brush water over them?? is there a video about that??and DRAGON BALL stamps!!!!

[@Xyuuuu]

お疲れ様! !

[@djlord77]

Very very inspiring! Please can i know what paper was used to transfer the drawing onto wood?

[@seseragistudio]

+Dhwaj Goyal As you saw in the video, the transfer paper is a two-layer type; it is made from thin Japanese 'gampi' glued (with spray glue) to a normal copy paper.

[@djlord77]

+David Bull thanks a lot, would you know any alternative to gampi paper...

[@maurorestrepo460]

Love ir

[@DarthGrapeDrank]

Does anyone know the name of the song in the background? Shazam apparently doesn't have a clue.

[@dpenela]

can you tell me what kind of brush you are unsing in hte beggining, please? much apreaciated.

[@Skunky48]

I found you on Twitch today and fell right into a state of intense curiosity. Lovely stream, and I'll see you again I hope. Thank you friend, for sharing your passion with the world.

[@Floydarn]

Very nice. Too bad I'm not over 18 so i cant buy anything online...

[@MeesNukk]

Hi David! I admire your work! Would you mind sharing where you get your wood blocks from in Tokyo?

[@seseragistudio]

I can't link them directly here in a KZbin comment, but just search for Woodlike Matsumura here in Tokyo. They have an English web site from which you can get information about their products. I order my blocks from them in exactly the format and type that I need ...

[@losey88]

muy lindo

[@bruklincarey8173]

When will a new video be up?

[@melody3741]

Opinions on non-black key blocks?

[@hiumananne]

how do you make that kind of printing paper?

[@gwarcus]

What was the black cube on the sharpening block, obsidian?

[@seseragistudio]

No, not anything so hard; it's the very soft stone known as 'nagura'. It breaks down easily when rubbed over the sharpening stone, and the resulting 'mud' is what actually performs the sharpening process (on the very hardest stones ...)

[@Leverquin]

is this oak wood?

[@saddamhussain-pv1st]

all kindy working

[@luismartini6777]

I want to learn this, but in Brazil nobody Works