Ukiyoe Heroes (13) : Fox Moon - carving the colour blocks

[@Man0rMonster]

You are the Bob Ross of woodblocks. It's very pleasant watching and listening to you work.

[@schmechel6888]

Bob Ross is the Dave Bull of painting, not the other way around my friend 😉

[@kellyjohngough9350]

The amount of information one gains from watching your films is priceless. I thank you.

[@MakoHazard]

These videos are incredibly relaxing. But what I love most is your enthusiasm for your work. The passion really comes across in the carvings. Beautiful work from everyone in the studio!

[@Gexilla]

Thank you so much for uploading these step-by-step videos. Before stumbling upon them I had no clue what a woodblock print was but now I really appreciate the art and all the tedious work that must go into it.

[@ginkoba4]

This is really beautiful, awe-inspiring and your voice is so relaxing! I love all the details in Fox Moon that make it my favorite of all the prints. Can't wait to see it in person.

[@KnitOutTheJams]

Don't change a thing. Absolutely love your work and feel fortunate to have found your channel with so much to watch. Because of this, this has been the best winter ever!

[@virtuousvibes2852]

Rare to find such detailed walkthroughs of ukiyoe, thx alot

[@chame17]

It always great to see the work of someone who's so in love with their work and their job.

[@seseragistudio]

For answers to that sort of technical question, please follow the link in the final frame of the video, and then look for the Encyclopedia section. Lots of info there!

[@ClydeDay]

@David Bull I just discovered your channel, and I fell in love right away. It is amazing how you do these, and the outcome is just as impressive. I can't wait to watch more of your videos.

[@boredATkosice]

your work is so awesome , i used to work in a silk print studio but it wasnt as cool as a real wood block print,you are so tranquil and peacfull when u carve those woodblock a true zen master

[@BorisTheDestroyer]

really really appreciate the work and effort that goes into these. Can't wait to get my Fox moon!

[@seseragistudio]

The largest print I have made so far is a scroll-mounted print, a reproduction of an old painting. If you go to my woodblock com website and look for the 'Scroll Project' section, you will find lots of information on it. As for the 'your own design' aspect, we're planning to take my 'River in Winter' design (from the 'My Solitudes' project) and make a large version of that one fairly soon. Thanks for the interest!

[@Bulldog1878]

Someone should commission you to do the Bayeux Tapestry Dave....Or at least a huge Street Fighter (video game) scene...

[@kitchensinque]

I love these videos - so peaceful, beautiful and full of information. In particular this one, cos it is my print! Can't wait .....

[@thegoodgeneral]

12:11 David lets slip an "anooooo...."

[@creatureencounters3897]

Such precise, meticulous work.

[@jferraro]

Ah, gotcha. That makes a lot of sense; I think the finished rickshaw print looks gorgeous! Thanks for the quick response and keep up the good work -- you're a true artist!

[@p3t3rjhackett]

Absolutely marvellous...the entire series. Wonderful. I got lucky, I found your channel.

[@donroberts8755]

This is truly amazing. I can't imagine making one error on one of the blocks.....

[@maxtravers1314]

I feel the same about having having these beautiful woodcuts covered in ink… honestly, sometimes after printing is over making it completely black and lacquering it can make it a beautiful object again

[@karenholland6910]

I have just discovered you! Beautiful work and am getting a better appreciate of woodblock printing. Thankyou so much.

[@samatteb1]

Thank You so much for sharing the videos! You quite eloquent, I enjoy listening to you I would like to try to carve a page from an old Arabic book , I'm puzzled how to execute those waving lines ... Could you suggest some theoretical resources for me to begin with ? Thank You

[@seseragistudio]

+Samat Teberdi I don't think it's 'theoretical' resources you need ... it's simply time spent with a knife and a piece of wood ... There are no 'textbooks' for this craft (although there are some things that might be useful if you go to the 'Library' section of the woodblock dot com website ...)

[@InvisibleMan1306]

I have something to looks forward to next week. Thanks for great video, very interesting.

[@milosmilojevic7721]

“…please brush your fingernails .” This person is a masterclass artist and who cares if his hands are messy,it’s a part of his job! Dave don’t pay attention to this kind of comments!

[@beaugiov]

very awesome. these are beautiful! very instructional and keep up the great work of what I know now is not a lost art here in this century!

[@mysticalwhat]

What a wonderful craft! Thank you for sharing!

[@vividlabskp]

These blocks are still being used today, 7 years later, if I'm not mistaken. (Sure wish I had a carving project right now!)

[@seseragistudio]

They are indeed still being used ... and should be still active after I'm gone!

[@nicholasadams2374]

The finished prints really dont give David the credit he deserves. Until you see him make the blocks, you just cant appreciate the skill. People out there spending millions on hideous paintings, when this guy truly deserves it.

[@kellyjohngough9350]

By the way, I love the gunk under your nails, I wear mine with pride.

[@seseragistudio]

Funny you should ask that just now, because I _did_ make a slip-up while carving the blocks for Fox Moon. I took some photos of the process of fixing the error, and will be making a post about it over on my Mokuhankan Conversations blog sometime later this evening, or maybe tomorrow ...

[@seseragistudio]

You mean the faint white pattern on the driver's upper clothing? It was simply too small at that scale, in addition to making the print too 'busy' in that area. I did actually carve it, but after test printing, Jed and I decided to leave it off.

[@jamessamuel1255]

There are so many colour blocks, I can’t imagine how annoyed I’d be if I got one slightly out of line with the rest of them

[@seseragistudio]

There are a lot of people asking about this, and I'm obviously going to have to prepare something to address the question. Please just wait a bit longer, and I'll get some kind of page ready showing/explaining how I people might best care for their prints ...

[@alethegoodsoul]

Thank you so much, this was an amazing watch and I very much enjoyed seeing the process :) Looking forward to your future videos! It certainly makes me very curious about trying something like that myself (though in a much, much smaller and simpler scale).

[@MrJSlimify]

Absolutely love that I found this channel. While I'm not passionate about wood prints, seeing your dedication to the craft is inspiring nonetheless. I have a question about editing the blocks. What happens if you're not happy with the initial black ink impression? How do you fix the block? Do you clean it off, carve the fixes, and then apply the ink again? Or do you just remake the key block(s)? I'm sure I'm not the only binging your videos, and I can't wait to see your future projects.

[@MikePulcinellaVideo]

I worked in an offset print shop for 30 years...ALL pressmen have blackened nails. That's a mark of the profession.

[@unclvinny]

David, it's tremendously peaceful to watch you work, and listen to your descriptions. Thank you! Could you tell us sometimes about things that go wrong during the process, and how you correct your errors? Does your knife ever slip, for example? Or have you ever noticed that a paper registration mark is slightly askew? Cheers!

[@ryanboeding1318]

There are some techniques on using and gluing multiple papers here that I can use and make my carving easier! Thanks.

[@Hamazan]

I enjoy your videos so much!

[@marionjoy9475]

just lovely

[@BlindWolf8]

Thanks David! I really appreciate that.

[@BlindWolf8]

Hi David, I'm eagerly awaiting my Fox Moon woodblock print and this process is quite fascinating. I was wondering though: what would be the best way to take care of such a piece of art so the wood and color stay in good condition? I wouldn't want to frame this as feeling the individual lines and shapes in the wood is part of the enjoyment. I've never owned anything quite like this before. Thanks again David. Please keep doing these wonderful videos and making things come alive.

[@kitchensinque]

PS. You need to thread all of this together. It would make the most outstanding documentary. Really ....

[@itsjudystube7439]

Wonderful videos thank you. I love how chilled and content you sound. And the detail of the process is so helpful. I am wondering if similar principles apply to Lino block printing, which I have tried in a very basic way - not far off potato printing. Is the woodblock carving harder on the hands than Lino block? Does depend on your tools?

[@seseragistudio]

Sorry, but I have no experience at all with linocut work, so I really can't answer ...

[@Zondaro]

Thanks for posting this video! I have been enjoying these videos greatly! I noticed your nails in previous videos, but having worked manual labor in the past I assumed, correctly, that the dirt was just a byproduct of the process. If you have a chance, or time, I'd love to see more background on the process of getting to the point where you are in this video. Ie, where do the wood blocks come from? How are the colors/ink mixed?

[@s.bujinkan8701]

Wunderschöne Bilder und eine großartige Kunstform. Kann mir jemand sagen wo ich Bilder in Europa kaufen kann?

[@jferraro]

Hey Dave, I can't wait to buy some prints, and I love the videos! Please keep them coming! I can't help but wonder -- why did you chose to include the kimono patterns on this print, but omit them on the rickshaw print? Any particular reason? 気をつけて！

[@unclvinny]

Excellent! I will subscribe over there.

[@smithk502]

very nice

[@seseragistudio]

No, never ... All of my carving is very low relief - basically 2-D; I think I'd be lost working in real 3-D ...

[@ximbabwe0228]

Is this based on star fox or vice versa

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

Star Fox is the original source. The first Star Fox game was released in 1993. This work was done in 2012.

[@analaura7730]

u r a genious!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hektor-vektor7024]

if a mistake happens, your only human after all, is there any way to repair or is the block scrapped ?

[@seseragistudio]

We can make block repairs quite easily (in most cases). Here's a recent blog post we made showing a general procedure: mokuhankan.com/conversations/archives/2017/01/a_new_hasui_print.html

[@hektor-vektor7024]

thanks for the reply Dave, just discovered your channel and have been binge watching, fascinating procedure

[@jared_biz]

How does somebody get into this craft or any kind of wood carving?

[@ApexBovine]

Tony Danza Have a look around for arts and crafts expos at convention centres near you. They typically have woodworking workshops that you can buy starter kits from for as little as 20 dollars. They usually have a few chisels and gouges and come with a bit of softwood with a design imprinted on it for you to carve out. They're actually really fun :D

[@Jellooze]

"Diode press" have a series about how to start with hand printing for beginners, its quite good

[@tectonicD]

ApexBovine thank you so much for NOT saying...."why don't you just google it" I am so tired of seeing that in comments. It's nice to see someone take the time to explain something they have experience in!

[@_timmy]

Will you ever shave your whole beard?

[@oldmatrices]

Ukiyo-e game: Bob Ross!

[@cloneskiller]

Bob Ross🤔 is that you🤔

[@cubicj]

lmao no wonder that part sounded a bit odd

[@corinnaobrien7447]

Really, somebody complained about the colour of your fingernails? Strange people in this world.

[@pascaladjaero]

Like WTH, I didn't even notice. People can be so strange smh

[@golfstar5135]

You should use a 3d printer, secretly... We know you can do it, so it's okay.

[@MrWeAllAreOne]

What a stupid email. As a bricklayer myself my hands never look pretty. Whoever wrote that mail most likely has never held a tool in their hands other than their penis. Smh!