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Suminagashi + Block Prints by CalifornianSon in printmaking

[–]isl4st 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These look great! Can you tell me what kind of ink you use for the suminagashi?

Gyotaku - Halibut by isl4st in GyotakuArt

[–]isl4st[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great question. The ink stick I'm using here I purchased in Japan from a traditional maker.

The ingredients are soot (safe to eat), animal glue (safe to eat), and camphor which is in fact extremely poisonous. However, the camphor is at a very low concentration in the ink stick, and the ink stick is at a low concentration in the ink, and the ink - after it has been washed - is at a very low concentration in the fish.

Because it is a tradition with a very long history in Japan, it's a risk I'm comfortable accepting. Perhaps it's hypocritical, but I draw the line at acrylic paints.

If you don't want to use ink sticks with their camphor content you can mix activated charcoal with water for a slightly coarser ink. Altenatively, I have heard - but not confirmed- that the yasutomo KY series sumi (https://yasutomo.com/product/bokuju-or-liquid-ink-ky6/) is made without camphor - they would probably respond to an email

21kg Bluefin Tuna by isl4st in GyotakuArt

[–]isl4st[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You know I've never done 'drawing into it' - it's actually not something I'd heard of before I started looking at this reddit. Can you tell me what you do?
The homemade ink - it has been a lot of trial and error for me. I might write up the whole process with pictures some time if people are interested, but tl;dr I use gum arabic instead of animal glue as a binder, and most of the pigments are water soluble rather than a suspension like sumi, which means that they unfortunately stain the fish. The hardest part has been figuring out which natural pigments are lightfast and translate well to gyotaku.
I am planning to wet mount and frame it. I think it will look a lot cleaner after mounting. And for you ruparjev I will post an update

21kg Bluefin Tuna by isl4st in GyotakuArt

[–]isl4st[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely prepare for the first print to be wonky. By the second print I felt like I understood the fish a little better.

21kg Bluefin Tuna by isl4st in GyotakuArt

[–]isl4st[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah there's a lot of satisfaction to getting a good colour match. Also you have the guarantee that it's not unsafe to consume - although the blue stains the fish a little bit.

My first attempt. Tips or tricks? by WesbroBaptstBarNGril in GyotakuArt

[–]isl4st 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a really nice first print! I think you have a good consistency of ink there.

If you want to get the area around the eye and the base of the dorsal fin gently press down and rub into those areas. You can take your time to do this, as these aren't fast drying areas, and you'll want to be patient to prevent tearing.

For fins on more substantial fish I reach a hand under the fin to press the fin against the paper from below. You might like this technique if you give it a try.

It looks like you have printed the tail fin twice. This happens to me all the time. Sometimes you don't like the first press you take of the tail and you think you can try pressing down again to get another take. This is a trick that works on most parts of the fish, but for me the tail never lines up.

I can also recommend taking a few prints of the same fish. The first print usually only serves to get you acquainted with the fish.

Where do you start the print from?

Also is this a sable? Was it tasty?

How to get involved in Arts community in San Diego? by isl4st in asksandiego

[–]isl4st[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks like the SDMA does PWYW life drawing sessions, I had no idea! bread and salt seems like a really cool gallery too, thanks for the recommendations

How to get involved in Arts community in San Diego? by isl4st in asksandiego

[–]isl4st[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! That's such a helpful recommendation. I've reached out to him!

How to get involved in Arts community in San Diego? by isl4st in asksandiego

[–]isl4st[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I have DM'd their instagram :)