We are sorry to announce that this class is now cancelled. Please contact Fran McReynolds at workshopchair@focusonbookarts.org if you have any questions.
Workshop Description:
Nengajo is a traditional custom in Japan, making and sending New Year’s postcards to friends and family, with best wishes and images of the Chinese zodiac animal of the coming year. Learn relief printmaking techniques with linoleum blocks, hand sewing with Japanese washi paper & thread. Each participant will hand print one zodiac animal to keep, and more to share with classmates so that you leave with a beautiful paper quilt featuring a variety of animals. Also learn how to print the linocuts with an etching press on postcards from Japan. After this workshop, book artists can use these skills in making their books by hand printing, etching press, or letterpress.
Materials/equipment to be provided by students:
- X-Acto knife
- Watercolors (gouache, gansai, calligraphy ink colors, or any water-based colors)
- Black Sharpie
- Pencil and eraser
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Sewing thread (any color, not white)
- Sewing needle
- Latex or nitrile gloves
See Materials Glossary for definitions and images
Optional materials/equipment to be provided by students:
- Face mask & apron
Optional, if you’d like to invest in your own woodcut/ linocut carving tools:
- Mikisyo Power Grip 1.5mm, v-gouge, triangular —$7.90 at Amazon.
- Mikisyo Power Grip 1.5mm, u-gouge, round —$7.78 at Amazon.
- Namisei 3mm, u gouge, round —$14.60 at imcclains.com.
- Namisei 6mm, u-gouge, round —$16.05 at imcclains.com.
Materials/equipment to be provided by instructor:
- Unmounted linoleum 6 x 4-inch (1 per participant)
- Metal spoons for printing (1 per participant)
- X-Acto knives (4 spares)
- Speedball linocutter sets (12 sets)
- One sheet of 25 x 37-inch washi paper per participant: I will pre-cut to 12-5×7-inch sheets
- One card stock postcard from Japan per participant
- Newsprint/newspaper
- Tracing paper
- Letter sized copier paper (1 packet)
- Black oil-based ink
- Ink spatulas
- Five Brayers
- One wooden spoon & 3 barens for printing
- Extra watercolors
- Soft paint brushes for watercolor (1 per participant)
- Cups for water palettes for watercolor
- Black Sharpies (5 spares)
- Extra pencils and erasers
- Rulers (4 spares)
- Scissors (4 spares)
- Extra sewing thread (any color, not white)
- Extra sewing needles
- Nori glue
- Baby powder
- Extra latex or nitrile gloves
- Rubbing alcohol for degreasing brayers
- Simple Green for degreasing
- Vegetable oil for cleaning ink
- Paper towels/rags
Instructor Biography:
Yoshi Nakagawa is a visual artist based in Tacoma, WA—specializing in printmaking for over 24 years. Raised in Portland, OR, she pulled her first print at the University of Puget Sound and continued her craft in Seattle and Oaxaca, Mexico. Her artwork is influenced by patterns of the natural world and Japanese textiles, along with experiences living in Oaxaca and Japan. She has exhibited and taught workshops in the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Africa, and Honduras.
Website: www.yoshinakagawa.com
