Kathryn LaNasa
Bokashi Technique
When viewing the prints of Toshi Yoshida as well as other woodblock print artists, it is important to know that different pigment application techniques were employed to give the prints texture and depth. One of these techniques, found in Toshi Yoshida’s “White Plum in the Farmyard” print, is known as bokashi. This technique, used frequently to illustrate the sky in landscape prints, allows the artist to make a concentrated color fade until it is very pale, creating visual depth. Several variations of the bokashi technique exist in order to allow the artist more creative choices while coloring their prints. The quality and consistency of a woodblock print artist’s bokashi technique is one aspect that is looked at when judging the artist’s overall skill as a printmaker.
In order to reach a high level of quality and consistency, an artist needs practice and patience. The overall process is fairly straightforward, but it takes a fair amount of trials before an artist’s bokashi skies are all uniform. One of the most important elements of the entire procedure is the use of water. If the woodblock artist wants to incorporate the bokashi technique in their woodblock print, the first step is to apply water onto the part of the woodblock where the color becomes light and eventually disappears. The artist then uses a slightly wet brush to apply pigment to the opposite end of the block, where the color is to be the richest and deepest. Traditional Japanese pigments were made from both organic and inorganic materials, and were oftentimes complex mixtures (Fiorillo). The pigment is spread back and forth with the brush until it reaches the wet end, where it begins to thin down evenly, creating the gradation. At this point a moistened piece of paper can be placed on top of the woodblock and pressure applied in order to transfer the pigment to the paper.
The type of gradation described above is a gradual gradation. This is a type of Ichimoji bokashi, or “straight line gradation” (Yuki). Ichimoji bokashi is often times “used to represent the horizon, the sea, or the sky” in landscape prints. This straight line gradation has variations in and of itself. Ichimojimura bokashi is a type of straight line gradation where the gradation edge is uneven. To achieve this, the artist initially moves the brush irregularly back and forth, creating a more rough edge.
Some prints require the gradation to take place over a larger area, sometimes by about a foot in length. This is called an Obakashi, or “a gradation in a wide area” (Yoshida). This is a much more difficult technique, and requires several printings before the desired effect is reached.
Another specific bokashi technique is known as futairo bokashi. This is the “gradual blending of two colors”, as opposed to the gradation of just one color in a woodblock print (Yuki). This can either be done with the use of one brush or two. When using just one brush, pigments of different colors are applied at opposite ends of an exceptionally wide brush. The gradual blending occurs as the brush is swept back and forth. If the artist desires a white space between the two colors, water can be applied to act as a barrier, and separate brushes are used to apply the pigment.
Atenashi bokashi is “gradation without definition” (Yuki). It is often times used to create the look of rosy cheeks on faces in woodblock prints. To get this look, water is applied onto the woodblock with a wet cloth. The artist creates a border, using the water to trace where the color is to fade out (Yoshida). Then, with a brush, the artist applies the pigment into the center, and spreads it until it meets the water. The result is a concentrated spot of color with no defined edges. This technique, however, is oftentimes very difficult to repeat consistently.
The ability for a woodblock print artist to be consistent in coloring their many prints is difficult and therefore highly praised. Overall, a “uniform result is aimed at in the production of prints” (Yoshida). Because the use of the bokashi method makes the process more labor intensive for the production of just one print, it is even more difficult to ensure uniformity among multiple prints. Also, woodblock print collectors and experts can many times tell if the artist is more experienced or not by looking at the quality of their bokashi technique. Therefore, the more skilled woodblock print artists can not only create a high quality bokashi horizon line on their print, but can also repeat it with the same high quality over and over again.
The use of the bokashi technique by woodblock print artists not only creates a more interesting print visually, but also showcases the skill level of the artist. By using both this traditional woodblock print technique and variations of it, Japanese artists can achieve the beautiful effect of gradation to express skies, water, and horizon lines.
Bibliography
Fiorillo, John. “Viewing Japanese Prints.” 2001. 24 April 2006.
<http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/~fiorillo/texts/topictexts/>
Yoshida, Hiroshi. “Colours and Variety of Printing.” Japanese Wood-Block Printing.
Tokyo: Sanseido, 1939. Handbook of Japanese Printmaking Technique. 2005.
24 April 2006. < http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/index.html>
Yuki, Rei and Toshi Yoshida. Japanese Print-Making. Tokyo:Tuttle, 1966.
Handbook of Japanese Printmaking Technique. 2005. 24 April 2006.
< http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/index.html>