Ever since I discovered the book, 'The Art of the Japanese Kite' by Tal Streeter, I have been driven to discover how these beautiful flying sculptures are made. I also have an infatuation with building and teaching about Japanese kites (tako). Whether large or small, the wild spaces that surround us offer lifetimes of discovery and observable beauty perfect for sharing through woodblock printmaking. My favorite subject might be a small warbler hunting for larvae in a vernal pond, a carpet of Kalm's Lobelia blooming by the dozen across a sandy bog, or Blue Herons scooping up fish from an impossibly fast waterfall.

Parks, preserves and wild spaces are critical for our collective health. Being able to share what I have learned about this art form is very important to me and through Patreon I am hoping to expand my teaching opportunities to include as many students as possible. Currently I give workshops at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point Wisconsin and at The Clearing Folk School in Ellison Bay Wisconsin. I love the hands-on, direct and nuanced nature of this process. After rubbing, carefully lift the paper to reveal your Japanese-style woodblock print! Printing with a brush, watercolor and baren yields delicate, subtle effects that would be very hard to duplicate through other printmaking mediums. Seeing the printed image slowly seep through the back of the paper as it is rubbed is my favorite part of the process. To create a Moku Hanga print, simply brush watercolor and rice paste onto a carved wood block, slowly lay a sheet of paper over the top and burnish the back with a rubbing tool, or a Japanese disc baren. Moku ( wood) Hanga ( print) is a simple method to make woodblock prints using a brush, baren, fine grain wood, Japanese paper (washi), water based ink and a few sharp carving tools no large, complex printing presses, oil based inks or toxic chemicals are needed. I am a woodblock printmaker with a love for creating Moku Hanga, Japanese-style woodblock prints.В Through Moku Hanga, I am able to pare down and express what I find essentially beautiful about the natural landscapes, flora, fauna and faces I love to draw. You can achieve simple to exaggerated color results using this process.My name is Alfred Stark. The cool thing about this style is the ability to 'Randomize Colors' throughout your artwork and the ability to replace any or all of these colors, using the full-spectrum color picker. The Multi-Block style uses 5 blocks of color pulled from your original image then divides the colors across your artwork giving the look of carving a separate woodblock for every color.

By adjusting the 'Image Color' slider you can reduce or add colors to your artwork giving it a variety of printed-styles, from a full-color block process to spot-color ones. The Multi-Color style uses all the original colors in your photo.Choose between two printing styles: 'Multi-Color' or 'Multi-Block'.Control the color in your artwork with saturation, strength and image color sliders.Adjust the outline width, strength and how smooth or fluid your chiseled outline appears.Automatically create a work of art with the look of hand chiseled outlines and brushed on color, fully adjustable with simple sliders.In printmaking the final image does rely on the choice of paper whether it is kozo fibers or rice paper - this will add an artistic quaility to your print and complete your Moku Hanga. Once the desired color is achieved complete your artwork with an artistic edge or paper. If the preset colors chosen for your work are not to your liking, there is the option to alter your palette colors.

Choose from a range of bold chisled outlines, and bright to subtle color combinations. Presets are also available to give your project a quick start. Using sliders found on the adjust tab you can control the smoothness, width and strength of the chiseled outline to fit your composition. The outlines in Moku Hanga are extremely eye catching, replicating a hand chiseled relief-art. Moku Hanga ( Moku is the Japanese word for 'wood,' while hanga is the word for 'print') allows you to create an artistic wood-block print from any picture or snapshot - no need for time-consuming carving - the artists from JixiPix do all the work for you! With the power to fully customize your Moku Hanga, you can create a masterpiece artistic enough be part of printmaking history!

Moku hanga with regular watercolors