AMY BRYAN
  • Home
  • Artist Statement
  • Recent Drawings/Birds
  • Recent Photography
  • Ghana Series
  • Videos
  • Contact

Art with the Ukiyoe iPad App

3/17/2014

7 Comments

 

Note: First Published in January 2014 and republished in March 2014. I was informed in March 2014 that the Ukiyoe app is no longer for sale in the Apple iTunes Store or available at all. It may still be used if it was downloaded on a device previously.

As I mention in my May 2013 post, I tried out the iPad as a tool for art in March 2012.  I eventually became especially attracted to the Ukiyoe app, since it allowed me to create woodcuts virtually.  The Ukiyoe app is named after the Ukiyo-e genre of 17th to 19th century Japanese woodblock printmaking.  The process of creating a hand-made woodcut has several steps.  #1) A design is carved into a flat block of wood with knives and gouges.  #2) Ink is applied to the part of the flat bock that is still raised.  #3) The ink impression is printed onto a surface usually paper or fabric, similarly to a stamp.  The hand-printing method includes pressing the paper or fabric onto the inked blocks with a wooden spoon or barren.  Alternately, a printing press may be used to transfer the image, usually a letterpress or etching press.  #4) Then prints are usually printed in a limited number of impressions, called a limited edition.  The Ukiyoe iPad app translates the first 3 steps virtually, but #4, the actual process of editioning, is not translated to this process.  Editioning is a tradition born out of practicality.  The woodblock will only allow so many impressions to be printed before the design naturally begins to breakdown.  Though, limited editions also add value to prints by adding uniqueness.  

In the Ukiyoe iPad app the wood does not eventually break down, since it is digital art.  As I ponder why it is officially digital art, my thoughts go back to graduate school when I did not understand why my photos converted into lithographs were considered traditional prints, not photographs.  It was because the lithographic process of printing used was considered officially printmaking.  Similarly, Ukiyoe iPad art, although created based on the woodcut printmaking process, is a digital image.  

In June of  2012 a very established artist told me he had a strong appreciation for the art I was creating with this app.  He suggested to me that I create the digital images as actual woodcuts.  I wrestled with this idea for a while and decided that the reproduction of the virtual images as actual woodcuts would not look exactly the same.  Then I began to ponder whether I should reproduce the prints of the digital images as limited editions.  After studying printmaking throughout my education, it was hard for me to break away from this convention.  In October 2013 I decided to step out on a limb and I considered selling my Ukiyoe app prints through a print-on-demand service.  Print-on-demand allows prints to be created on a wide variety of materials as they are requested.  There are many options for archival quality ink and paper prints to be produced. However, I decided to stick with limited editions.  I also create monoprints (one impression prints) for private commissions and unique prints through hand-drawing or painting on top of the digital prints.  

Here is the process of creating a black and white image with the Ukiyoe iPad app through photos.

Picture
Knives and gouges on the left are used to virtually carve the woodblock. A photo may be imported as a guide.
Picture
This is what the woodblock looks like when it is carved over the photo guide and ready to be printed.
Picture
This is the process of virtually printing the block in the Ukiyoe iPad app,
Picture
Frances Gaudet, 2013, © Amy Bryan 2013 This is the final print from the Ukiyoe iPad app.
7 Comments

March News

3/14/2014

0 Comments

 
March 2014
View this email in your browser
Amy Bryan
"Collaboration"
Ukiyoe iPad Art, Archival Digital Print
16"x24"
© Amy Bryan 3/2014
AVAILABLE HERE

 

Friends,

Sunshine and warmer weather have arrived in New Orleans and it feels like spring, my favorite season.  I am fascinated by Lent, spring, and Easter.  To me the upcoming season represents a time of birth and collaboration to create new beginnings.

My piece shown above is called "Collaboration".  It is an image of my sisters working on a puzzle together over the Christmas/New Year Holiday.  It reminds me of how my German professor at Xavier University, Dr. Margaret Eskew, told our class that collaboration and working together are important to succeeding in life.

Here are some quotes about collaboration:

"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." ~ H.E. Luccock

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." ~ Ryunosuke Satoro

"It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too); those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." ~ Charles Darwin
I have just joined New Orleans based online art co-op and marketplace, Where Y'Art on whereyart.net.  Here is a link to my page.
I will participate in this group show in New Orleans Saturday, March 15th at Mid-city Theater.  It will be free and open to the public.
I am happy to be receiving a distinguished service award at the New Orleans Chapter of the National Conference of Artist's annual symposium on March 29th.  Please email me at amybryanvisualarts@gmail.com if you would like to purchase tickets to the symposium and/or party the night before.
Thanks and Happy Spring!

Amy Bryan

www.amybryan.net
Sign up for email updates here.
Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*

Our mailing address is:
*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|*

unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*
0 Comments

    Blog Archives

    December 2021
    February 2021
    May 2019
    July 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012

    RSS Feed

All images on this site are © copyrighted by Amy Bryan 2023

Contact:
​amyspaperworks@gmail.com
504-252-0549


Subscribe to Amy’s periodic newsletter here.

  • Home
  • Artist Statement
  • Recent Drawings/Birds
  • Recent Photography
  • Ghana Series
  • Videos
  • Contact