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Movie clips, links, and printable downloads for a range of projects. Take time to explore all that I've prepared for you!
how to vdeo clips
video clips–interviews and museum talks
Dance of Life: Kyoukechi–complex Japanese clamp resist
Katazome: Start to Finish–John walks through the production of Angel in the Garden. The video presentation was originally prepared as a supplement to an article that appeared in SILKWORM, the magazine for Silk Painters International. The garment presented was featured as part of the exhibition at the Whatcom and Boise Art Museums, KATAZOME TODAY: Migrations of a Japanese Art, 2022
COLORS OF THE EARTH, COLORS OF THE SKY: Pigments and Colors of Bingata Textiles–originally prepared as part of the Seattle Art Museum's Saturday University Lecture Series, Color in Asian Art–Material and Meaning, November 2022
2023–Year of the Rabbit–John guides you through the steps of designing and printing a Year of the Rabbit New Year's Day card using katazome techniques
how to onlin pdf
online and pdf downloads–directions for a range of projects for you to view online or download the pdf file
Boys' Day Origami Helmet–how to fold an origami samurai helmet
Sarubobo–how to sew monkey toggles and pouches
katazome directions–basic and/or introductory directions for all phases of Japanese stencil dyeing
hw to katazome directions
Just What is Katazome?–Katazome is a form of paste resist surface design. That is, a paste made from very sticky ingredients, in this case rice flour, that is pushed through a stencil to define a pattern on a length of yardage. Wherever the paste sticks to the cloth...
Introduction to Stencils–
Katazome literally means stencil dyeing. The stencil is the paper prototype for a repeating pattern or design in katazome. To create a repeating pattern...
Introduction to Preparing a Cartoon and Carving a Stencil–This short series, including how to design and cut your own stencil for use in katazome, was prepared way back in 2009. The sound is a bit echo-chambery, and the piano music perhaps just a bit annoying, but I've reposted the series anyway in the hopes that the clips will help to get you started.
Designing Your Own Stencils–There are five basic styles of stencils classified according to how a design is depicted – silhouette, reverse silhouette, and so on. The styles of design may be used...
Stencil Cartoons–A cartoon is the completed drawing of a design, ready to be transferred to the stencil paper. If the design is a repeating motif, care must be taken to match...
Preparing the Cartoon–how to go about making use of the basic styles when preparing original designs
Bridges–If special care is not taken when cutting away the unwanted portion of a stencil, you will run the risk of having the stencil fall into several pieces or be so weak that the different sections move or tear easily during paste application, rendering the stencil useless. The bridge, or connector, was developed...
Carving Your Stencil–It is of utmost importance to have a sharp carving instrument to be able to cut clean, clear lines in your stencil paper, shibugami. Sharpen your blade...
Carving the Stencil part 1 of 3–proper methods for carving a stencil with an X-acto® knife
Carving the Stencil part 2 of 3–preparing to cut a repeating stencil design
Carving the Stencil. part 3 of 3–final stages of matching repeats
Lacquering Your Stencil–Stencils are subjected to quite a bit of abuse. To help cut down on this, a silk gauze netting (sha) is attached to the surface. This netting will help...
Applying Paste with Your Stencil–The goal in using a traditional stencil is to be able to create a repeating pattern in such a manner so as not to be able to tell where the join occurs. Normally this entails a little overlapping of the paste, which is...
Caring for Your Stencil–Protect your investment in your stencil by treating it with care. The best way to store stencils is by stacking them flat. To keep the stencils from snagging one another, and to reduce damage while handling, make large paper envelopes...
Rice Paste Resist–The paste resist in katazome serves to block out areas of cloth when applied through a stencil. The blocked out areas may be the original white (undyed) portion of the fabric or may be areas that have already been...
Soymilk–Soy milk is easy and cheap to make. It is a versatile binder for all fabric and paper pigments...
Supplies and Tools–Having the right tools and equipment will make any endeavor a more rewarding experience. I recommend acquiring the best quality supplies and equipment right from the start. Imagine trying to learn...
Choosing the Right Fabric–There is an expression in Japanese, mezamasu (lit. “to open something’s eyes”), which means to bring an object to life – such as sanding a piece of driftwood to bring out its hidden colors and ...
Dyes and Katazome–Dyes in katazome are applied to the yardage over a water-soluble rice paste resist. For this reason the dyes must be applied cold–most often by brush–otherwise you risk having the paste dissolve away from...
Juice Dyes–Nearly every plant will yield some sort of color, whether we use the leaves, the bark, the wood, the roots, or the fruit. Nearly all require, or are enhanced by, some sort of mordant. The trick, then, is to determine which plants, or which part of which plants...
Mordants–In the context of this web site, mordanting is adding a substance to the dye source to influence it–that is to coax out characteristics that may be...
Pigments–Pigments may be minerals, such as various rusts and dirts, or they may be vegetable, such as flower pollen or many lakes. All pigments will need to be adhered ...
Dye Application–Dyes are applied to fabric stretched on harite and shinshi to create a taut surface upon which to work. Two categories of brushes are used to apply colors in katazome – jizomebake, used to apply large washes of color, and surikomibake, used for...
Finale–Well now, you’ve been patient and allowed your fabric plenty of time to cure and at long last it is time to wash out your paste...
how to projects
projects–follow along on my photo tour as I execute each idea
Fallen Angel–multiple layers of resist and dyes, accented with touches of gold and powdered pearl
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