Finally my comic/art book Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics was launched at Hondarake Full of Books in Sydney on the wet Summer afternoon of 11 February 2012 along with an exhibition of original postcard prints and a display of my printmaking tools used in the making of the comic and the cards.

With my fish prints hanging overhead. (Photo by Sal Jones)

The launch had a party atmosphere and the guests and shop staff created a happy and fun environment!

Zeera the Space Pirate creator Naomi Hatchman. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Enthusiastic early attendee Naomi Hatchman disclosed her cunning plan to publish the complete collection of her comic Zeera the Space Pirate at the forthcoming MCA Zine Fair.

Australian alternative comics legends Glenn Smith and Gerard Ashworth. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Director of Animation at JMC Academy Sean Callinan and Peregrine Besset creator Lewis P. Morley. (Photo by Louise Graber)

It Lives! CEO’s Nick and Liz. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Store owners Hisae and Tomoko got right behind the launch. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Gene Kannenberg, Jr. was very entertaining with his wit and gameplay in matching comics with appropriate beverages. Here he is onscreen in the background. (Photo by Andrew Hawkins)

The book was launched by my friend and colleague Gene Kannenberg, Jr. via a Skype link from the U.S. Kannenberg, a noted comics historian, is the director of ComicsResearch.org. Formerly the Chair of both the International Comic Arts Festival and the Comic Art & Comics Area of the Popular Culture Association, he has written widely on comic art and his book “500 Essential Graphic Novels” was published in 2008. He made a humorous and lively speech and generously participated in a game that he engages in on Facebook and that I included in my comic, of pairing comics with beer. What would you drink if reading a comic by Will Eisner, or Lynda Barry, or Hergé, or Jack Kirby or Joost Swarte ? Gene told us his suggestions and got a big response when he suggested black coffee with Steve Ditko and Duff beer with Matt Groening, and then an even bigger response when he brought his cat, Mr. Pickles, onscreen.

The limited edition book with original print on the cover.

BLOTTING PAPER

ART BOOK/COMIC+CREATIVE PRINT EXHIBITION

Artist Statement by Dr. Michael Hill (a.k.a. Doctor Comics)

1-29 February 2012 HONDARAKE full of books, Sydney

BLOTTING PAPER is a comics and cards project. Both the art book/comic, which is the first part of a planned longer work The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics, and the cards involve printmaking as an image-making technique. Printmaking is suitable for generating stand-alone single images and sequential images suitable for storytelling. The comic also includes the use of drawing, collage, photography, handwriting, hand colouring and typography. I employed the Japanese technique of woodblock printmaking in my first animation film around 20 years ago and I have continued to engage in it since but have largely been involved in the scholarly and research aspects of visual communication, writing and teaching more than making. This book and exhibition marks a more focused return to ‘making’ images.

The exhibition of 33 hand-made postcards produced in sosaku hanga style acknowledges the ‘creative print’ movement that emerged just over a century ago in Tokyo when painting rather than printmaking was the more popular course of study. Creative prints became the voice of a group of artists who went under the name Pan and met for sake parties by the Sumida River (Sumida Gawa), the centre of the Floating World of old Edo and site of the classic Ukiyo-e print movement. The American writer James Michener described the difference in method of this new approach: …in contrast to the classical system in which the artist merely designed the print, leaving the carving of the blocks to one technician and the printing to another, the newer print artists preached that the artist himself must do the designing, carving and printing. A new term was devised to describe such a print-sosaku hanga, meaning “creative print.” (Michener, 1968: The Modern Japanese Print p.11)

Despite the implied reference to wood and blocks, creative prints may not always involve woodblock printmaking. Wood may be replaced by other materials such as vegetables, fruit, leaves, string, rubber, cloth or any number of other found objects that may be inked and pressed onto paper. These creative prints (sosaku hanga) place the emphasis on the act of making the print (with a small drink of sake afterwards to celebrate the artistic and experimental expression).

Amidst the books was the pop-up exhibition of 33 postcard prints. (Photo by Harrison Hill)

The postcard prints, all made by hand in the Japanese sosaku hanga method, came in 33 basic styles but, being monotype prints rather than identical prints, all of the cards are unique. A total of 500 original cards were produced and all were on sale.

Hair and prints in abundance at the launch. (Photo by Harrison Hill)

Included in the exhibition was a display case containing some of the tools and techniques, blocks and letters used in the production of the book and the cards.

Inside the display case of tools and techniques and a very frightened animal character jug.

For an interesting visual diary record, study of project management and time-line development overview of the project, see previous BLOTTING PAPER: The Comic production reports: No.10,  No.9,  No.8,  No.7,  No.6,  No.5,  No.4,  No.3,  No.2,  No.1.