Hiroshige

'Nihonbashi Bridge on Snow Morning' and 'Mt. Fuji Scene from Satta' both by Andō Hiroshige

'Evening Snow in Kamubara' by Andō Hiroshige and 'Mt. Fuji on Fine Day' by Hokusai Katsushika

Hiroshige Pouch from the 'Evening Snow in Kamubara' postcard.

When I was about 12, a family friend returned from a Tokyo business trip with a huge pile of beautifully printed, thick, mat postcards with old Japanese woodblock art on them. Everyone was allowed to keep a few and above are the ones I chose. They were blu-tacked to my bedroom wall for all of my teenage years and are a bit worse for wear, but as you can see the colours haven't faded. A while ago, I digitally cleaned one of them up and had it printed on some linen-cotton from Spoonflower. For textiles, digital printing is perfect for this kind of thing - it couldn't have turned out better. I've finally made something of it (the last image here) and it's great to have something to use, made by hand, from an image that's always been there.

I hope you have a great weekend. Spoil yourself at least once :)

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

No more whale hunting in the Southern Ocean!

I'm so happy with today's ruling by the International Court of Justice and I know I'm in good company! Japan can no longer continue its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean, where they make the majority of their catch, and the argument that it is for scientific purposes has been rejected.

"a more concentrated campaign focused in Japan has begun to see major change in the perception
 of the whaling programme at home, despite it coming at great risk and cost to campaigners"
Source: Greenpeace

Read more about it here, here and a good article about reduced Japanese support of whaling here.

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Update April 2014: "Japan says the whaling is scientific.. Tokyo is making preparations to submit a revised whaling plan for both the Pacific and the Antarctic to the International Whaling Commission by this fall.." despite the fact that, according to a recent survey of Japanese consumers "Only 4% said they consumed whale meat 'occasionally' while 10% said they ate it on 'rare occasions,'" (Source).

If you are one of the growing number of Japanese citizens who are against whaling or dolphin hunting and would like to find out more about how you can help, Japan's first open opposition group, 'Action for Marine Mammals' is an excellent place to start - go for it!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Koi & Crane

Another couple of vector images from my latest project:

Koi & Crane

I've based the crane on the Red-Crowned Crane which, although endangered through loss of habitat, has been increasing in numbers over the second half of last century. These beautiful birds have an elaborate courtship dance (involving throwing grass in the air!) and pair for life.

Red Crowned Crane by Roy Toft

While looking for inspiration I came across this photo of calling cranes on Hokkaido Island by the fantastic wildlife photographer Roy Toft. Have a look at more of his incredible work here and here!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Eastern Zen

A preview detail of some Eastern Zen I'm working on at the moment:

Have a good weekend everyone!

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Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware