v-rustl

#380 Expo Preparation: Poster Making

Added 2022-02-22 18:31:00 +0000 UTC

With the arrival of winter, the farm residents have also begun to prepare for the expo.

This is the third winter since we came here, and, as expected, we’re no longer in a rush to gear up.

We had completed our preparations in autumn, and by the time the winter season came, we had sweaters on and could snuggle up in warm rooms.

The wool Batemy acquired greatly stimulated her creativity, and she quickly mastered the art of knitting to mass-produce winter clothing.

At the same time, she also worked on the costumes for the expo.

Lately, her workload has been entering uncharted territory, so it’s somewhat worrying.

But she’s not the only one influenced by this as the expo approaches.

Everyone was more fired up than I had imagined.

***

One of the fieriest is Aileron, head of the elven team.

I came across her doing something strange one day.

“...What are you doing with that brush and paper?”

Aileron is also the leader of our farm’s pottery team and is usually seen kneading the clay and blasting it in the kiln.

It’s surprising to see her hold a brush and paper.

“Are you drawing something???”

I didn’t know she could draw!

Or maybe I shouldn’t be surprised; she’s part of the creative field of making plates!

...Or maybe it’s still surprising!

“All set.”

You are?

I wonder what did she draw?

But before I could take a peek...

“Mieral! You’re next!”

“Gotcha!”

Aileron gave the painting to another elf!

I couldn’t see the finished product because it was taken away.

And its elf recipient is...

“...Mieral?”

The head of the woodworkers' team?

Why would she give the painting to her?

I’m getting more and more confused.

Is this just a pastime of theirs?

“Oh, saint. What are you doing here looking so free?”

Aileron looks refreshed, like she had just finished her job.

She finally noticed my presence.

“...I am free, yeah.”

I mean, it’s winter.

Since I’m bored, I’m even more curious about what the elves are doing.

“Did you learn how to draw, Aileron?”

“I’ve been practicing by drawing patterns on the bowls and improved with your advice.”

Advice?

Did I do that?

“This is just an experiment to see if we can implement that. Since you’re here, why don’t you come with me to see how things are going? I was fine with seeing just the results, but now, I’m curious.”

And with that, Aileron pulls my hand.

Where are we going?

To Mieral’s workshop?

“Is there something going on over there?!”

But I don’t see the connection between painting and woodwork...

***

When we arrived at the workshop, we found elves diligently chipping away at wooden planks.

“...What are they going to do with all those boards?”

I have no idea what they’re trying to make.

Mieral notices us and says, “You came to see us, boss? After saying you’ll just sit back and wait since your part is done?”

“I mean, I couldn’t help but be curious... Er, no, it’s the saint who was curious, so I brought him here! That’s all!”

The elves who work for us were all once part of a bandit gang.

I think Aileron was their head, and Mieral was just a normal member.

It is said she was one of the most oppressed of the elves, as she was not allowed to keep the “El” in her name but rather split it into Mi-E-ra-L.

But this is irrelevant among bandits who left the forest and even more irrelevant on the farm.

Aileron and Mieral are equal here.

But I digress.

“So, what are you girls making?”

“It’s a great honor to have you here, Lord Saint. Please come and see what we’re working on!”

You don’t have to be so formal.

What are you doing with the boards?

“We’re making woodblock prints.”

“Woodblock prints?”

Come to think of it, the tool they’re using to cut the boards looks like the engraving knife I used when I was in grade school...

“We’re done, leader!”

“Here too!”

One after another, wooden planks were submitted, their surfaces carved into purposeful shapes. But in the end, it was not at all clear what the shapes were.

“This one piece isn’t enough. The whole thing has to come together to make a complete piece.”

“What do you mean?”

Meanwhile, Aileron proceeds with her preparations briskly.

“Paper and paint are ready.”

“Okay, let’s try this out.”

Paper (farm-quality) and paints of various colors are laid out.

Aileron takes out the red color first and...

“Alright, where’s the corresponding woodblock for red?”

“Here, just go crazy with the color!”

The red paint is applied to the convex surface of the carved wood...

When it is sufficiently coated, she presses it onto the paper!

“Oh?”

Something red is engraved as if stamped by a seal.

I have no idea what that small blotch is.

I don’t even have any artistic taste to begin with!

“Let’s keep going! Yellow’s next!”

“Copy that.”

Aileron and Mieral take out a new block of wood and apply different colors to it.

“Wha...”

They repeat this over and over, another woodblock, another color, on the same sheet of paper, until finally...

“It turned into a painting...!”

A single, finished painting appeared on the paper.

It’s a painting of a vivacious female figure, but without using any paintbrushes.

So, is this perhaps...

“A printed painting?”

With woodblocks.

So this is why they prepared multiple woodblocks instead of just one.

If they want to print a picture in red, they need to use red woodblocks, if they want to print in blue, they need to use blue woodblocks, and so on, on a sheet of paper so that the final result is a colorful painting.

These guys have perfected otherworldly color printing.

“What are you talking about? You taught us this, saint.”

“Huh? I did?”

“You said your world had paintings made by pressing wood.”

Is she talking about ukiyo-e?

Did I really tell them something like that?

So, relying on such a vague statement from me, they have recreated otherworldly ukiyo-e?!

Aileron drew the original picture, and Mieral used it as a reference to shave boards and create woodblocks, which is exactly how ukiyo-e is made.

At least, that’s what I’ve heard.

Their craftsmanship has ventured into unchartered territory!

“But why print pictures at this time?”

It all seems too sudden and random...