Scholars Series II

The Scholars Series II Suminagashi prints expands on the Scholars Series with the same beautiful handmade single-ply 27 gsm weight Chinese Xuan Yu-Ban (Jade-Plaque) paper, backed with high quality Wenzhou Pi paper, but scaling up in size to medium-class prints. At this size, new patterns and techniques emerge, such as my Fractured Water and Spiral Suminagashi prints. This particular scale allows for slightly different dynamics in the water bath, resulting in for flexibility but a high degree of control, making the Scholars Series II prints one of my most diverse collections.

The paper used for the Scholars Series prints has a beautiful texture and feel, with almost instantaneous wetting and absorbing of ink and water. It holds ink very well with minimal bleeding, and offers beautiful shades of ink tones for a slightly muted palate. This type of paper is often used for traditional ink painting and calligraphy, and is very high grade professional level paper, available anywhere from small to massive sheets, and has become one of my favorite types of paper to work with for Suminagashi. Because of the delicacy of this paper when full saturated in the water bath, careful and flawless lifting technique is required to prevent it from tearing, but once backed, results in a sturdy and beautifully toned final print. (Note: the actual paper color is a crisp, bright white tone, which the pictures do not capture well.)