Published by the Reader Collection, Ontario Canada, 2024

Reader Collection > Guides > Guide to Non-woodblock Japanese Prints of Flowers and Birds > Introduction Chapter 1 - Introduction Humans around the world draw pictures of plants and animals to express and communicate what they see and feel. However, the methods they use to produce these pictures are culture dependent and it can be challenging for a viewer from one culture to understand and fully appreciate the pictures drawn by artists from another culture.

This guide is intended to help westerners (e.g., North Americans and Europeans) understand and appreciate printed pictures of flowers and birds made by Japanese artists using methods other than woodblock printing. My previous guide (Guide to Japanese Woodblock Prints of Flowers and Birds) focused on woodblock-printed pictures because about three quarters of the more than 7000 Japanese flower-and-bird pictures were woodblock printed. This guide answers the following questions about non-woodblock printed pictures of flowers and birds.

1. What method was used to make the print?

Chapter 2 explains eight non-woodblock methods used by Japanese artists to make their flower-and-bird prints.

2. What are the names of the plants and birds depicted?

Chapter 3 gives the common, scientific and Japanese names of the flowers and birds chosen for depiction.

3. What drawing styles did artists use for their prints?

Chapter 4 explains the different styles chosen by artists for their flower-bird prints in terms of changing technology and foreign artistic influences.

4. Who is the artist?

Chapter 5 gives the names of Japanese artists who made non-woodblock prints of flowers-and-birds along with an example of their work.

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