Wed 25 Jul '12
Wooden Warriors: Jed Henry's Ukiyo-e Heroes
Jed Henry is bringing woodblock carving back to the future.
Who would have thought that classic Nintendo characters and a seventeenth century Japanese art style go together like chocolate and peanut butter? Apparently, illustrator Jed Henry did because his Ukiyo-e Heroes series depicts fan-favorite game characters like Mario, Samus Aran and Link in classic ukiyo-e style. Traditionally, ukiyo-e (literally "pictures of the floating world") prints were produced as woodblock prints, a fact which did not escape Henry. To that end, he's teamed up with Tokyo-based printmaker Dave Bull to take Japan's traditional art style from the history books into the modern era by collaborating on a series of prints based on his ukiyo-e-inspired designs.
What started as a simple illustration series on Henry's Tumblr quickly evolved into the ambitious project that it is today after his images spread like wildfire across the web. Turning to Kickstarter (which will officially launch August 1), Henry and Bull are looking to create an initial run of ten designs that Henry will illustrate and Bull will transform into woodblock prints. Even cooler - Bull is detailing each step of the process with in-depth videos on the duo's website. Just think - if they can fund videogame-inspired woodblock carvings, then there's hope for our AKB48 bas reliefs!
While price-points for the prints are yet to be revealed, the real coup of Jed Henry's Ukiyo-e Heroes project is putting this age-old art form back into the spotlight. Artists like Karen Hallion have helped spark a pop culture/art nouveau revolution online, so why can't Henry and Bull do the same for ukiyo-e? In any event, we can all agree that seeing the entire Street Fighter cast rendered in seventeenth century style is pretty rad. What character would you like to see them tackle? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Google+! |
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