Process: Jishuku

I read a NY Times article a few weeks ago with the headline "In Deference to Crisis, a New Obsession Sweeps Japan: Self-Restraint." In the article, the word jishuku was used. In Japanese culture, jishuku is a form of self-restraint after a great loss to creative solidarity amongst the nation. After the devastating 'quake and resulting tsunami, businesses are turning down their lights, stores are turning off their jingles and politicians are riding around on bikes for man-to-man campaigns. After reading this, I was compelled to create an editorial piece to go along with the article. I decided to go in the direction of lights and energy, drawing a parallel between the imagery of fireflies (a big cultural symbol in Japan) and light bulbs.

I worked out the thumbnail, paying attention to value, readability and shape.

For the final drawing I used Arches cold press 140lb paper. It had a really nice tooth to it that picked up quite nicely on the scanner.

I finished up the image with a little computer magic, but not without making a few changes. I brought the value of the background closer to a midtone and pushed the grass closer towards a dark, which made the image less about the clash of the background and more about the firefly box.

On a final note, I'd like to share something I learned while working on this piece. Fireflies in Japan have some of the most interesting significance I've ever seen an animal have to a culture. There are firefly viewing trips where the Japanese show their admiration and respect for these creatures. Fireflies have been recognized as the souls of men lost in clan battles and more recently as the souls of Kamikaze fighters from World War II. Their cultural meaning is extremely poetic. Fireflies only live a short time, mirroring the mortality of humanity and how quickly life can end. This couldn't be any more poignant than right now.