Scribbled Lives Week 10—Spring

To celebrate spring, we were all asked to letter the same haiku composed by Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694). Introduced to poetry at a young age, Bashō became well known for his writing and was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. He was a teacher, but renounced the social, urban life of the literary circles to travel throughout the countryside, seeking inspiration for his writing. His poems were influenced by firsthand experience of the natural world around him, often encapsulating the feeling of a scene in a few simple elements.

Watercolour illustration with mechanical pencil for built-up capitals on Fabriano 140 lb HP. Letters are 5 to 7 mm tall. I’m trying Pilot Eno Color Mechanical Pencils (0.7 mm diameter) for the first time and find them soft and creamy, a pleasure to use on the lettering. If they become available in 0.5 mm diameter, I’d snatch them up for more precise line quality.

After posting on Facebook, attention was drawn to their questionable lightfastness. I’ll conduct tests and tabulate results before drawing conclusions.

In the meantime, spring is in the air!