Wandering Taiwan

Risograph print titled "Pawsperity Truck." A broken-down blue 發財車 ("propserity truck") is completely overtaken by foliage. Among the foliage hide several cats, staring out at the viewer.
"Pawsperity Truck," 16.5"x11.7" (A3) risograph on cream paper

I'm jetlagged from a fourteen-hour flight back from Taiwan, blearily trying to enjoy the late October breeze coming through the window, and wondering how I'm supposed to summarize a month's worth of travel. I remember, as a kid, thinking my parents were exaggerating when they complained of the struggle to adjust to a new time zone. Now that I'm approaching the age they were at that time and, well. Let's just say it I have a newfound appreciation for the resiliency of youth. :')

For lack of mental alertness to synthesize an entire month, I'll let my sketches and some photos do the heavy lifting. I certainly don't have a lack of drawings to show for my time abroad, but I always wish I had time to do more!

Second from the left: View "backstage" of a mobile bùdàixì, or glove puppetry, theater. There's a photo of the front of the theater among the polaroids at the end of this section
If it weren't for the mosquitoes, I'd want to live in these mountains
These blue "prosperity trucks" are a common sight around Taiwan. While I was painting the top one, a 10 year old walked by and said, "好強呵" ("powerful"). I hadn't heard this bit of slang in Mandarin before but I understood immediately
I started carrying an Instax camera around. I'm trying to be more intentional about taking photos and making images

SPOOKY SEASON OFFERINGS

With all the traveling, I didn't have time to make a new fall- or Halloween-themed piece this year. I offer animations from the archive:

"The Family Cat"

"Loaf" - collaboration with Mithra Krishnan and Andy Niles

A RETURN TO RISOGRAPH

I wrote up a tutorial on Patreon that breaks down my new risograph process!

It's the product of many unsuccessful experiments and dead ends, all of which finally led to a way of making prints that's actually compatible with my workflow.

I liked the prosperity truck gouache study so much that I decided to expand on it and turn it into a print. Last year at TCAF, illustrator repeccas told me about the Taipei print/risograph studio RetroJAM. Since I was in the same city, it was the perfect opportunity to make a print with them.

"Pawsperity Truck." Inks: fluorescent orange, lime green, and blue

If you've been following me for a bit, you know that I've played around with risograph in the past. I've liked the results, but whenever I tried to use more than two colors, it felt like I was fighting with the medium. I understood how it worked conceptually, but I hadn't found a process that didn't bring my workflow to a grinding halt every few minutes.

I couldn't wrap my head around how to make an illustration while also setting it up as a risograph file while also knowing what it'll look like when printed. Do I have to keep switching layers every time I have to switch colors? How will the colors mix if I layer 50% opacity on one color, 20% on another, and 80% on another? Do I paint directly in grayscale and close my eyes and imagine really hard what the result will be?

The fluorescent orange is so much more vibrant in person. That cat glows

It took some time—namely, a few years of staring the work of several riso artists I admire, then several weeks of pondering it more intentionally, and then two weeks of putting pen to tablet in an actual concentrated effort—but I finally figured it out. And with just enough time to get the prints made and bring them back with me.

Left: print. Right: digital sketch.

A DOSE OF DELIGHT

This illustration by Gwendolyn Wood.

The Playstacean.

This dung beetle I met in Taiwan with little orange flower-like antennae. I didn't know Taiwan had dung beetles, nor that they were so cute!

My only disappointment is that I did not see it rolling dung

You can now get a copy of Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology wherever books are sold! I recommend getting it from Bookshop.org or from your local independent bookstore. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend and/or leave a review! And if you haven't already, please watch the animated book trailer!

RESOURCES FOR OUR TIMES

It’s a highly uncertain time right now, not least for our unhoused and our migrant neighbors. I urge everyone to inform themselves of their rights and their neighbors’ rights, and to be aware of what to do if you see someone being detained. Stay safe, and keep each other safe.

Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid (DC-MD-VA area) - look into mutual aid groups in your own communities
SALUTE zines (covers many major metropolitan areas in the US)
ACLU’s Know Your Rights
5 Calls
Gaza Soup Kitchen
Your local food bank

And remember to vote on November 3!

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