

中國古人所發明,而現在用以做爆竹和看風水的火藥和指南針,傳到歐洲,他們就應用在槍炮和航海上,給本師吃了許多虧。還有一件小公案,因爲沒有害,倒幾乎忘卻了。那便是木刻。(魯迅《集外集拾遺.近代木刻選集(1)小引》,《魯迅全集》第七卷,北京:人民文學版社,2005,頁335。)
香港做版畫的人少,所以版畫工具在香港的美術用品店也不是太多選擇,買到的都不耐用甚至不好用,要是托去旅行的朋友帶到一兩件回來,就已經樂傻大半天。
油墨轆對我作畫很重要,我有幾個不同尺寸,其中一個更是德國網友送給我的,也是最細小的,外型靚仔又好用:滾輪很細密軟身,顏料會上得很飽滿,連手柄的木也打磨得滑滑的,是愛將。只要看見過這支德國油墨轆子,再望望香港買到的,你就會知道,版畫在香港的地位是怎樣,還聽說近年大學的藝術科已經再沒教過版畫,最後不難想像為什麼美術用品店的選擇就是少得可憐。受害的還不是我這些當它是必需品的人,救命。
要說香港買到的轆子啊,真的不的得了,別說你懂不懂保養轆子了,就算你懂,也不會耐用,用上幾次,轆子邊緣就會微微翹起,上色效果當然會不理想;不懂保養的還會令轆子不能上油墨,再好的畫也被一個差的轆子害死,功虧一簀。
日本神寶町有間叫「文房堂」專賣美術用品的店子,一楝幾層樓高只賣美術用品的地方,還有一層是專賣版畫的用具,(香港有冇搞錯?)只是一款雕刻刀,已經有十多種口徑可以選擇(救命!)。還有一台台的版畫機,整台坐在你面前,豈能不尖叫!而我只能在香港的美術用品店看著那些訂購表裡的相和尺寸,估量它的大小比例,虛爆!油墨轆在香港可找到的選擇不多,來來去去三幾個尺寸,凸版用的還更差,找不到滾輪細密而軟身的是常事,在中學校舍用過的都非常不堪。
可能你會說有什麼好投訴,這裡又不是日本不是德國(兩個非常注重歷史及傳統的國家,日本更從小就學習版畫作年咭),對啊,我們沒有那些傳統,不知從哪裡來,然後到哪裡去,不認識自己的文化,不認清自己的生活,得來的東西不知道如何製成,不知道一雙手做出來的東西每個步驟也得嚴謹,以至不重視細節,最後粗製濫造。
(這裡原文貼上,修改後刊在3-Sep08 milk bookB/milkshake/&paper-log)
http://neverwhatever.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-post_27.html
其他攝於文房堂的相片:

↑印畫用的馬蓮

↑只是馬蓮都已經有數個尺寸


↑就是因為木刻畫的應用於日本非常普遍,工具變成必需,不難理解為何種類、尺寸之多。

↑日本人習慣用版畫製作年畫,中國古時也習慣用木刻製作門神、紙牌、簽文,不過現在買少見少,以至化寶的紙袋圖案都只是柯式印刷。

回應
網上訂購
上網買野咁方便﹐香港美術店沒有得賣﹐網上郵寄訂購不就可以了嗎﹖
板畫不過是一個外在的形式﹐文化並不拘泥於門面的形式﹐而是著重內在的思維與行動模式。香港其實有自己的文化和傳統﹐只是你置身其中不易察覺罷了。你如果在外國讀過有很多留學生的大學﹐有機會將不同文化背景的人並排比較﹐香港人是有一套很獨特的文化﹐同大陸人台灣人很不相同。
好奇一問﹐點解你要作板畫﹖是興趣還是工作需要﹖
"板畫不過是一個外在的形式"?
I disagree. That's kind of like saying oil paintings and water paintings are the same because they both use colour. I am in engineering by training so I probably can't appreciate the subject as much as those from anthropology, but I thought 形式 is often a very important part of culture and tradition. Is hevangel suggesting we should just make art on computer and use laser printer?
re: ken
I took the philosophy of art. I disagree with the formalism art theory. For the definition of art, I am an expressionist. In response to your question, whether the paint use oil or water is irrelevant, what's important is what the painting trying to express. If you archive the same expression and communicate to the audience, a laser printer painting is as good as a oil painting.
只用鍵盤的人當然不知毛筆有軟有硬鍋子有平有圓
是的花苑。我每回在台灣和日本逛美術用品店,都只有羨慕的份兒。我不迷信所謂民族性,但日本在現代代過程中以德國為師,二者對技藝的注重體現在對每一個細節的嚴緊追求。看Durer的銅版與浮世繪,就知道利害。而技法到了爐火純青忘其所以之後就是道了。到了這個階段,才談用菜刀刻版畫未遲。
無錢去日本,下回到台,記得幫你帶點材料。
毛筆鍋子也只是工具
毛筆有軟有硬﹐是因為要寫出不同風格的書法。寫出來的書法表達的東西是目的﹐毛筆只是達到這個目的的工具。若果發明一枝新款毛筆﹐可以同時集合軟硬毛筆的功用﹐寫出來的書法也沒有分別的話﹐毛筆根本不需要分軟硬。
誰說版畫一定要用刀刻﹖用電腦繪圖加鐳射切割也可以整版畫。
誰說一定要版畫(一笑)
What's important is what the 版畫 trying to express. If you achieve the same expression and communicate to the audience, a fart is as good as a 版畫.
Clarify: If the above statement were true, then we shall need no art forms --mt respects the creation as well as the expression of every art form, and hence doesn't buy such idea.
(Edited after Ken Ho's comment -- 1. corrected a word; 2. added lines to clarify intent.)
If...
mt and hevangel:
"If you archive the same expression and communicate to the audience..."
Isn't that the key question. And also... why use laser when a piece of metal would do? And if you can't even get a right piece of metal to do the job, what are the chances that you can get a more complicated piece of technology to do the same thing.
And oh, I think you guys mean "achieve" not "archive".
Don't know
I am just using laser as an example to illustrate art is independent from the tool that used to create the art. It's stupidity uneconomical to use laser to create a print while you can use much cheaper tools.
Re: Mt. Yes. Once you formula art into a form, art cease to be an art. The essence of art is that it has no form. Forms are just categories created by us for the sake of management.
正!
花苑, 妳好. 睇左你d畫作好耐, 請問收唔收學生或者開班呀. 有既話, 通知聲呀. 新年快樂!