Zealous Alchemy
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zealousalchemy.bsky.social
Zealous Alchemy
@zealousalchemy.bsky.social
620 followers 1.2K following 900 posts
Jack Williams English xylographer (woodcut printmaker) and artist. Fuelled by country music. My work is inspired by an unholy amalgamation of history, anime, and film. Shop: zealousalchemy.com Etsy: zealousalchemy.etsy.com Links: zealousalchemy.carrd.co
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Greetings. I'm Jack, also known as Zealous Alchemy. I'm an artist and xylographer (fancy term for woodcut printmaker).

My work is inspired by my scattershot of interests including: history, film, gaming, anime, and manga.

I also have an obsession with country music, for reasons unbeknown to me.
Halfway through Ken Burns' ~15hr Vietnam War doc.

Being English, the only exposure I've had to Vietnam is watching old war movies; so this series is enlightening.

Burns' series on the ACW and Country Music are both fantastic, and this one is of the same calibre.

#vietnam #kenburns
I think this is ready for carving now...
Reposted by Zealous Alchemy
I don't know if carving this is going to work out, but you have to keep pushing the limits of the craft to get anywhere meaningful.

#printmaking #woodcut #taipeistory #edwardyang
All I ever see from country fans online is endless discourse over what "real" country is. Every artist puts out a song about how things aren't the same way as they once were; I think it's always been like this.

Nostalgia for something that never existed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y5U...

#country
[They're Going To] Tear Down the Grand Ole Opry
YouTube video by Tompall & the Glaser Brothers - Topic
www.youtube.com
Reposted by Zealous Alchemy
I got tired of seeing nothing but heroic looking depictions of the Gundam, and it had been a while since I drew the Gundam, so I drew this.

Amuro is a terrified child with PTSD that worsens with every day he is forced to stay on the battlefield as the Gundam's pilot.
I really love Wadsworth's black & white work, part of the Vorticism movement. I haven't seen them since before I got into woodcut - it never occurred to me at the time that they are woodblock prints!

It doesn't help digital copies of b&w woodcuts often have the white enhanced far too much...
They're manufactured by a UK company called TN Lawrence.
My gouges are mostly Pfeil, they are fairly popular in the UK/EU. They make a world of difference Vs a bargain pack of gouges!
I don't believe you need expensive tools for woodcut, and I'd advise spending your money on good carving tools over anything else first.

But I'm a big fan of my fat durathene roller. Cheap rollers tend to have a small diameter; this thing can carry so much more ink.

#printmaking #woodcut
Reposted by Zealous Alchemy
End of Evangelion woodcut print

I'm trying to lean further into the unique visual qualities of woodcut, and I think this achieves it. It's rare a piece actually turns out how I initially envisioned it in my head.

#printmaking #woodcut #nge #eva #evangelion
Finished carving the End of Evangelion block. Took ~10 hours to carve.

Excited to see how this one prints!

#printmaking #woodcut #nge #eva #evangelion
Frank Miller's Sin City is my single biggest influence. B&W and negative space form the core of my art, and it's an endless source of inspiration.

Somehow, I've even developed the same music taste as Marv - bearing in mind when I first read Sin City, I didn't even know Cash.

#sincity #merlehaggard
I've been obsessed with this shot from Edward Yang's Taipei Story (1985) ever since I saw it. Changing a neon sign into black and white is going to give it a very different feel.

Just need to figure out how I want to detail the tubes...

#printmaking #woodcut #taipeistory #edwardyang
More progress.

Trying something new with the sky. I've carved it all horizontally with a U-gouge repeatedly. Going to need to test it and keep carving until I'm left with what I'm looking for.

Worst case scenario, I can just carve the whole sky off.

#printmaking #woodcut #nge #eva #evangelion
That's some serious texture you've got going on!

I'm always happy to see woodcut being combined with more unconventional subject matter, and this definitely fits the bill.
After far too much deliberation, I've finished my End of Evangelion woodcut design. I might leave some minor artefacts for a change, we shall see how the carving goes.

I'm planning on initially printing this in a red/dark red on cream washi.

#printmaking #woodcut #nge #eva #evangelion
I'm also guilty of buying art with nowhere to put it; but I like to think it'll have a place to go sooner or later.

Thanks for your support!
I'll have to check this out, as well as the original. It seems like we get a new legacy sequel film every few months these days, so it's interesting to see the idea itself isn't anything new.