I recently finished reading the 2022 reprint of Hayao Miyazaki's brilliantly illustrated story, Shuna's Journey.  I have a copy of the 1983 original which I purchased and read years ago so I thought it'd be interesting to do a comparison.
  The first thing to note is the size different between the original and the reprint.  The original is a pocket-sized book, about 6" X 4.25" and the reprint is larger at 8.75" X 6.25".  I enjoy the size of the 1983 original, but that's a personal preference.
  For the text, I enjoyed being able to read the translation because I don't read or speak Japanese.  The placement and color of the text matches the original pretty closely.  When I got the original version years ago, I found an online translation and read the book alongside that--not the best way to enjoy a manga/illustrated book.  
  The reprint still has the right to left format, which I was happy to see and it also contains an insightful note from the translator, Alex Dudok De Wit (son of the director of The Red Turtle (2016), Michael Dudok De Wit).
  As I was reading the reprint, I was really distracted by the feeling that the artwork was really lacking.  So after I finished reading it, I pulled out the original and noticed some major differences.  The reprint is very bleached out and as a watercolor painter myself, I was really disappointed; the reprint almost looks monochromatic compared to the original (see below).   Now, it may be the case that the original artwork has faded over time and the reprint is showing how the paintings look today; watercolor can fade over years of light exposure, but it's impossible to tell without seeing the original paintings.

  Overall, I'm glad that this translated reprint was published and I hope some more of Miyazaki's work ​gets translated.  I'd love to read a translation of Miyazaki's watercolor manga, The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu).. Or maybe I should start studying Japanese..

  Yesterday I was at Barnes & Noble and stumbled upon a new and intriguing Studio Ghibli book.  I pride myself on my Ghibli collection, but I hadn't heard of this book before - not surprising considering that the book was printed only last year in 2021.
 The book, Studio Ghibli: The Complete Works, is basically an encyclopedia of all things Ghibli.  I just started reading it last night so I'm still reviewing it, but it contains facts, trivia, movie synopses, history, interviews, movie stills, poster designs and other fun bonuses.  
  I first heard about Studio Ghibli when I was in college and have been obsessed with their movies and artwork for over 10 years now.  Their films and particularly the work of Hayao Miyazaki have really inspired me as an artist so I'm really glad that I spotted this book and plan to enjoy all the great information inside.

  Wishing everyone out there a spooky and fun Halloween.  I personally love Halloween and anything related to Halloween.  As a big Calvin and Hobbes fan, I thought I'd share an article with some Halloween C + H.  Have fun everyone and eat lots of candy!

The links below are additional information as a follow up for my online lecture: “'Which White is Which?' - A Guide to Pigments Practical and Historical Information".  The information is split into categories, hues and books + a great video at the bottom.  Enjoy!

Painting with Mummies’ Flesh…Literally 
https://drawingacademy.com/painting-with-mummies-flesh-literally

What is Ivory Black Made of?
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-is-ivory-black-made-of.html

Blackest Black Feud, Vantablack Vs. Black 3.0
https://www.avclub.com/the-creator-of-chicago-s-bean-is-in-an-extremely-petty-1798256076

The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St. Claire
https://www.kassiastclair.com/books

The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting 
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/materials-artist-use-painting/author/max-doerner/