Aboriginal Mimis: Block Printing

What are Mimi’s?

• Folklore of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia• Shy, benevolent spirits (happy spirits!)• Tall and spindly• Very delicate• They only come out when the weather is safe

because they are so delicate• They take care of the land, and often come

out at night to tend to it

Mabuyu Mimi Painting at Ubirr Rock

• Symbols:– Spear in his right

hand – Dillybag for collecting

food (over right shoulder)

– Two barbed spears in his left hand

– Goosewing fan for fanning a fire (in left hand)

Mimis

Dancing Mimis

Dancing Mimis

Mimi Rock Spirit

Mimi Rock Spirits

Assignment• You are going to carve your own personal mimi onto a scratch art board. It

will be a long, skinny artwork.– Think about what a creature that hides from people might look like– Make sketches of what you want the face to look like– Think about the purpose of your mimi; it does not have to coincide with the

aboriginal folklore; your mimi can serve a different purpose, and it can be associated with something specific that is important to you (i.e. your schoolwork, your skateboard, your toothbrush…???!)

• Think about what symbols you might like to include to tell the viewer who your mimi is.

• Mimis often were portrayed as skeletons, so you need to incorporate bone structure into each part of your image. The bones can be geometric and design-like.

• Ribs, metatarsals, carpals, etc.

Assignment Continued

• Design a composition in which:– Nothing is smack in the middle– There is a background– Small, medium, AND large shapes are used

• You are going to make a series of prints using this composition.

• First, you will carve your composition into a scratch art block.– Remember, anything you carve away will show up as WHITE or

BLANK in your print.• You can make additional carvings and do multiple prints.

– Remember to print from light to dark.

My Example, Final Printing Plate

My Example, Final Print

My Example (from another project), Printing Plate 1

My Example, Print 1

Printing Plate and Print 1

Printing Plate with MORE Carvings

Print 2 on top of Print 1

Printing Plate and Print 2

Original Plate Next to Plate with Added Carvings

Original Print next to Added Print