How to bring fauna to life in a stencil image?? Its a hard thing to achieve movement in a design that’s destined for a katazome stencil, because the stencil cutting process has a say in what you can do. ie. Lines need to join together so the whole thing doesn’t fall apart!

Anyway, here’s some examples of Cockatoos in Japanese art looking lifeless…

This is a painting by Ito Jakuchu. Maybe the reason the bird looks lifeless is because it’s chained to a perch!?
 Or how about this Obi (sash that gets tied around a kimono)? At least this one looks like it’s free to fly around…
But add flight perhaps?
Imagine that on an obi! I know I’d wear it…