Many sections of the design for Hou/ Late Autumn Melancholy were outlined with thread and pulled tight to create puffed-up areas that were then covered with plastic film and secured with more thread. The tight wrapping and plastic covering resisted dyes, and when these areas were unwrapped, Kubota sometimes lightly brushed on dyes by hand to create the subtle shading that gives such depth to his work. Kubota also used the glossy softness of some of these areas to paint in bare-branched trees that help to project a sense of melancholy and loss as winter approaches the mountains.