Art Show Prep

I'm mixing it up a bit this time, our 3rd annual Garden Party Art Show.  I'm bringing my favorite woodcuts, but I'm also pulling out some pieces that haven't seen the light of day in awhile and framing them up.

Also, as I have 5 Schuyler House xmas card woodcuts already, I'm framing up the couple that weren't yet and displaying them all together, along with their respective xmas cards.  I so hoped to have this year's xmas card ready, but hey, at least I've started on it!  ;- j

And...I'm displaying some of my mini-tapestries.  Tapestry is like painting with thread, and they're in some familiar themes of mine: paleo and fantasy.

Still have to mat and frame up some woodcuts and do my control sheets.

Garden Party Art Show 8-]

On hiatus for a bit.  Have to set the xmas card aside and get ready for the our Third Annual Garden Party Art Show and Reception.  8-]

I have several prints to mount and frame for the show yet, which is par for the course.  I'm nothing if now a procrastinator!  ;- j

Hope to see some familiar faces there.  8-]

Snowflakes are Dancing

I got tired of drawing snowflakes, even stick figure ones, so I cut out some pics of snowflakes and I'm moving them around on pastel backgrounds.

That edge-on snowflake is looking more like a flying saucer than a dancing snowflake tho.  ;- j  Needs a little work.

Not sure about the copses of trees yet.  The seemed like a good idea.  I'll work on placement.

~*~

Trees bigger in the foreground, points of the snowflake point to the castle and the edge-one snowflake (illusion of movement).

I might even put actual swirly lines for movement; have to think about that one.

One suggestion on fb:  make foreground trees darker, which reminds me to make the middle ground trees lighter, for that distance-is-greyer effect.  The castle, however, has to pop.

And I might move the castle just a smidge toward the middle so it's in the frame more.

Haven't moved the castle yet, but I've messed with the trees a bit more.

Made the image narrow, more like the card dimensions (actually longer and thinner -- get exact dimensions before I carve!).

Sketch - Xmas 2012

Possible sketch for the xmas card.  Snowflake theme.  And of course the castle motif.

Here's a photo montage.

Xmas Card in July (now Aug.)

I can't believe I'm actually started the 2012 xmas card early.  Just in the input stage -- googling snowflakes and santas and lots of holiday images trying to get some ideas.  Nothing is gelling yet, but I have some motifs.

One of them is snowflakes, as in the photo-realistic ones.  That would be fun to carve.  Bill wants a castle in the background, like the first SH xmas card.

I'm thinking something even farther in the background, up on a hill, with snowflakes in the extreme foreground.

But not so much on the ground as in the air.  I do like the edge on flakes tho.

Another thought is a b&w image with just a dab of color (tho that doesn't lend itself to snowflakes very well).

Then I keep looking at polar bears...I really don't have anything nailed down yet.  ;- ]

Letterboxing Stamp

Back to carving -- this time a letterboxing stamp for my sister.  Thanx Lana Lambert of Pistoles Press http://pistolespress.blogspot.com/ for the chunk of EZ Cut to play with.

Here's the sketch of a baby elephant, with the initials JB:

 Here's carving it -- I thought lino was like butter, but this stuff is scary easy.

 And here's the little guy cleaned up (more or less).

Now I need to afix him to a chunk of wood for a handle.

I definitely want to play with this stamp medium some more, maybe for a personal chop for my woodcut prints.  ;-]

City of the World Project

Yay!  The City of the World Project is coming together.  8-]

My block (pigeon on a railing) is smack in the middle of the middle block, for those who are curious.  I think it's a great collection of city vignettes.

You can look at all the blocks up close on Maria's latest blog post:
http://puzzleprints.blogspot.com/2012/04/for-everyones-delight-blocks-up-close.html


Check it out.  8-]

Catspaw -- Leftovers III

They're on their way!  8-]

Catspaw

Can't wait to get my leftovers in return, and to see the whole project up on the Wingtip Press blog:  http://www.leftoversanyone.blogspot.com/

Catspaw with Cat

Time to print the kitty on the background.

Magenta seems to be a mix of red and blue, closer to blue.  I'll see how that looks.  I'll see if I want it ghostly (watered down) or more substantial (w/ white).

Nah, went with more of a burgandy kitty.

Striking, I think.  8-]  I think I'll call it Catspaw.

And here's the finished product:

Catspaw

I added my spiral initials as another graphic.

Leftovers III exchange:  http://www.leftoversanyone.blogspot.com/

Leftovers III - Background Color

First pass - catspaw coverlet background color in thalo green, thinned slightly with transparent medium.

As the theme for the exchange is "leftovers" I like the idea of recycling leftover blocks, in this case the two blocks for Foggy.

I went with a greenish color for the background and I'm thinking of a grapy-purple or magenta for the kitty cat.  I'll see what looks good when the backgrounds dry (which in this weather, could be now).

Most of the pieces of paper are 2"x7", but they vary (they are leftover bits cut down from other projects).  I only need 14 for the exchange.  The others will make nice bookmarks.  ;-]

Here's the link to the Leftovers III project:  http://www.leftoversanyone.blogspot.com/

Recycled Leftovers

Finally.  Nothing like a pressing deadline to get me, er, pressing.

Foggy ("The fog comes on little cat feet.") is what I'm going to use for the Leftovers III exchange. It's made up of two blocks -- the background, an historic woven coverlet pattern called "Cat Tracks and Snail Trails" or "Catspaw," and the cat block, which is an homage to our late cat Foggy.

Leftovers III uses up leftover pieces of printmaking paper, and I like the idea of using  "recycled" blocks for it.  Here's the original print:

I'll play with the blocks.  Print the coverlet block, then add the cat, maybe at an angle.  I'll see what moves me.  Maybe play around with colors.

Took me awhile to find the blocks.  I'm certainly not an organized printmaker.  ;- j  I knew they were somewhere at the bottom of a basket-o-blocks, and they were.  Found some others I'd wondered where they'd gotten to, so it was a productive morning's spelunking.

City Block - Faux Print

Here we go.  Bill did the "laying on of hands" that always fixes my computer (mind you I did the same thing he did -- reseated a plug -- but I don't have the proper faith in computers that he does).  So my scanner is now working again and I can make a faux print (i.e., a black & white, mirrored image of the block to see what a print might look like).

Ok, now all I have to do is get a local paper to wrap it up in (part of the requirement) and then send it winging off to the City of the World Puzzle Project.

City Puzzle Block - at last!

Mea culpa.  I'm chronically late, as usual.  But here it is:  my contribution to the City Puzzle Block.  What is more ubiquitous than a pigeon on a balcony railing?

As soon as I figure out why my scanner is on a work stopage, I'll scan it in for a faux print.  Then it will be winging its way to Maria Arango and the City of the World project.

PUZZLE PROJECT #3: CITY OF THE WORLD

http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/cityoftheworld/index.html

MCPP Puzzle Prints
http://puzzleprints.blogspot.com/

Gallery Show

I have 3 paleo pieces in the latest gallery show at the Valencia Town Center Mall.  This is our second gallery show in this wonderful venue.  Santa Clarita Artists Association's very own gallery.  8-]

There is a reception tonight with refreshments until 7pm.  Come by if you're in the area.

The Poop on Pigeons

On to the next project.  No rest for the over-extended.

I've been mulling over my block for the City of the World Puzzle Block Project:  http://www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/cityoftheworld/index.html, Maria Arango's latest massively collective project (talk about over-extended!).  ;- j

Check out this blog and see all the amazing blocks that have come in already:  http://puzzleprints.blogspot.com/

I thought I might do something with my animals, or my back yard, but nothing suitably city-y occured to me (the fact that I live in a suburb might have something to do with it).

So recently I've been thinking about pigeons.  They're ubiquitous in a city -- even a suburb.  (On good days we call them doves; when they're fat and waddly from eating other birds' feed we call them pigeons.)

I've got a couple ideas I'm cogitating on, and soon I'll be carving on.  The deadline approaches and tempus threatens to frangle.

Xmas Card 2011

Cards ordered thru Vista Print.  *whew* 

What a project.  One complication after another, but it's done now.

I'm calling it Denizens until something better occurs to me.  I can't give in to my other title:  Not Even a Mouse.  That'd be the 3rd xmas print titled that.  ;->  I really am a creature of habit.

Xmas Card - Second Block

Second block printed (all at once, as the rainy weather kept the ink from drying out).  8-]

I think the project was an overall success (altho at this point all I see are the glaring errors).  ;- j

Now I wait for them to dry and then scan them into the computer and start making the xmas cards with Vista Print.  I am so behind on this project.  I think the xmas cards are going to be new year's cards this year.  ;- y

Xmas Card - First Block

First block printed.  8-]  Waiting for it to dry now so I can print the second block.

Carving Around Ornaments

Carved around the ornaments.  They'll be less fiddly to ink now.

Because we're so dry right now (Santa Ana dry) I'm having trouble with ink drying out, especially when I ink up both the window and all the ornaments.  So I'm thinking of printing them separately.

That'll be three printings with two blocks.  What a complicated process this xmas card is turning into.

Test Print - Window Block

Test print of the window block went about as expected.  The window area prints fine, but the ornaments are giving me troubles yet.  For one thing I need to carve out the areas around the ornaments more so I don't get ink on the tree.

At least the two blocks line up -- I tested the window print and the tree print up against the patio door and they matched up.  *whew*

The window was coming alive nicely, but the ornaments are still resisting ink.  But rather than fight with the difficult little things I've decided to carve some more first.  Next time will be better.

It does look kinda kewl overlaid with the green tree print. 

Another thing I noticed tho was how paranoid I am about the two "blocks" being two sides of the same block.  I'm just sure I'm going to mess one up somehow.  I don't think I like being so frugal -- next time I'll use two separate blocks.

Block Two

Still on block two.  Ornaments isolated.  Now working on the window and the mice. 

Then I can make a test print for placement.  Still have to carve ornament holes in the first block.

This part's going a lot faster.

I'm finding my erganomically designed carving tools are best for this part.  I'd forgotten how comfortable they are in the hand since I've been using the finer Japanese tools.  It's a trade-off; ease of use vs. smaller mm.

Ok, ready to do some test printing.  Tomorrow.  8 hours is plenty of time for one day.

2-Block Xmas Card

Short cuts always take longer.  *sigh*  Because I'd carved the original block differently than my cartoon I've had to trace and transfer the image with wax paper (the only thing I could see well enough thru on the block) and chalk onto the back of the block.

Now I'm carving away around the ornaments; next the window scene.  Ugly, ugly work.  I hate how the block looks.

Also need to carve a hole for the ornaments on the first block.

White Line - Tree

Less than pleased with the white line approach to this print.  I inked the tree and powedered the ornaments and stray splotches but the job is labor and time consuming and less than satisfactory.  Short cuts always take longer.

I'll go ahead and carve a second block of ornaments and the window scene and just carve away all the ornaments on the tree.  Less time and labor in the long run.

I can use the back of the block tho that's a new concept as well.  Learn something new with every project.

White Line - More Carving

Almost done with the tree.  Just a few ornaments left at the top.  Then I can test print the tree and see how much trouble it'll be to clean up the ornaments each time.

Time for a test print.