Block Prep

Ok, I've got two mismatched blocks, but I can use either one and carve on the back (but it really is time to order more blocks from  http://www.imcclains.com/ ).  

So, do I use the 9"x12" or the 8"x10" block?  They're both 3/8" thick, so there's no problem carivng on both sides.

I guess it depends on how tiny I want to carve my snowflakes.  ;- j

Time to work up the cartoon and see.

Snowflakes and castle sans trees.

And of course I have to pick my snowflakes.

I love snowflakes!  (At a distance.)  ;- >

~*~

Playing with motif placement in PageMaker.  If I want to print out a cartoon and transfer it to the blocks, I have to translate an 9"x12" image to fit an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper.

Where the outside rectangle is the block and the inside rectangle is the sheet of paper.

Of course I need to leave room for my chop (which I might actually carve separately this time).

~*~

Math is my weakest suit, so I'm trying to juggle three sizes:  block, paper, actual card size (5.5"x8.25").

Here's what my cobbled cartoon looks like scaled down to the card size:

Now I can pull this off if the snow fades out to white on the bottom.  This particular image assumes a separate chop, as the top and bottom of the board are represented by the pale gray lines.

I have to keep in mind the wind-marks I want to include.  They can't go below the top or bottom of the board.

Oh well, I can always resort to letting my hubby the math wiz work it out for me.  ;- j  Why else did I marry him?

I haven't done it before, but the title can actually be added when the card is created in vistaprint.

Matting & Framing

Working on matting and framing new works and older works I haven't shown before.  Came across an interesting mat size at Aaron Bros. called Digital that works just great with some of my odd-ball sized smaller prints.  (Now if I'd learn to cut my own mats I wouldn't have this problem.)  ;- j

Broke my brain tho.  I can only look at mats and frames for so long before I can't think anymore.  I'll go back tomorrow and see what else I can find.  Nice sales right now.

Garden Party Art Show

Light, Paint, Ink & Clay.  Our second Garden Party Art Show.  We had such a good time with the first one we've decided to do it again - and add a potter to the mix.  It's scheduled for Sun., Oct. 1.  Hopefully we'll have as nice a day as last year's show.

I've been working on the postcard.  This is what I've got so far:

Tony's photography, Tina's watercolor and oil paintings, Jim & Pat's pottery and my woodcut prints and tapestry pieces.  Should be a fun show.

Getting Ready to Carve

Paper and wood ordered from McClains.  Birch block sanded and stained.  Rough cartoon, but good to go.  If it's all worked out ahead of time I get bored.  The fun is in the carving.  Getting ready to have fun.  ;-]

Thanx Guys 8-]

I love it when people decide to follow my blog (even if I am a sporadic blogger).  ;-]

New people always take me to such interesting places and I get to add kewl blogs to the ones I already follow. 

Today I discovered:
http://www.anopensketchbook.com/
an open [sketch]book
creative journal of suzanne cabrera

And:
http://intalyo.blogspot.com/
INTALYO
Some Day Your Prints Will Come

;->

I learn so much from you guys!

Robo-Spam?

Does anyone know what to do about these strange comments I keep getting?  Are these robo-responses or something?  I run them thru http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ and usually get garbage back, so I don't think there's an actual person on the other end.

賢林 said...



如果相遇.你會感到相知.那麼.有一種習慣叫做陪伴;如果陪伴.你會感到珍惜.那麼.有一種甜蜜叫做存在!..................................................................


Translation:

Virtuous forest said… If meets. You will feel the dear friend. Then. One custom named accompanies; If accompanies. You will feel treasure. Then. One kind of happy named existence! ..................................................................

Any suggestions?

Hiatus

I'm on woodcut hiatus.  Not that I don't have any printing to do.  But I'm up to my ears in medieval poetry at the moment.  I edit a poetry collection that comes out twice a year and this is one of those times.  Verily I am busy.  ;- j

I should be able to get back to my woodcuts after next week.

Castle Christmas Card

Well, it can be fixed. I got the d*mn castle backwards. It's not too heavily carved yet, so I think I can transpose the wall section to the other side. This is the amended image with the castle switched. I think I can do that.

I am so p*ssed.

Christmas Card Template

Working on Christmas cards for Schuyler House. This is a section plucked out of a previous woodblock to work with. I was thinking of going landscape but then when I googled a mess of Japanese winter woodcuts I discovered that the majority of them seem to be in portrait, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I'll be adding a tree over to one side, subtracting the sheep and adding a deer or three. Also opting for a uniform sky, probably dark blue fading to light blue, hanga fashion. Don't think I'll be doing it hanga style however. Probably black and white with watercolor. Have to see how it developes.

Fabric on Ground

Ran a zinc plate thru the press with fabric on the soft ground, and I got a pretty good impression, but I didn't etch it long enough. 4 minutes. Should have done 8 at least. I'll try printing it again today -- I was rushed on Monday at the end of class. But if I don't like it I'll re-etch it.

Don't know if I'll just run anothe piece of fabric/soft ground thru the press, or what. Have to see what Jim thinks.

Ti22 -- recarved image

recarved for a sharper image

Titanium, atomic number 22, is light, strong, lustrous and resistant to corrosion, even in sea water. It is a silvery-white metal and can be alloyed with iron, aluminium, vanadium and other elements to produce many lightweight alloys. It is used in everything from spacecraft to dental implants, and because it can burn in both air and nitrogen, it makes great fireworks.

Titanium was discovered in England in1791 and was named for the Titans of Greek mythology. I took my inspiration from the Titan allusion and have displayed the most famous Titan, Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind, against the wishes of an angry Zeus.

Here is Prometheus with a high-tech, titanium robotic arm, holding aloft a burst of fireworks. As serendipity would have it, fireworks can look remarkably like a spray of fennel blossoms, the seed of which Prometheus hid fire in to sneak it past the Gods.

No good deed goes unpunished, but that’s another story.

Ti22 More Colorways

magenta, black oil based ink


yellow added to magenta; black


more yellow added to magenta; black

Red was rolled on, black was tapped in. Interesting and more like I envisioned the image, but now that I've worked with both, I think I like the yellow ochre water based inks better. The colors look more antique.

The Dog Ate My Artwork... ;-/

slightly chewed Foggy print

So we were on vacation -- a train trip to the midwest for our 35th anniversary -- and some of my prints fell into range of my paper loving dog, Loki:

Loki does love his Starbucks

I think it only got chewed in passing -- he was actually after a packet of Southern Winter/Northern Summer Solstice prints (the backyard series)! Luckily they were still in their plastic envelope and my son was able to rescue them before any damage was done. But Foggy wasn't so lucky.

Now that wouldn't be such a problem -- except: that particular print was up on ETSY and it had just sold! Yikes!

I didn't have many Foggy prints on hand, and none of the others were as nice as the one in my shop. So I printed up some more, and one or two of those look similar to the chewed one.

As soon as they dry I'll send one off to my patient patron. And hey, she gets a great story to go with it, right? ;-y

Ti-22 Working Sketch (reverse image)

Here's the working mock up for my Titanium block in the Periodic Elements Project. I took a re-assignment. Glad to play. 8-] The Ti and the 22 will be worked into the greek key bands. I printed out a bunch of them to work on colors today. I'm thinking I'll go with red and black and grey, but we'll see.

Titanium is named after the Greek Titans, of which Prometheus is the best known. He stole fire from Zeus and brought it to mankind, concealed in a fennel stalk, for which he was punished -- chained to a rock to have his liver eaten by an eagle, only to grow back at night for the next day. Gotta love those Greek gods.

Titanium is a whitish metal-du-jour that shows up in everything from paint to the space shuttle, and even fireworks. Or in this case, as a robotic arm holding aloft fireworks (which also looks a lot like a fennel stalk).



Tweaking the composition.

Woven Backgrounds

I like how the summer & winter woodblock print came out. I'd like to try throwing weaving into more of my prints.







Broken lozenge twill would be a good choice I think. Otherwise known as broken diamond twill.

Here's a detail from my Y1K coat in broken lozenge twill. It's a pleasing pattern. Perhaps too repetitive?

Of course summer & winter is infinitely variable, and I could stick with it for awhile.

This sampler (front and back) was woven in varieties of summer & winter mimicking Fair Isle. Greyed out they'd make good background, and otherwise they'd make good pattern texture. 8-]

Summer & Winter -- Baby Wipe Transfer

hp deskjet 5150 print transfer onto Baltic birch plywood block using baby wipes (reconstituted with alcohol). Rubbed from the back, wetting the paper.

Matte Medium instead of Fixative for Pastel

Showed Jim my pastel monotypes. He suggested cutting matte medium 50/50 with water and spraying it on with an airbrush (ha!). It's lighter than fixative and doesn't turn dark. Don't have an airbrush, but I may get to try it out sometime.

Printing Process -- Umi

Here is the inked block and the finished print, a three-color viscosity woodcut.


Tapping on thalo blue mixed with miracle gel to repel other colors.


Rolling on yellow, red in turn, also of different viscosities that will allow each to print.

Printing block face down on dry print paper. See slats to hold roller off print bed.
Cranking through the press with slow, even pressure. Lifting the block to reveal the print.