Print for Mojo

California, here they come!

2009-04-30T18:21:00.017-05:00

My contribution to Baren Forum Print Exchange #40 is officially out the door. Thanks to overnight express shipping it will arrive on time tomorrow afternoon. If I had time to spare there are certainly things I would have changed but all in all I am satisfied with it. Getting it done on time was a HUGE priority for me - much more important to me than getting it absolutely perfect - and so in this regard I am very pleased with myself.

Now I need a shower and some sleep. Maybe not in that order.

Not only was it unduly difficult pasting down the tissue paper drawing of my black plate, it was hard to carve. This may be the last time I do this with a reduction print. Little stray corners of paper kept getting in the way and snagged my blade, made the cut difficult to see, etc. I need some input as to why this was so difficult for me. Here's the block (tissue paper and all) with the black plate almost entirely carved and on the right is the black block fully carved and ready to go.

I had a hard time carving this second block. Not only was the tissue paper a mess but the wood itself was hard to work with. I am using maple which is a very hardwood but for some reason it splintered easily and behaved more like a softwood when I was carving the second pass (black plate.) I don't know what that was all about. I don't think the wood splintered as easily the first time around. I don't know if it was a result of the gum arabic used to paste the second drawing, the ink & oil used the print the first phase, or my imagination. Who knows. Survey says.....

....needs a little touching up before pulling the official edition. Dang that splintering wood! I had to carve the block down fairly deep and bust out the rifflers to smooth over the snags.

Finally it was ready to go though.

Audrey was very patient, allowing me to work out in the honeycomb all day (she wasn't in school today, poor baby)

and Noah as always had fun watching it come together.

Well, now what do I do with all my free time?

1 down, 1 to go

2009-04-28T16:02:00.003-05:00

This is the first time I've ever drawn and pasted a subsequent phase of a reduction block and it was met with limited success. After drawing on one of yesterday's prints with a black sharpie, I copied the black areas onto a piece of tissue paper. Mine is always wrinkled and folded from being used in giftbags & boxes but it seems to work just the same. Then I coated the wood block with gum arabic and tried to paste my tissue paper on the block. Big mess. I had a really hard time getting the image to line up.

I think some of this is because the paper stretches during printing, it's (the paper) wet when I pull the prints, and a few other factors which cause the printed image to differ somewhat in size from the carved image. I knew going in to it that it would be impossible to get an exact match.

Still, it was harder than I had thought. I think there was something else going on that made it very difficult for me. Who knows, maybe just 'user error' - there could be a reason why I've never done it before: maybe no one recommends doing it. Later tonight I'll post my issues on baren forum to get their feedback on what went wrong.

Not all wrong, though as there is now a piece of paper containing the black areas of the image pasted onto my block. I'm not sure how it will all look when I carve it much less what's going to happen when I try printing but I guess we'll see soon!

no time like now

2009-04-27T16:57:00.005-05:00

It was a rainy walk out to the honeycomb this morning but a good, productive day. After mixing the ink I ran one print

Hmmm....too dark. I removed half the ink and mixed in a big scoop of base extener to lighten it up a bit. And voila! Perhaps a little more blue than I wanted but I'm running out of time to be picky so here it is:

Now I'll carve a bit more tonight and print the black plate tomorrow evening. I've got my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned since I'm running right up against my deadline. Thank god for overnight postal service!

Black & White

2009-04-11T01:19:00.003-05:00

After spending several days trying to make my drawing a successful one color print, I am throwing in the towel. A sign, as some of my college profs would say, of my lack of artistic ability. At this point, my practical side is kicking in and telling me to get on with it. So....I am doing a two color, one block reduction print with a black plate on top of a grey plate.

Interesting that I have such a hard time with black & white but feel more comfortable with grey scale. Again, I have teachers who would be chomping at the bit for a piece of this one....Here's the grey plate color sep. Ive traced it on tissue paper and will be gluing the tissue to my maple block tomorrow. More on all that later....

Exchange 40

2009-04-05T14:47:00.002-05:00

After chaning my mind and scrapping my original print I am officially behind the 8-ball for my Exchange 40 submission. I'll bust it out as best I can though. I've decided to do a print of the Buffalo River at the Ponca low water crossing bridge in Arkansas. A few weeks ago I traveled there with family and friends to scatter the ashes of my Uncle. It was a profound trip for me in several aspects and I really want to memorialize the event. Of course I am fast approaching deadline and have drawn something which, if I had all the time in the world, would make a great 5 color print. I've knocked my drawing down to a black and white image and now will begin looking at how few plates I can get away with. I'm hoping to make this just a two plate image and think that might be realistic but won't know until I noodle it further. Here's the drawing. More later.

Easter Round 1

2009-04-05T14:29:00.004-05:00

Saturday brought the first of our Easter celebrations. The Swiss Avenue Historic District had their egg hunt Saturday morning. The kids got way more candy than they needed and spent the rest of the day trying to sneak another handfull out of their baskets. It was fun for everyone; Brian and I always enjoy getting to visit with the neighbors - we live in such a great neighborhood. For as reluctant as I was to move to Dallas I think we found the most relaxed, down to earth corner of the city.

Now we're gearing up for the Old East Dallas egg hunt....

The Ox Arrive!

2009-03-26T18:58:00.008-05:00

Whew! I finally got these ox postcards done. After being cursed with mysterious electrical problems, swarms of carpenter ants, and a three year old girl they are printed and drying. More about the girl: Audrey got in to the honeycomb and decided to roll out my ink aft er I had spent all night printing the blue plate and then preparing the black ink. Normally the kids are very well behaved in the honeycomb and know to stick to their art corner but curiosity got the better of little Audrey. Between scrubbing the ink off Audrey - half of which had to be done under cold water as the hot water ran out - and the scolding I don't think she'll forget to leave my stuff alone any time soon. I've got a lock on the door now just in case. I don't like having to lock the door though - I want them to have free access to art supplies - we just don't have enough space around here for them to have a space that is separate from mine.

This is actually a working proof and as such has some imperfections but it is close enough to the completed prints. The final cards are still drying - will scan one in when dry.

I didn't photograph the process and now regret it. Here is a bad, water stained print of the blue-grey plate. This is a 2 color reduction print. It was my first experience with a hardwood block. I used a maple block and found it a joy to work with. The hard wood is harder to literally carve but easier in so many other ways. Since it doesn't splinter as easily the impression is much cleaner and fine lines retain their integrity. I carved and printed a the blue-grey layer which was actually everything you see in the image that is blue-grey as well as black.

After printing the blue-grey plate I carved away the areas of the block that are blue, leaving everything that is now black. After a day a half of cleaning up the mess left in the wake of hurricane Audrey I then printed the black block. Here is the final block with the blue carved away, leaving the black layer.

I love doing reduction prints. They are so much fun - just wham bam thank you ma'am. No going back, no reworking, reprinting. It forces me to do what I should be doing anyway - just carving and printing and stop trying so hard to make it perfect. On baren forum recently someone posted an interesting study which I will try to paraphrase:

In a college ceramics course the class was divided in to two groups. One group was told they were going to be graded solely on quantity - at the end of the course all their pieces would be weighed and the one with the heaviest amount of work got an A. The other group was graded by quality - their pieces were reviewed in the traditional manner, by class and instructor critique. At the end of the course the students who were graded by quantity actually had the better work. The act of just doing, doing, doing is so crucial to the learning process! The 'quantity' students were able to practice and refine technique without having to give consideration to the results. I need to remember this and just work.

The registration is so much easier too - I used "pins" for this print. Really just nails in this case but they work just the same. Next time around I need to have a registrationn pin on the side and on the top instead of just two on top. These prints were long and the registration got difficult toward the bottom of the print.

Now on to the next print.....

...and the ox marches on

2009-03-01T23:09:00.002-06:00

After solving the studio power puzzle the carpenter ants came. Just as the honeycomb (my 'studio') was powered up again, the weather warmed up and out came my over wintering guests - carpenter ants. Not one or two, not even a hundred - thousands of carpenter ants. For those of you who have never seen a carpenter ant, they are much larger than most ants and winged. Thank goodness they use the wings primarily to curb inbreeding and not for mainstream transportation.

Once the lights came on in the honeycomb I saw the full capacity of the ant invasion. My dear friends and neighbors in Austin own a pest control company (http://www.beatingbugsbetter.com/) and for as much as I hate using 'chemical' solutions, even I knew it was time to call in a pro. I couldn't even see the paint on the walls. All I saw was swarming black & red winged ants. Big ones. Now, I'm not very squeemish but yuck.

Anywho, the pest control guy here in Dallas (great guy, Mc. Daniels Pest Control) has taken care of the invasion and I am ready to print my ox Monday morning. Here is the block in various stages of carving:

March? What about February?

2009-03-01T22:50:00.002-06:00

Here are some more memorable moments for February. Noah's kindergarten class celebrated Valentine's Day with a class party. The PTA sold candy grams during the days leading up to v-day parties and managed to raise a bit of money for the school - not much but every little bit counts and (most importantly) the kids had fun.

March already. Really?

2009-03-01T21:48:00.005-06:00

Wow - February has just breezed by without my noticing. Where has the month gone? Audrey turned three earlier this month. We never had a formal party for her but wound up having a playdate with cake. Much easier than the elaborate parties of years past. And every bit as much fun.

The day started out with donuts and round 1 of presents and as the day progressed our beloved friends and neighbors dropped off gifts through out the day since there was no set party time. Both Noah and Audrey had such a blast with this day of random gifts. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends. To think we moved here just a few months ago and so many of you treat us like family. A few shots from the bday:

Koi in Water

2009-02-08T13:08:00.002-06:00

I've been slow to post the completed water exchange print. Blue, the new pup, and I have finally come to an understanding about the computer. Previously he would grab the nearest pair of socks, shoes, etc. to chew as soon as I sat down at the computer. To give him something more constructive to do I now put a treat on the floor and tell him to 'leave it.' He'll leave it for a good long while. Good boy.

Anyway here is my water print 'Koi in Winter'

I'm now working on my year of the ox postcard. More on that soon!

Wet 'Water'

2009-01-22T13:34:00.003-06:00

I've had an awful time waiting for the brown layer of ink to dry on my 'water' prints. They are now a week overdue. I printed them about 10 days ago but the ink is not drying and I'm getting desperate. I've made a mess of a few prints trying to work with them. Here they are so far:

Both Audrey and the dog are now sleeping so I'd better get busy finishing these prints. I've been blotting them individually using pressure from my hand on the trouble spots. This seems to help so I am hoping to get the prints off in the mail tomorrow.

Puppy Love

2009-01-22T13:13:00.006-06:00

Whew! It's been an exhausting week. After searching for a month we finally found a four-legged companion to add to our family. Unable to find a suitable older dog we have adopted a puppy. It's alike having a baby all over again. Fortunately he sleeps through the night and housebreaking seems to coming along nicely.

Blue is an Australian shepherd rescued from the city shelter down in Glen Rose. After picking him up he was so mellow and calm for the drive home. We thought Valium would be a bit strange but Blue works well.

It's been hard to snap photos of big Blue when he's not asleep. He doesn't stay in one place for too long and hasn't learned 'sit' yet. I've been taking the rambunctious little pup for two or three good walks each day and throwing toys down our long hallway in the morning while I drink my coffee. The weather has been so wonderful here that we've had a lot of time in the backyard too. By the end of the day poor Blue looks mighty tired.

In fact, he's sleeping right now. I had better go finish up my now overdue 'water' prints. But more about that in the next post....

Dark blue plate

2009-01-07T20:24:00.008-06:00

Warmer weather made printing more enjoyable today. I didn't even need to run the heater in the honeycomb while the sun was up. I spent the day dampening the light blue plate prints and printing the dark blue. Here's the dark blue plate ready to print:

And here is what came of it:

Texas Winters

2009-01-07T20:19:00.004-06:00

Well, what a difference a day or two makes here in Texas. Here is another shot of the honeycomb studio - this time without the freezing rain and gloomy skies.

It was warm today with blue skies and bright sun. I spent the whole day outside and reminded myself to look at this photo when it is September and 108 F outside. Our hot summers stink but warm, sunny January days are the trade off.

Christmas photos

2009-01-05T15:52:00.010-06:00

Since it's cold and rainy outside (and thus in my studio as well) I spent some time indoors uploading a few pics from Christmas. Here's one of the kids opening presents:

Santa brought Noah his very own R2-D2 and Audrey a 'real' dog. As close to a real dog as Santa was going to commit to anyhow. Audrey also got an interactive Pinkie Pie pony. It didn't take her long to line them all up and coordinate their movements. Such a little control freak - I wonder where she gets that.

Poor R2. Noah rescued him from girlie land eventually.

We went to the DMA the next day and had a great time. We didn't see the King Tut exhibit. I want to go and enjoy it so I don't really want to bring the kids. Well, really just Audrey. Noah would love it .

Here are some pictures from the museum that sum up the kids perfectly:

what I was doing last night...

2009-01-05T15:26:00.000-06:00

Glad I got a bit done last night before the rain set in. This is the first plate for my 'water' print. I'm participating in a Four Oceans Press classic elements print exchange that is due on the 15th. My prints are ready to roll but the weather is not cooperating.

Here's my little work table:

I picked up a few extra large baking sheets on clearance and have found them very useful for inking. I can roll out several colors at once in a small space. They do get cold though. A few weeks ago it was so cold inside the honeycomb that the ink was too stiff to roll out on the sheets. I didn't think oil based inks froze.

And here's the light blue plate hanging to dry. The image is not too clear. I was shivering and had trouble keeping the camera still. Today I think I'll go buy another heater.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-01-05T15:13:00.001-06:00

brrrr.....the detached garage/screened in patio (nick named the honeycomb hideout by the previous owners, a name that has stuck but we shortened to just 'honeycomb') that also serves as my studio is a little cold. and damp. I'll need to find an insulation solution that will keep me warm in winter but let me see through the window screens. It's great being able to work while watching the kids play in the yard but not so great when it is 32 and raining.