Graeige

You have to start somewhere, and the journey of a 9-color reduction woodcut begins with a single state. It's a rectangle. I apologize for the photo-I used my phone for this one, and the camera isn't very good. But as I like to say, "I have a camera. In my telephone. Which I carry around in my pocket and which uses insane technology and satellites and, hell, magic for all I know." So, in perspective, it's actually a good photograph.

Anyway, the color is a yellowish gray I'll call "Graeige." I did notice that, while the laydown of the ink was smoother, the shellac did not fill the grain as I'd suspected. In fact, the grain is pretty pronounced. Time will tell if it enhances or detracts from the final print.

I've worked out the order of colors, and the next color down will be yellow. The order of colors is very important in reduction woodcut, as each color is affected by the previous color. For example, if I printed the blue as the next color, I would have to add a little red to neutralize the greening effect of putting a blue over a yellow. That would also make the blue a lot darker than I want. So I have worked out a way for the blue to play off of the greens down the road.

I originally thought this print would be a quick six-color job, but after a rework I find that nine will be necessary. Check back to see more!