Whew!

I headed down to the studio, armed with my Plan B and expecting failure. However, as you can see, all is well!

....so far.

But I've learned -- again! --that patience is the most important tool with reduction woodcut. 

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking on this print, or I'd give each color 5 days of drying. I'm hoping 48 hours is enough. We're well into the rainy season right now, so the humidity is a huge issue.

Hoping to print ochre Thursday. After that, we get into the blues!

 

Organized Labor

After last week's flurry of activity with screen printing, the studio was a complete mess -- differing only slightly from the INCOMPLETE mess it usually is. I've had prints building up for years in drawers, and I finally got things organized in their own individual boxes.

Down deep in the drawer was a packet of old work from 2002 thru 2005, the beginning of my printmaking career. Some of them show hints that I had promise, but most...well, let's just say that the best part of sticking with something even when you know you are NOT good enough is that, eventually, you get to look back and see how far you've come.

So now I'm working on my next wood cut in a nice, neat and organized studio,so grateful for the space and ready toake the most of it. In those early days I was crammed into a tiny bedroom that was broiling in the summer, without a press or much light after sunset. Now I have everything I need -- but I think one thing we've learned in the United States in the last 10 years (2008, and certainly the last two) is that if fortunes can be made overnight, it can all disappear just as fast. So, time to make hay.

Clarity

My very favorite thing about reduction printmaking, even ahead of near-perfect register, is the slow reveal. Yes, of course, I know what the final image is supposed to look out -- I work from a completed drawing. And even if I make changes as I go along, I still have a good idea about what it should look like.

But there's something about watching something happen. Maybe it's like watching a favorite movie you've watched before -- you know what's going to happen, but watching it develop is the joy. Maybe it's also like we used to stand around and watch our mom's shake a Polaroid until the image appeared (betcha some of you got a fine earworm now -- Hey, Ya!

So, with the third color down, I think it's pretty clear what we're going for, although there's going to be a lot more going on over the course of the next five colors.

The mystery animal will be much clearer after the next color goes down. I was very happy with my color choices on this one. Unfortunately, because of how I have my jig set, I'm getting crimping in the corners. However, I have designed jig modifications that should eliminate the issue.

Pink-A-Boo

This new print, which I first attempted last fall, is coming along nicely thanks to the education I got over the weekend regarding the limitations of my press. Here are the first two states, a pink and an orange.

The first color is the pink, and it illustrates very well the amount of work that goes into a reduction print. In reduction printing, you print a color and then carve away areas that you want to show as that color in the final print.


 For example, the pink is in four very small spots (in the picture at right, you can see them at the bottom center, under the white cut lines), but I needed to print the entire page pink. Then, after cutting the areas I want to stay pink, I printed the orange. These photos may not be strong enough to show where the pink does show. I could have printed the orange first, then printed the small pink areas somewhere down the road. However, I needed the pink to be as vibrant as I could make it, so I chose to print that first. Even so, the orange itself is only a small are of the print. However, the bulk of the print will be browns and tans, maybe a dark green if I'm feeling frisky. I couldn't print those first and expect the orange to be bright.

Go Bills!

Duck bills, that is.

Color number 3. How green is my ducky?

If you still have a hard time grasping what is meant by "Reduction Print," this should nudge you toward some clarity. If you recall, the last color was a bright yellow, and that was for the duck's bills. So, I carved out the area on the block where the bills are. The next area I will be carving is the drake's head, so the color I want to put down is green.

My favorite color is green, and my favorite green is the green of the male duck. In the sunlight, it's actually a rainbow of greens. I'll be using two greens to give the head some depth, and the first green I wanted is a very yellow green. I chose the green to go over the yellow so that the transparent green ink would be enhanced by the yellow. Very happy with the color.

Ducks in a row.

And, of course, you see the islands of yellow now. And the next state will show an area of bright green. This is reduction woodcut printing.

You probably can see that I'm still having a coverage issue, an issue I'd hoped to get rid of through the use of shellac. Well, I'm a learner, and I've been taken to school. Two things have come to light. First, I should have put multiple layers of shellac over the block, letting them completely dry in between. Second, I sanded the block with 220 grit paper. Might as well have used steel wool. I thought I was using 600 grit.

Funny thing, though, is that most of the problem are is in the water, and will probably enhance the look.

But I'm taking no chances with my next print, which I'm already setting up. Sufficiently shellacked, and I have five grits of paper waiting. Here's a sneak peak of "Drive In," which has quite a story to it. But you'll have to wait

Where Have I Been All Your Life

Yes, well, sorry about the sudden departure. No, I wasn't kidnapped, imprisoned or abducted. The real story is pretty dull and run-of-the-mill. I'm not back yet, but I'm close. So, hang in there.

One piece of the story is that, after a few less-than thrilling prints, I decided to go back to school to add some much-needed definition to a pretty decent base of self-taught skill. Best decision I ever made.

So, very soon, these pages will bloom again with artwork, so I ask that you stop by again this Spring.

If Spring ever comes.

I Blue It

HA! That's what I get. yesterday, I was feeling quite confident: The colors were vibrant, the register dead-on. I was once again, in my mind, the Bad Boy of Block Printing. Then I went home to find that I am actually the Boy of BAD Block Printing.


Okay, that's a harsh self criticism, and I have already completed the post-mortem to find what went wrong. And, to my credit, I did stop after I saw the first horrible, horrible print.


That dark color you see in the print, that's actually a beautiful Ultramarine Blue. Do not adjust your monitor. Yes, it is comparable to Portland Black...when printed over something, like, say, scarlet. The reason, of course, is that the ultramarine is as clear as water. What annoys me is a) I've done this exact thing before [some nine years ago] and b) I saw how transparent it was on the plate.


So, I have done some research, and have found a way to get the results. Stay tuned for that in coming days.


I was also surprised that the ink wasn't covering as nice as previous layers. Remember what I said about drying times yesterday? Well, I guess I was right on that.

So, I'm coming away a bit smarter (hope it sticks with me this time). However, as the ink technician and "color expert" for a commercial printing company, I sure do feel like a doofus.

The Dark Side

This latest color will eventually fill out the flowers behind and around the stone. The scene looks pretty jarring with that dark pink, and this is the stage of a print I call the "awkward phase," because it's so hard to imagine it looking like I want it to when the colors are so strong.

 

But, I've been here before, so I have learned to set aside doubt and press on. This process is called the "reduction method," and has been used throughout printing history. Traditionally, one block gets used for all the colors in a "carve, print, carve, print" manner; in this process, the block is destroyed. If I were to find that, when I put the dark pink on, I didn't like the light pink, or the light pink was too dark, I can't go back and change it, and this usually means I have to start over from scratch. This means that I do a lot of color testing before I begin printing. I will not only create a color chart of colors I will use, but I will also see how they print over one another.

This only reduces the threat of catastrophe, of course; threats loom large over a reduction print from start to finish. The result of a successful print though is a very unique and colorful piece of work.

Update on Etsy Site: You may be wondering why the prints on this blog are not available on etsy.com at the moment. I do apologize for any inconvenience. However, with moving, resetting the studio, and presently having no home computer, along with the time needed to actually produce the work, I have not really felt able to give the time to monitor the Etsy site and process orders. GOOD NEWS! I am recatalogging the old work, and will have both old and new work available at the end of August. Of course, if you just gotta have something right away, you can call anytime and we'll work out details. (716) 997-3046, or thadeenz97@yahoo.com

The Lighter Side of Graveyards

As was the case for the last print, I had to overcome a very oppressive darker color to allow the brightness of future colors to show. The second color on "Memorial Day" was a very dark shadow gray, and the next color is a bright pink. I printed a buffer of plain white, which brought the color down to a more manageable shade.

The method at work here is called "reduction printing," in which one block is used, and areas are cut away for each color. The drawback to this method is trying to maintain the brightness of colors; you can usually tell a reduction print by the darkness of the colors; I have had prints start of with explosive, bright color, only to end up a muddy mess. A few talented printers out there have somehow beat the system (I recommend Gordon Mortenson as a prime example). I intend to be in that small crowd.

As you can see in the above photo, the white has buffered the dark gray back to a very light gray. This should accept the light pink very easily. It is hard to get an idea of where the print is going in this view, but in this backlit picture, you get a better idea of what I'm going for.

The next challenge is creating a vibrant pink and presenting it in a way that is going to breath some life into what at this stage looks like a very cold print!

Hidden Gems

My wife and I are road trip junkies; every weekend finds us lost somewhere in the hills and valleys surrounding Buffalo. This is a great time of year, full of freshly mown grass, bright blue skies and roadside stands bursting with nature's bounty.

Our artists' eyes dart along the landscape, looking for interesting ideas and compositions. This work in progress, "Memorial Day," was a happy accident. As we were driving around the village of Cuba, we missed a turn to a wildlife management area. I turned around by ducking into a small cemetery, still decorated with flags from Memorial Day the weekend before.

The aged stones agains the bright flowers and lush greens of the lawn and surrounding trees left a mark on me, and I knew I would have to mark up some paper when I got home.

This is the first two colors, a very light gray and a dark gray. I'm very nervous about this one, as I need to create bright colors over the very dark gray. Please stay tuned as I try to navigate this one without it ending up in the print graveyard.

Here Comes the Camper!

It's coming along now. You will really start to see the camper when I print the next state, which I believe is blue.

The register on this print has held so tight. Usually I have problems when I get to this many layers, but I'm really happy with how the register has held up.

Reduction printing, which uses the same block for all colors, is known for its excellent register; however, the oils in the ink and the solvents used to clean the block can cause the edges of cut areas to shrink back (solvents also tend to weaken the wood, causing the fibers to begin crumbling; this is why I have always preferred to do thin lines early in the process, unlike this job in which I will be cutting out branches in solvent-brittled wood).

Fall's Flamin' Foliage

Autumnal Glory: State #3

It might look like the inside of Hell's furnace, but the print so far has been nothing but heaven. The red went down over the orange and yellow beautifully, and you can start to see small details take shape.

Printing is always about balance and give and take, and this print is no exception. By printing the blues and grays first, the print ended up losing a lot of its punch with the other, brighter colors. By printing the bright colors of the foliage first, I am keeping the colors bright and vibrant; however, as I now turn to blues and pastels for the rest of the print, I run into a big conundrum. Any color I print now will be affected by that flaming red.

To minimize this, I will next print a straight white "buffer layer" to neutralize the red. The next color is a beige; if I don't print the white layer, the beige will be pink. And I will cry pink tears.

The register of the colors has thus far been impeccable, and it is vital that the buffer layer be printed with just as much care to keep the colors lining up. I don't like printing buffer layers; it sorta feels like cheating. I don't know why I feel that way, as we do it in professional commercial printing all the time. I get some weird ideas sometimes.

I just worked out the math and, best case scenario is that this print won't be done until next Saturday! So check back often!

That Awkward Stage

So, now the print enters the awkward stage. You start gambling on colors, maybe start improvising here and there. The only thing to guide you at this point is the vision you have in your mind, the one that got you started down this road in the first place.

I particularly hate printing light colors over dark colors. Although this state completes the form of the trailer, the details of the woods around it are only hinted at. As I mentioned in the last post, I knew that the yellow going over the turquoise would present special challenges.

However, I added red to the yellow ink (which has a naturally green cast). The extra red helped curb the color's tendency to blend with the turquoise and make a lime green. The result is a gold that I think will blend well with the oranges and reds to come. I hemmed and hawed about printing another yellow, but I think the gold will serve the autumnal feel well.

Every print I've done has had this awkward stage, and I've learned to just push through it. I know I'll be rewarded if I stop fretting about it and concentrate on carving and printing the next colors.

Five colors to go!

Taking Shape

This is my favorite point in a print -- when you really get to see what's forming. My prints are produced using the "reduction method," whereby a block is cut and printed over and over until the print is complete (and the block is destroyed). There's no way to know what a print will really look like until it's done. All you have is a drawing, and an idea.

I'm excited to be moving into the warmer colors now, as I turn the scene from icy blue into the warm brilliance of autumn. There are six more colors on this print left to go.

I am a little nervouse printing such a dark color before launching into the brighter colors. I've lost a lot of prints to mismanaged colors, I'm hoping my day job as a color and ink technician can keep me out of the abyss. Stay tuned!

Loon-y Tune

I'm never sure I'm going to like a print until it's done. Reduction woodcuts -- where the colors are built up on the paper through successive cuttings and printings -- are particularly stressful, because not only do you not know how the print will look until you get to the end, but because the block is destroyed in the process, you can't go back...unless you go ALL the way back.

As I mentioned last post, the concept of the drawing was inspired by "Maroon," one of the color poems by voice artist Ken Nordine. My loon here is supposed to be singing a tune to an orange moon. Well, I lost the orange, but I really needed to do something with the block to get some ink on my fingers. It's been a remarkably dry few years, and being in our new home, I knew I needed to get back to work, to blow off the dust, scrape off the rust, and rediscover the passion for printmaking.

This is state #2, the color being a very dark muddy green. The lines on the moon are signifying sound rippling the air (the loon's cry). I agonized over how to make that work, and I can't say I feel successful about it. I wish I'd taken them out. Oh, well, that's printmaking.

Luckily, I only printed six. Pretty sure you won't find them on Etsy. But I'm feeling less rusty, less dusty, and ready to hit the next one out of the park.

So, having moved back from the cruel city to our home in Hamburg, NY (where it all began), I now have a comfortable though incomplete studio setup in our very toasty basement. The first order of business was to try to get back to a woodcut I began over the summer. Unfortunately, the print wouldn't take the ink, so I had to scrap the prints I'd begun. However, I am still going to finish the print, minus the two colors I'd already printed -- gray and orange.

The design is based on mental imagery I got from listening to one of Ken Nordine's color poems, "Maroon." If you have a moment, pop over to Youtube and check it out. "there's a singer's croon...as she sings a tune...to an orange moon...like a crazy loon." Not a literal translation of the poem/song, but a fun little excercise. It will probably just be a three-color print, a little something to get me back in the water.

The picture here is one of the states of the print, the maroon layer, printed on linen as a test to see how well the material takes the ink. The intention is that Amy & I will collaborate on a future project, so stay tuned for that.

The Etsy shop is presently closed, and probably will remain closed until after the holidays. Please check back for updates, and "like" Napping Cat Press on Facebook to get alerts to the latest work.