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.

Ducks Go "Quack!", but...

...this is CHEAP!

Original woodcut, matted and framed, FREE SHIPPING in US and Canada, 40% off of show price of $50:

$30.

Insane.

It's Super, Natural

Say you like cheese. Maybe a little wine. Let's go so far as to say you even like art, too. And let's say you have nothing much going on on Saturday, November 1, from 5pm to 8pm. And let's further suppose that you have an extra $20 you'd like to donate for the upkeep of Reinstein Woods, one of the most beautiful nature preserves in Western New York.

If this all describes you, well boy-howdy, are you in luck. The annual Nature's Gathering fundraiser will be held Saturday, November 1 from 5pm to 8pm and will feature food, wine and art for $20 (less if you buy ahead. Follow the link and learn more.

http://reinsteinwoods.org/events/natures-gathering-evening-art-wine-cheese-2/

(I hope this doesn't change your mind, but I'll be there as well, as an art vendor.)

If you have never been to Reistein Woods, it's a great place to kill an hour or two. You may even see a birdhouse sticking out of one of the ponds, somewhat similar to a woodcut print you may have seen recently.

Hope to see you there!

Getting My Ducks In A Row

I thought this might be a great opportunity to take you through a tour of what I do and how I do it. I have explained reduction printmaking so many times I just assume people understand. But it can be confusing if you don't really grasp the process. So I'm inviting you to watch as this print goes from the drawing table to the wall.

The first step is sketching out ideas for color, contrast and, most importantly, composition. This print is inspired by the main pond at Reinstein Woods. I will be participating at an art sale at a fundraiser for Reinstein Woods in November, and as we are avid park-goers, this seemed like an apropriate print to have ready for the show.

After a few sketches, I draw out the final drawing and rough out some colors. The print will be quite different than this painting.

I am doing something different with this print. I usually use a bare-wood block; I have been having some issues with ink not transfering evenly to the paper, and some other printmakers have suggested shellacking and sealing the block to help.

So, after finishing the painting, which I call a cartoon, I use tracing paper and trace the whole image. I then put the trace on the block and, using carbon paper, I transfer the image to the block.

I then started to shellac the wood, only to find that shellac is great for wiping carbon off of wood -- whoops! I retraced my tracing with pen, then shellacked the block.

This morning I sanded the block down to a glassy finish, and I hope to put the first color down tonight.