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!

Bright Idea

So, as we can see, printing a bright color over a bright color tends to keep the colors, well, bright. I'm really happy with the colors and how the ink is laying down this time.

I'm working from a pencil drawing, and am actually using no photographic references for the colors. Growing up in Western New York, I like to think I know a little something about fall colors.

That said, yellow and orange are pretty easy. The hardest color I've designed for this print may well be the red. Think for a minute: what is an ideal autumnal red color? Is it the deep maroon of big old maple leaves? The bleeding red of sumac? Rust? Fire?

Oh, man, I think I just panicked myself! Stay tuned!

Eight states and I just can't wait.

You Go Back, Jack, Do It Again...

Well, having learned plenty of lessons from the last month, I am coming out swinging. I am completely changing the order of colors, starting with yellow. When I began printmaking 11 years ago, yellow was always the color I started with, until I realized that it was causing trouble with some of the later colors, like grays.

The expected path for this print is yellow, orange, red, beige, gray, blue, turquoise, rust, brown and black. Due to a really stupid mistake involving a razor blade, I lost five sheets right off the bat, so we're down to an edition of 15. Of course, that's always subject to change.

Incidently, the paper is 115 gsm Rives offwhite. I bought it at Hyatt's on Main Street in downtown Buffalo. I like to get it there, because I think it's important to support local businesses. However, if anyone from Hyatt's happens to read this post, STOP PUTTING YOUR GD BARCODE STICKERS SO FAR FROM THE EDGE -- THE ADHESIVE TEARS OFF PART OF THE PAPER. Unfortunately, I've been having a lot of problems with Hyatt's, and I am nowhere near a picky high-maintenance shopper. It may be back to Blick for this Bad Boy of Block.

Failure: Always An Option

Ever get to color number six on your twenty-edition reduction woodcut you've been working on for the last month, only to discover that you screwed up a color, and it's too late to go back?

I have!

Ugh. Pretty demoralizing. But turn that frown upside down. I'm starting over right away.

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!

Back In The Woods!

The first new print for 2013 is well under way. This is color number 3 (Sorryfor the bad camera phone picture).

So far untitled, this will be a "canned ham" style trailer in an autumn woods setting.

I'm devoted to midcentury style, art and architecture, and you will see this devotion pop up in my work more and more, I'm sure. I have touched on the trailer theme before, in the much-loved print "Little Camper" (see earlier posts).

This is stab number 2 at this particular print. I had begun it several weeks ago, but discovered that the heavy weight paper I was using was just not working for block printing. I did some research and found this lightweight Rives paper I'd actually used with great success several years ago. It's clear we were made for each other, as the printing has been a dream.

There are 7 more colors to go.

Amy Dean: Art Star!

In May, my beautiful wife Amy was chosen to be one of 150 local residents chosen to participate  in a special art project to celebrate the 150th birthday of the acclaimed Albright-Knox art gallery. After filling out a questionaire and being interviewed by the artists, each participant was made into a colorful "icon," and all 150 pieces are presently on display in the Knox annex, along with a color guide and video clips of the interviews.

Amy's icon is the blue and green picture. It looks like a butterfly, and I think they captured her perfectly. Congratulations on being chosen to participate in the celebration, Amy! And I promise to stop saying, "My wife's in the permanent collection at the Albright-Knox!"

To learn more about this project, please visit http://www.albrightknox.org/about-ak/celebrating-150-years/

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.

Fresh Print: Doonagore Castle

I'm not sure why we are so fascinated by ruins. I mean, if you're so touched by the wonder of a once proud structure left to the whims of the elements, you'd be enthralled and captivated by our crumbling bungalow here in South Buffalo.

Alas, this castle, which stands strong near Doolin, Ireland, is not a ruin, having been purchased and rehabbed and made into a summer home for an American family, according to Wikipedia. I found the building by accident one day while researching something else. This round structure standing by the edge of the sea fed my dreams of going to the homeland (I'm about 1/10 Irish, but my liver is 90%). 

According to one source, the name of the castle means "fortress of the goats." Nothing against goats, but my wife prefers sheep, and so that's what we have. The studies for the sheep came from a small herd at Knox Farm Stet Park in East Aurora. I highly recomment stopping by before the state shuts it down.

The image is 6X4 inches, printed in seven colors from a single block of birch plywood. Edition of 6, printed in oil-based inks on cream-color cotton paper.

Boo!

I love this print, the concept of it. Campers safely snuggled away in their tent listening to someone telling a ghost story, complete with flashlight-under-the-chin special effects.

Meanwhile out in the dark, dark forest lurks a few disembodied spirits eager to hear the tale!

I love the dark background of gnarled trees -- done in blue-gray, blue black and, finally, black. The back rows of trees are a subtle contrast against the black, and give the close-up viewer a little bit of a surprise. The tent absolutely glows in the foreground and really brings a mood of camping fun and comfort -- evin amid the menacing surroundings. Six color reduction woodcut printed on cotton paper with oil-based inks from a single birch plywood block.

Back to the ol' Carving Board

Ah, so I took a little break, and now I'm back to "Ghost Story."

This is color number two, and I've very happy with it. I think it's going to be a good one (and NO MOON!)

Apres Le Deluge.....

Last summer we had a rainwater backup in our basement. It's not uncommon, and usually the water is kind enough to stay in one little corner of the basement. But for whatever reason, this time was different. I ran down to see water spouting out of the sewer, and I immediately dammed (and damned) the area around the drain. I then waited for it to recede, which it did not. I stood helpless as the flood inched beyond its previous recorded boundaries. It seeped under the steps, back along my wife's studio wall, claiming box after box of papers and pieces of glass. I rescued what I could, but it was moving too fast. It had the audacity to threaten my studio, even tiptoed over the threshold a bit. Then, the rains stopped, and the cleanup began.

I went through many boxes of files and papers which had quickly wicked up the soup. One of them held a large portion of my work from 2004-2006. No great loss, but it was still sad having to toss so many prints. A few days ago, I set to really cleaning up the basement, and started going through some salvaged files. I uncovered this gem. It's unfinished, and was a pretty ambitious project as I recall. I estimated that it would be about 17 colors. At that time I had just switched over to high-quality block-printing inks. I'm self taught, so everything was trial and error. The big error I made back then was that instead of printing a color and waiting for it to dry, I would print, then blot it with newsprint, then print again, up to four colors in a day. The result was that the fresh ink would not adhere to the previous layers. Boy, was I a silly printmaker.

So, this print, the working title of which was something like "We Regret To Inform You....," was, conceptually, a comment on the real cost of war: A woman answering the door to two military notifiers, The flag, and the blue star backlit by brilliant sunshine (trust me -- it would have been there) and in the foreground, a little girl, her eyes brimming with tears, pleading at the viewer, screaming in grief. Yup, woulda looked sweet in your dining room.

I actually thought I had lost all of the copies of it, and in my mind, I thought it had been a 6x4 print. It is 8x10, a size I experimented with for about a year. It was printed in the old days before I had a press, and I would ink the block and then burnish the back of the paper with a wooden spoon.

Oh, indeed, it could be a candidate for the hallowed walls of the Museum of Bad Art, and I may send them a copy. The mother at the door, though she's supposed to be covering her mouth in shock, may just as well be saluting the soldiers at the door. Her dress looks as if it was shredded by a cat. And can you say CANKLES? The flag is pretty awesome if I may say so myself, but that lamp is from the Picasso collection at Value City. The girl? Well, she's unfinished, but really, she looks more like Mrs. Gaines, my grandmother's old neighbor from the Elmwood District (she had a mustache you could comb, and she was so crazy crazy people would go "Whoa!"). Other than that, it's just lovely. Just wanted to share.

In the BEGINNING....

...the printmaker said, "LET THERE BE a LIGHT source within the confines of the orange canvas tent." AND THERE WAS a LIGHT source within the confines of the orange canvas tent. Stay tuned as I take you through each state of this "Ghost Story."

The Name Game: RESULTS ARE IN!

The deadline for entries was 3:30 this afternoon. I had eleven serious entries (and about 8 entertaining ones), and tonight I presented them, without the names of their creators, to my lovely wife Amy, who chose two finalists. After a few minutes of debate, it was decided to combine the two entries and award prints to both entrants. And so I would like to thank Jerry Ginley and Audley Sue Wing for naming my print "Azure Oasis."

A new contest is coming up in a few weeks, so stay tuned, and thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the contest.

Napping Cat PRESSED!

I hadn't planned it, but this print was made at the same time as the Oasis print (see below), and used similar colors.

In case your computer can't pick up the subtle colors, the moon is pale yellow, and the moon glow and highlights are a very pale moonglow  blue. In fact, that's what I call the formula. Moonglow Blue. It's also a good band name.

The areas where it looks like the ink is missing are areas where the board had wide grain. Although I like having the grain show in my work, I found it was distracting in the large field of black. I attempted to overload the block with black ink. However, when going through the press, the pressure would cause the paper to skate over that thick layer of ink. Ergo, I lost five on this edition. The good news, there are five beautiful pieces available at etsy.com (click on the press at the top of this page).

I put the print on the mantelpiece and my wife and I spent some time discussing it. Then we both got quiet. One yawned, then the other. I recommend this print for a bedroom, maybe a child's bedroom. Because I'm getting drowsy right now. Look at that happy, napping cat. Sooooo snuggguhwqdddddddbnzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A Bit About A Block....

I like to show people the blocks once the printing is done. It helps people to understand the reduction printing process better. The print (see yesterday's post) was printed from a single block of birch plywood. Usually, there is very little left of the block. This was one of those rarities where the remaining block could hold up as its own print.

12:01 At The Oasis: Win This Print!

Some years ago, when I was working as a screenprinter in a greeting card factory, I became fascinated by the play of the overhead fluorescent lights in the cups of ink on my press table. And thanks to my overindulgence on "Harold and the Purple Crayon" books, among other things, I became fascinated by the moon. Add being drawn to Henri Rousseau's famous "The Sleeping Gypsy" (left) and the eerie album art of my brother's Blue Oyster Cult "Agents of Fortune" LP, it was only inevitable (in my mind only, I imagine) that they would all come together to form the print I am introducing to you now.

This untitled (as yet) woodcut began its life as a light yellow rectangle. You will notice a little dot in one corner. Not only is that there to tell me the position of the block on the press, but it also helped to remind me which print this was for, as I was printing a different, non-descript block the same night with the same ink for a different print.

The next state was a very light orange-gray, specifically, a PMS Warm Gray 5 approximation. I love the warm grays, and used them for liberally in the previous ocean storm print. You will notice that I had cut out the crescent moon and a few stars.

You might say, "Dude, that's not Warm gray anything. That's BLUE!" Good sleuthing, Sherlock. Indeed. I had forgotten to print a proof of this state at the time, and had to print this proof out the next day. So then, because you're like that, you might say, "But dude! Aren't you supposed to print a proof BEFORE you print the edition. That's when I take you aside and slip you a fin and ask you kindly-yet-threateningly to shut your yap, saying that when I print, I prefer to play the game called "Proof or Dare."

Next up, having cut out the highlights of the dunes (or mountains, if you prefer...but they're dunes) to reveal the Warm gray #5, I printed state 3 in a very dark version of Warm Gray 11.

There is also a shoreline highlight at the water's edge, a technique I learned from watching Bob "Happy Little Trees" Ross on PBS. Hey, when you can't afford art school, you take your knowledge anywhere it comes from. Thanks, Bob.

The fourth state was a scary one for me. When you are doing a night sky, it's really hard to judge how light or dark to go. I used a straight medium blue ink for this state originally. But the ink was very transparent, and the darker color underneath caused the ink to go almost black. I hemmed and hawed over that for a few minutes, then decided it wasn't right. I added just a touch of white, which not only lightens a color but makes it more opaque, and this was the result. This is about the point I get very nervous about a print, because it just looks weird. Reduction printing, like life, requires a lot of blind faith that everything is going to work out just fine. 

The last block usually ties everything together. In multiple block printing, it's called the key block, and is usually black ink. In reduction printing it is called -- at least by me -- the if-I-make-a-mistake-on-this-I'm-going-to-cry-like-a-colicky-infant block. I've lost my share of prints like this. But, losing in the last minutes of the game is old hat for us Buffalonians. Am I right people?! Heeya!

But seriously, folks, this block was a very scary one to cut. I studies the lay of the fronds of palms at the Botanical Gardens, and from photos, and developed a technique of cutting the fronds that made me very, very satisfied with this print. I was also a little nervous about how the water was going to look.

And when it was all over, this is what I had:

Now, here's where you can WIN THIS PRINT!

With all apologies to Maria Muldaur, there is no way in hell I'm calling this "Midnight at the Oasis." Even though the song was stuck in my head the whole time I was printing it. So, I'm leaving it up to you. Think up a title and either post it in the comments section below this post, or email me at thadeenz97@verizon.net. My lovely wife, Amy, will choose her favorite of the entries. The winner will receive one of this edition of six. That's a $20 value. Ssssssweet!

Contest closes at 3:30 PM March 1, 2010. Winner will be announced March 2. Not very creative? Then just go ahead to my etsy.com store (click the press at the top of the page).

Thanks for reading!

Ahoy!

Still untitled, this is the very latest off of the press here at NCP. A ship tossed in angry foaming seas, watched by a sentinel deep in the shroud of fog, this is my favorite print so far.

The image is 6"x4", and is 8 colors of oil-based ink on lightweight off-white French-made paper.

The print was inspired by a quote, now forgotten, concerning hope, which I had read during a particularly dark and worrisome time in December. This image came to me, and I am thrilled that I was able to recreate the image on paper.

While it is common to print from lightest color to darkest, I chose to print the water darkest to lightest, hoping that the water would take on more texture and a more "mottled" appearence, particularly in the foam.
For information on acquiring this or other prints, please visit my etsy.com shop.

Napping Cat Press Welcomes The Year of the Tiger

Happy 2010! It is indeed the year of the tiger. I'm very excited about the new year and the work that lies ahead for Napping Cat Press. Here I am just before Christmas with our Vice President of Morale & Bellyrubs, Solstice (Ticey). Ticey was rescued from Hamburg, NY's Ten Lives Club.

Originally from Kentucky, Ticey was sent up here all boney and scraggly and with just a few teeth left. Now, she's the happiest cat in the bunch, and has a bit of a winter paunch (despite her dental situation, she misses no meals). A lot is written about helping out shelter animals, but the fact is -- and it's been proven here at Napping Cat Press time and time again -- inviting a pet into your home is actually helping the human. And boy to we hairless monkeys need help.

And now...

The Labatt's Streamliner!

The last color is actually a very dark blue. I try to avoid using straight black as it's often very harsh, especially when going up against different shades of color. I also thought the blue worked well with the green to complete a very retro look for a very vintage subject.


"Labatt's Streamliner" 2009
Image 6"x4"
6-color reduction print from
single birch plywood block
using Reanaissance Graphics oil-
based inks on 110# Rives off white
cotton paper
Edition: 10
$30 unframed
Edition

Labatt Streamliner State #5

First, a big congratulations to Mr. James Jordan who identified this print in its 4th state as the Labatt's Streamliner. I fell in love with this vehicle one winter evening when Amy and I were downtown one evening. We stopped to watch a building being torn down when the Streamliner passed us. Already interested in early 20th century design, this baby spoke to me. Literally, it spake. It said, "Drink some Labatt's. And I did. And it was good.

Back to the print. The color in the 5th state was a happy accident. Thinking that the red was going to affect any color I put over it, I formulated a special color that, had this been screen printing, would have ended up looking like a light gray when printed over red. Ah, but this is NOT screen printing, and the color did not change much at all. In the photo, it looks gray, but is actually a very light green, perhaps the color of dried moss. It is a very retro color (usually found in Nike missile silo basements and jails of the period) and complemented the red so nicely, I decided to change my color plans. The light color of state 5 was necessary to combat the dark of the red. The fact is, I should have done the background first, as I usually do, but unfortunately was already well into the print when I realized my mistake.

A little closer now....

Okay, here we are on state #4. It should be crystal clear to all you playing the game. Just a couple more colors to go. What's the name of this classic Labatt's beer truck?

(HINT: "Classic Labatt's Beer Truck is NOT the answer)

A little info for the print geeks -- this is a reduction print with planned 7 colors on a single 6"x4" block of birch plywood, Renaissance Graphics oil-based ink on very heavy (too heavy) Rives off-white paper. The script for the logo was made using my wife's engraving pen which she uses for her glass work. And yes, I got permission to use it!

What the....

Okay, kids. Here's state #3 for this print. Now, it's obviously a truck, and a Labatt's truck, which also means it's a beer truck. But it's a very special beer truck with a specific name. Tell me what it is, when a copy from the edition of 10 (well, 10 so far. There's still a few colors to go).

thadeenz97@verizon.net

Play to win!

Okay, this is state #2 of the mystery print. The first color is a silvery gray. The second color is a mustard yellow. Yes, it is a truck. But it is a special truck with a specific name (and will be easy to find for the Google-savvy as the pieces come together. Be the first to e-mail thadeenz97@verizon.net and tell me what it is, and you will get one of this brand new print. Unless I screw it up. But that so RARELY happens (see the "Kerflooey" and "Kerflooey II" posts below).

Rescued....

I can't be certain when the image of a firefighter, silhouetted against a home fire, handing the family pet to an elated little girl first got into my head. I think it was over a year ago, and I knew I wanted to do a print of the scene. A year of heavy misfortune forced me away from printmaking until only recently, and I am extremely happy with this print.

The print is 6"x4" on 94# Rives off-white cotton paper. Six colors were printed from one single birch plywood block using Renaissance oil-based inks in an edition of 9. $30 unframed.

Color commentary...

This closeup of "Little Camper" is just to show the retro aqua/turquoise striping on the camper

Guess What?

So here's a chance for you, dear reader, to win some art. This picture is of my latest woodcut print, which I just started tonight. There's no closeup because it's just a big block of gray -- the first color. I will post a photo of the print after each state. As each color gets put on, you will see the image form. The first person who can tell me what it is gets one of the prints. Good luck and have fun.

E-mail your answers to thadeenz97@verizon.net

--Jeff

Under the stars.....

Here is "Little Camper," a fresh woodcut just completed yesterday. Inspired by the Bee Line brand of tiny trailers (which I now find are collectors' items and showpieces) I often saw when I was a kid. I will try to get a better photo for you because the camera here fails to pick up the turqoise/aqua retro striping that defines the front end of the trailer.


An edition of 7, this is a 6"x4" 6-color reduction woodcut printed from birch plywood on acid-free off white Rives cotton paper. Available. $30 unframed.

Meanwhile, at the same time....

At the same time, I've been working on this print, a maple leaf with water droplets.
6 color reduction woodcut from birch plywood, 6"x4" $30

FINALLY!!!!!!

Okay! So, after a few stabs at multiple block printing, it occurred to me that my talents lie with reduction printing (using one block for all colors in a print, cut, print, cut fashion). And this is the finished product.

I don't even know where this building is. I took a photo of it when we stopped in an antique shop on our way back from corning last year. I have no idea what town we were in. If this looks familiar to anyone, give a holler.

6 color reduction woodcut using birch plywood, 6"x4". As yet untitled. $30, edition of 10.

A Change of Direction

Soooo..... Well, I didn't think I'd been away from the blog so long. It's been a very educational couple of weeks. So, I redid the print, and found that the grains were so open on the wood that it was very hard to see the details. So, after consulting some online sources, I treated the blocks with a solution of glue and water and sanded them down. And it still sucked. So, I've decided to go with carving linoleum. I'd been thinking of carving linoleum for some time, mainly because it's made of linseed oil and sawdust, which means it's biodegradable. It's also cheaper. There's no grain, so that issue will be done with. It will be very interesting to see how it turns out.
As for the greeting cards -- the long awaited greeting cards, we've had another setback. I'm just trying to gather up enough resources to fund the purchase of the equipment. At this point, it doesn't look like there will be Christmas Cards this year. On the plus side, I've decided to pay the mortgage instead! Look at me and my crazy priorities!
The linoleum should be here for the weekend, I hope, and then this blog might actually be worth checking in on!

Kerflooey II: Inky Boogaloo

Okay, so attempt number two went much better. I love the poplar blocks, and the colors were really good. However, the register was still way off. But I've figured out how to fix the problem. So stay tuned...here comes the good print (3rd Xs A Charm!).

KERFLOOEY!

Well, this was a learning experience from step one. I'm not upset that it all went south on me. Obviously, one wants one's efforts to be rewarded, and it would have been fantastic if the print had been perfect. But here are the things that went wrong:

• The First block, Light Gray, was somehow more than a quarter inch out of register with the other colors
• The Red block and Dark Red block were reversed
• The blue and green blocks were somehow carved without allowing them to trap the colors in the structure
• The very open grain of the plywood allowed for poor coverage

I originally planned to shim some blocks to make them fall into register with the others, but the green, and probably the blue, would have had to be recut. But regardless of that, I just couldn't reconcile myself with the poor coverage. I've never had to deal with the issue much, because reduction prints cover up most poor coverage from the first blocks.
     So, the big news is that, as of immediately, I'm going back to poplar, solid half-inch blocks. The best part of it is that if another job goes kerflooey, I can burn the blocks.

     So, here's how the proof ended up (detail):

Altered States

This morning I proofed out the first color of the still untitled print. The proofing process is all about finding mistakes before you actually get into the prints that will go to customers. This is not a foreign process to me, as I am a printer by trade. But in my artwork, I've never really had the luxury of correcting errors. The reason is that, until recently, my prints have been exclusively "reduction prints." A reduction print is when you ink a block with, say, yellow, and print it, then carve away anything you want to remain yellow. Then you print the next color, say blue. Then you carve away anything that is to remain blue, and so on. Reduction is nice because you're only using one block, which is cheaper and less work. Also, because you are always printing with the same block, your colors always line up perfectly (this is called "registration." The drawback is that if you do screw up on, say, color 4, the whole job is ruined. Another drawback, and the only reason I've chosen to get away from the process, is that because colors must be printed on top of other colors, the coverage gets to be very uneven, and the colors are never as vibrant as I'd like them to be.
     So, that brings me to multiple-block prints. For this print, I have carved six blocks, the colors being Light Gray, Red, Dark red, Blue, Green and a special tint I call Shadow. The first block looks very good. I printed the second block, the red, this evening, and while it went down well, as you can see, the register is way off. I'm not sure what the issue is (but I can tell you that it is 100% human error). I will have to see where the other colors hit before I can decide how I'm going to deal with this.

A little off topic, but...

I hate to dip my toes into the slimy pool of what passes for pop culture these days, but: do Jon & Kate Gosselin understand the concept of videotape, and that the kids are going to be watching their stupidity in the coming years? Kate's said that she continues to wear her wedding ring "for the kids." At some point, a child from outside the bubble is going to sidle up to one of the kids and say, "Your parents are psychos." Oh, to be the one to deliver the news!

Ready for Action

Please check back this week for play-by-play action as I work to complete this untitled multiple-block 6-color print (as yet untitled) of a building we saw outside of Rochester last year on a road trip. I just finished carving the blocks this afternoon (using a gouge now drunk with the taste of blood [see earlier post]) and beginning tomorrow or Thursday I will begin the proofing process. This is a great opportunity to check out what goes into pulling these blocks together to make a good print.

(Above: The six blocks, hopefully carved correctly)

Blood on the Block

When you first use razor sharp tools to carve wood, you learn one thing fast, and it's a lesson usually written in blood: keep your hands clear in case the gouge slips. I learned that lesson in March of 2002, while carving out a portrait of my brother. The gouge I was using, which was very dull, caught on a particularly rough patch of wood. No quitter I, I put my weight into that gouge, knowing the wood just HAD to give. Because the knife was so dull, it skipped over the wood and right into the hand, which was holding the block. This was about 3 weeks into my woodcutting adventure, when I didn't know bench hooks from barens, so I was clueless. But I learned fast. And though I've had a few scrapes here and there, I have wisely avoided putting myself in the position of being punctured like that first time.

Ah, but that's me. Flash forward seven years to this afternoon. I'm calmly carving a block in my studio when the Little Woman decides she wants to play with my toys. I give her my sharpest gouge, as that's safest. She took an old block of poplar i had from before I started using plywood. Poplar is soft, but I prefer the "give" plywood afords the blades. Poplar is also very slippery at times.

She busied herself nibbling away at the wood. I saw the knife slip a little, and I admonished her to keep her hands if front of the blade. Another slip. I suggested she stop. I stopped carving and turned around for a second to strop my blade, and she walked out of the studio without a sound, and I figured she'd had enough tool time. I sat down to resume, and that's when I saw the drop of blood on the floor.

I ran upstairs, where she had her hand under the water, cleaning the wound. I fetched her a bandage and patched her up with a kiss to her boo boo.

And balances of knowledge once again tip toward the wise (or, at least, wizened).

Stalking Marv Levy

Okay, just so you know I'm not a one-track-mind kinda guy...

Saturday night, after celebrating my grandmother's 92nd birthday, the Little Woman and I went to Wegmans in Blasdell to get some provisions. As we were browsing the books and magazines, she leaned over to me and whispered: "Marv Levy." I looked next to me, and there was the man, the Football Hall of Famer himself in a bright orange, blue-striped Hilfiger shirt. Everyone around him was staring, but no one was approaching him. Which is nice. But if you're wearing a traffic cone inside a crowded supermarket, aren't you just asking to be hasseled?

Anyway, Marv was behind us with his cart full of fruit, and as we strolled out to the car, I had a great idea: let's stalk Marv Levy!

So, we drove around the parking lot until we found him and tailed him. After four turns and a hop onto the 219, we realized that he was going our way. So, I guess it's not really stalking, especially since we exited in West Seneca as he proceded up the I-90, destination unknown.

Another brush with greatness, brought to you by Napping Cat Press. And check out Marv's photo. He looked just like that when he squeezed the nectarines!

Amazing Response

It's interesting, the things that pique the interests of folks. My call for input on the "Life is all about..." project has generated much response. But I need more.

Thadeenz97@verizon.net

The most interesting thing is that not one person has written anything negative. Even the goofy ones. My God! Are we optimists? (or are we dancers?)

Welcome & Thanks

So, there's a good chance you've stumbled over into the neighborhood by chance because I or someone who knows me & you sent you an e-mail entitled "Jeff's Little Project," in which I'm asking volunteers to e-mail me their fill-in for the following sentence:

"Life is all about _____________________."

I want to thank everyone who has responded so far -- people I haven't heard from in ages. I think it will be a pretty interesting project. Please keep checking back for updates on the project.

Since I haven't publicized this blog, I'm pretty sure it's new to everyone, so poke around. I haven't gotten into a rhythm yet, but there's some interesting things coming along soon.

If you have any questions, or wish to participate in the "Life is all about__________" project, please send your verbiage to thadeenz97@verizon.net.