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.

Autumn Camping

Last night I finished this print, still untitled, and I have to say that I am extremely pleased with the result. I apologize for the picture quality (camera phone, poor light). The colors really seen to come out with the addition of the brown and black.

For those in the know, this is the second print I have done of one of these small vintage trailers. The first, "Little Camper" (2009) was a favorite at shows. It was never my favorite, believing I could do better work. That was...wow...four years ago now. I'm more confident with my style, I'm working in a larger format, and I have become far more knowledgeable of the subject. We see these beautiful little midcentury gems all over in our travels, and while I wasn't looking for a "trademark" subject, I can guarantee you will be seeing more of these in the near future.

"Little Camper" (2009) Copyright 2009 Jeffrey Dean
 

 

What Can Brown Do For You?

I'll admit to being a little discouraged following the printing of the last color. It's sort of a curse with reduction printing -- you just don't know how the finished product will look until it's done. And I will admit to being more than a little surprised when the brown layer seemed to bring the whole picture to life.

There is one more color -- the black -- which should really give everything some definition. The brown really brings out the reds and oranges of the leaves, and enhancing the warmer colors really brings the cool turquoise out.

 

I was about halfway through with the turquoise when I almost trashed the bunch. Artistic temperament, I guess. Luckily, a deep breath, and some soothing tunes from Bob Dylan's Tempest CD, and I continued.

 

Uncle Bob has seen me through a lot of tough spots.

 

And We're Back

Well, I sure do need to focus, don't I.

There are two more colors to go on this one, but I'm very skeptical about how it's all going to come together. I guess I'll just shut up about it until I'm done.

 

Not Out of the Woods Yet!

For state number six, I've added a dark gray which will approximate a brushed silver for certain elements such as door and window frames, the wheel cover and perhaps some small trees in the woods. The gray is very close to the beige color, so the photograph doesn't really do it justice. I'm really very happy with how the print is turning out now. The color of the sky is exactly what I wanted, and the reflecting puddles are much more pronounced than they were on the first attempt of this print.

The next color is the retro turquoise which will really make the camper the center of attention, and a deep red is going to pull the background and foreground together and help connect the color in the trees to the color on the ground.

The last to colors I've planned are brown and black, which will finish the print. Estimated completion date is Sunday.

Am I Blue?

Nope, but the sky will be now. It may be difficult to make out other details with the entire block in blue now, but as you can see by the proof on the left, the picture is coming together just fine. Hard to believe there's still five colors yet to go!

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).

Everything's Better With Buffer!

What? Did it snow?

Well, I warned you that drastic changes were coming to this print. But don't be afraid; it's all by design.

As I mentioned in the last post, the red, while beautiful, was too intense to print the next colors over it. So, after carving out the red areas, I printed a "buffer" layer of white. The change is quite amazing, and if I hadn't been here before, I'd be scared.

But I have the benefit of knowing what colors come next. You're just going to have to trust me!

It may be hard to believe, but the finished print will have a very rich and red forest floor, and a brilliant blue sky. 

I could have opted to forgo the white layer and to just print the next color, beighe, but I was concerned that the red would affect the beige too much. I think, given how pink the white looks, I made the right call.

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.