Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, print, printmaker, printmaking, visual art
So, yesterday was an interesting class with Christiane. I showed her my two, long prints. She helped me to improve them by giving them some focus. She felt (and I agree), that they were too busy. So, I reworked one of them…and painted it black!
Is it even recognizable as one of the prints from my previous post? I am much happier with it, even though I had to obliterate most of the print. But, we saved the good part, and got rid of the rest.
Then, this morning…I did another one. I think that this also has some potential:
It was hard to photograph these, as it’s a bit breezy…and they kept floating away. I’m relatively happy with this one too. The yellow bothers me a little…
Here’s a detail:
This idea of obscuring part of the print is so interesting to me. Not something that I had really thought of before. It’s kind of like an eraser for printmaking…a good solution for my rather busy prints. I’m going to keep this technique in my back pocket…
Here they are together (inside…because of the wind…)
I had originally thought of them as horizontal, but now I like the vertical orientation. Comments? Love the black? Hate the black?
There is a print show featuring Selma Bromberg at the Cambridge Center for Adult Ed, where she teaches. This is my printmaking teacher. In addition to showcasing her lovely work, there is also a part of the show that is student work. Please come see it!
The reception and raffle for one of her prints is tonight. Unfortunately…I can’t make it. BUT…I have a print up at this show! You can see all of the prints on this website. I know…the only qualification I needed was to be/have been a student of hers. But still! I now have two print shows on my wafer thin resume! This is the print that is up:
This is not a recent print, but one done at CCAE earlier this year. I like it! I like the layers, textures and colors…
Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday…Happy Birthday, John! I hope that you’ve been wanting prints for your birthday…’cause I’ve got lots! (JUST kidding) 😛
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, print, printmaking, Relief print, visual art
I received a phonecall this week, telling me that the class that I had been SO looking forward to is going to be cancelled for low enrollment. WHAT? Am I the only person who was interested in doing huge woodcuts? I highly doubt that. Needless to say, I am really disappointed. This has happened to me before, and it’s always a big bummer. I suggested that perhaps the artist could do a one day workshop. I was told that I needed to speak to someone else about that. Sigh.
I don’t have class tonight, as it’s vacation week. So instead, I tried to work on carborundum collagraphs in the spirit of the work that my teacher does. Hmm. It’s much harder than it looks (of course). One of the challenges of printmaking with transparent inks is that you have to have a good sense of what the print will look like with each layer that you add. Layers of printing on top of another can bring depth and interest into the print. It can also make your print a muddy mess. My teacher makes this layering look easy. My work today seemed to only be marginally successful. I worked on these next two prints simultaneously:
and this one:
You can see that they have many similar elements. I’m fairly content with the first one, but the second one still makes me think that it needs something. The risk, of course, is that I do another layer and say, “nooooo! It was better BEFORE!!!!” This is typically why you should sort of leave your prints alone, and get back to them again with fresh eyes.
Here are other ones that I did:
The background is actually slightly “greenish”, which I don’t think comes through with this photo. Can you tell that I liked that blob? It keeps appearing…
This one is another that is borderline for me…add another layer? Keep it as is?
Then, I tried doing two plates together. This is harder to do (for me):
I like how this one turned out. I’m not sure if each print individually would have been interesting, but together I’m happy with it. Apparently, there are new colors for these inks coming out. Exciting!!!
And now for something completely different…I’ve also been working on a lino print. This has taken ages. I have done it in a few color schemes. This is the “green” scheme:
Kind of odd, I know. I like it, though. I like the boldness of relief printing. THUS, my serious disappointment with my cancelled class. Yes, I’m whining about that again. Yes, I’ll give it a rest. So, any comments? No…not about my CLASS…about the prints! (I can hear you playing your tiny violin for me…stop it!) :p
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, carborundum, collagraph, drypoint, Ink, print, printmaking, Relief print, visual art
This has been a blah week, work-wise. Most of what I’ve done, I’m not thrilled with. Last night, I had my carborundum collagraph class. I was NOT pleased with how things were turning out. Here is the result:
*insert big sigh here*
I’m NOT happy with that at all. It’s just a mess.
I made another tiny plate. I kind of like these tiny plates. This one is just 2″x3″. That’s a bit bigger than my other tiny plates, but still small. My first printing was over wiped:
So, I left more ink on it this time, and it was much better:
In general, I like these kind of plates, because I can work on them at home. I’m not very good at working in a busy studio. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but if I have to try to concentrate and think…then I need to be alone with time and space. So, if I prepare a decent looking plate in peace and quiet, I can be productive in the studio with printing. But if I don’t prepare, and try to work in the studio…I can’t do it well. I know that I have to work on this a bit, but it does made me feel pretty deflated at times. Like, right now.
I’m also working on a lino print. Here’s a little preview picture:
I’m happier with these, as they are very “graphic” and “punchy”.
I know…why so blue? Well, I wasn’t thrilled with this week’s output. At least there was some experimentation, with the woodblocks and trace monotypes.
So, back to the drawing board…*SIGH*
[UPDATE: I’ve decided to throw in a trace monotype at the last minute…here it is below…definitely a work in progress…]
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, Monotyping, print, printmaking, Relief print, visual art, Woodcut
It’s a dreary day here…lots of rain. I am experimenting with some woodcuts with trace monotypes. I had fun with this…I can see trying it again. I layered transparent woodcut prints together, then added the sketchy doodles on top. Here is the first one (sorry it’s so dark…):
I know. It’s awful. But, it’s a start! As you can see, I was also playing around with full bleed prints. Messy! Then, I made this triptych:
This has some potential, I think. I’ll have to mount these onto another paper. I’d really have to do that anyway, as this is thin, mulberry paper. Here is the last one…a bit of a mess:
Again, it’s so dark! Not much light here…I started drawing the scribbly blobs. I didn’t like them, so I switched over to the boxes. I like those better. Next time, I’ll try that type of doodle first.
I always get a bit deflated when I have visions of grandeur, only to be squashed by reality. I still don’t have the hang of relief printing at home. Actually, in general, my prints at home are not as good. There is no comparison when you use a press. I will hopefully be taking a class on relief printing, so I hope to get my questions on all of this answered. It doesn’t start for a few weeks, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.
Any helpful suggestions from any relief printers out there? I think that I needed to seal the woodblocks better, as the impressions were “grainy”, instead of uniform. grrrr.
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, drawing, Ink, Monotyping, Paul Klee, print, printmaking, visual art
Today, I took a great class with Joyce Silverstone. We focused on trace monotypes, which is something that she incorporates into her work (which is outrageously beautiful). Apparently, Paul Klee often used this technique. You can see an example of his work here. How it’s done: you basically ink up a plate, gently lay a piece of either blank or previously printed paper on top, then use any sort of tool to make marks on the back of the paper. The paper is pushed against the inked plate, and will pick up the ink, where you apply pressure with a tool (pencil, finger, anything!). It seems that Klee would often watercolor these trace monotypes. We just printed other layers of color on our drawings.
Here is my first print…I was relatively happy with it:
I liked the little yellow boxes…This next print didn’t start out well, but I worked to improve it:
I am now more happy with it. It could probably do with more attention, but I stopped to work on other prints. Here’s the next one:
I think that I’m content with it. While I think that on it’s last pass through the press, I “equalized” the color more…which wasn’t so great…but I created the abstract yellow marks, which were what I intended. The last print:
I like this one too. I had some technical troubles with some of the white lines. If I had had more time, I would have worked on improving them. But, it was the last print that I was working on, so I think that it is complete enough for now. You may notice that elements of one print sort of show up in another print. I sort of worked on all four prints simultaneously, so they all influenced each other. It was also really great to see what other people in the class did…so inspiring.
All in all…it was a very fun day. Plus, I got a Happy Meal for dinner…what more could a person want? Well, one of those Takach presses would be nice, but a Happy Meal fits my budget more. (Anyone have a press that they are “tired” of? I can promise it a good home!) 🙂
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artists, drypoint, Ink, print, printmaking, visual art
Today, I printed those tiny plates that I made. I had moderate success. It was amazing to me how difficult it was to wipe the plates well. How it works: you smear ink onto the plate, in order to push it into the grooves/scratches onto the plate. Then, you need to wipe off the excess in order to print it. This final stage of wiping the plate is so demanding, especially with these tiny plates. It was so hard to tell if I had taken off too much ink, and would end up with a pale print…or leave on too much, then end up with a dark print. I don’t think that I “hit the nail on the head” with any of them, but I think it’s really interesting to see how differently a plate can print, depending on how the plate is wiped. First, here is an image to give you a general sense of how small these plates are:
So, what is that…less than 2″ x 2″? Something like that…it’s TINY. So, here are the prints. My first test print was of a building in Montreal…I wasn’t so happy with this print. I took off too much ink:
It just turned out too faded. Then, I printed this first “tractor” image:
I decided that the red was not good, so I printed it more monochromatically:
This was better, but I think that I overwiped the plate. So, I tried again:
This seemed better…but I still wanted to try again:
This one was too dark. Hmmm! I think that I try to print this plate yet again sometime. This plate is only around 1.5″ x 2.5″ big, so I’m holding this tiny thing in my hand…trying to be so careful as I wipe the ink off.
Here is the other plate that I worked on. I think that the best print was the first one:
I like how this turned out, even though his face is a little strange. But, I thought that it was perhaps a bit dark, so I tried again:
This was much too pale! Frustrating. So, I tried once more, and got this one:
That was a better balance of light/dark, but I think that I overwiped some of the details. I am using just the tip of my finger with a cloth on it to try to gently wipe away the ink. I look sort of like King Kong tickling a triscuit. Overall, I liked working with these.
Anyone else out there print drypoint plates? Suggestions? Comments?
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, Ink, print, printmaking, pronto plate, visual art
I’m working on this new pronto plate image. You’ll probably recognize it as a photo I posted recently. We’ve recovered from the snow, so I can see this plant again. I’ve finished up the magenta and cyan layers, and now am just waiting for the ink to dry so that I can do the black layer. Here’s the progress so far:
And now I add the cyan:
Almost done! I like it. This is using the bigger brayer and the new paper. I think that it is working much better than before. I wanted to do this image, as the majority of the colors were not primary. I’m so fascinated with how a halftone image of CMYK makes a full spectrum of color! Sorry it’s so gray again…another overcast day. I also added a little to this test print:
Not great. This time, I used a litho crayon to make the plate. This created a nice, sketchy line. The only drawback is that I don’t think that I can clean the plate, without also cleaning off the crayon. Hmmm. This is unfortunate. I’m not keen on these test prints, but it’s been helpful to learn more about the methods of pronto printing.
I’m also working on another lino print…very basic. I’d like to get it a little farther along before I post it. I know…I should just post it anyway. Too bad!
This Thursday is the opening of the local “Images of Arlington” show. It will be fun to go, I think, as I’ve never been to an opening when I have something on the wall. I should probably have some kind of business card. I have nothing of the sort at the moment. Hmmm. Maybe a handwritten card will be “casual” and “artsy”, not “ill-prepared”.
I was thinking, yet again, the other day, that I still don’t have one “look” to the work that I produce. I know. It’s been less than a year. I’m just always noticing where things are still up in the air with me. I am a bit envious of those who have found their “thing”, whatever it may be.
My first carborundum collagraph class is this Thursday night! (before the opening, somehow…) I am excited to work on this medium, as I like it. The prints from my last post were carborundum collagraphs, if you want to see what this type of print can look like. I think it’s a type of printmaking that appeals to me, probably because you don’t have to spend an enormous amount of time planning. It becomes closer to painting. I’ve been looking at wood engravings lately. That type of printmaking seems to take more planning that I probably would want to do. Does anyone out there do “spontaneous” wood engraving? Or, is that some kind of printmaking oxymoron? Thoughts?
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, print, printmaking, visual art
Yes, you heard me right…snow. The lawn is COVERED in it. I want it to go away. Now.
Trust me…everyone is moaning about it.
Today was not a super day at the studio. It’s a new semester, and the studio is crowded…very crowded. Not that I don’t want myself and everyone else to be there, but it’s just harder to work. I think that there are around 14 students for one press. This results in enormous printing queues, scrubbling for a workspace, lots of shuffling and squeezing around one another just to move about. I’m using this as an excuse for my shoddy prints today.
This first print was a total disaster. I had way too much transparent medium in the inks, and the ink itself was so sticky…I had a horrible time trying to wipe the plate. So, here is the first mess:
See…I even made the picture tiny! I’d like to make it disappear. So, that was a bit disappointing. THEN, I reinked the plate with a different type of ink, and got this:
Isn’t it fascinating that this is the exact same plate? So different, right? Well, still not good, but closer to what I wanted. Then, I made this print with the other new plate:
(The photos are so dark, as it’s an overcast day. It’s also raining/snowing out, so I can’t take my prints outside to photograph). Anyway, this one was somewhat interesting, but the border is messy. I need to file the edges of the plate. They are rough, and impossible to clean. I can imagine trying this one again, but with better colors. Here is the last one, which is a ghost print on top of a ghost print:
This turned out okay. Not thrilled with it. I do like the texture that you can get from these carborundum collagraphs. Here’s a detail:
Well…I don’t think that you can see the texture that well, but it’s there. Overall, I didn’t feel thrilled with these. It felt like an off day, as I started out with the purple mess. I think that the prints did improve, but still just so-so and blah.
I showed my teacher the pronto print of the toy animals. She was TOTALLY not impressed. I think that her only comment was, “oh…you must have used multiple plates because you got all of these colors.” Hmmm. I’m still going to keep doing these halftone pronto prints, as I think that they’re kind of neat. Maybe she’ll like the flower one that I’m working on…
Any helpful comments about today’s prints? Suggestions? Likes? Dislikes? Who here is sick of snow? Who here wants a trip to Miami? Bermuda? Somewhere without snow…Alabama? Hmmm…
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, collagraph, lithography, print, printmaking, pronto plate, visual art
So, I received a phonecall today, telling me that one of my prints in the local show has won an award! Seriously!!! I was so thrilled. Here it is:
I’m really happy, as I’m just a novice in pronto printing…but I did this anyway, and the judges liked it. I’ve been working on my technique a bit more, and I think that I’m going to be able to produce better results. I’ve only started another one, but I think that it’s going better:
Sorry it’s so grey…it’s very overcast today. (We’re supposed to have SNOW tomorrow! WHAT?) Anyway, I bought a bigger brayer, which I think has helped. I am also working on new paper, which I think is also helping. Of course, I’ve only done the first color out our four, so we’ll see when I get the rest on there…but so far, I feel that it’s going better.
This is a little sketch that I work on, when I’ve finished printing something more involved, like the print above:
It’s just two colors right now, but I’m going to keep adding to it.
I’ve been SUPER FRUSTRATED with a lino print that I’m working on. I can hardly bear to show it to you, as it’s turning out so horribly. It’s just the first layer, so bear with me here:
You have no idea how many times I have tried to print this. I’ve tried different paper…different ink…it always turns out blotchy. I’d like to think that I could do lino prints without a press, but I’m starting to feel that this isn’t true. IF ANYONE OUT THERE SUCCESSFULLY PRINTS LINOCUTS BY HAND BURNISHING, PLEASE HELP! What paper do you use? What ink? How do you not get blotchy/unprinted areas? I think that if I was working on an image that was mostly carved, it would probably be ok. But this one is mostly solid, and it’s just proving to be a pain.
I prepared two carborundum plates for tomorrow’s class. I think that they’re kind of neat, so we’ll see how they print!
I have a slight dilemma for next week. The official opening of the art show is next thursday, which is the same night as my first carborundum collagraph class. Egads. I have to figure out which to do, as I can’t do both very well. I may go to the class for an hour, then head over to the opening. It’s my first award, so I kind of feel like I should go…I don’t want them to think that I’m blasé about it!
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, artist, Ink, Paper, print, printmaking, Screen-printing, visual art, woodblock printing, Woodcut
I’ve finished up the woodcut print that I started last week. I’ve printed this woodcut several times…with several different types of ink and paper. This is on a grey Stonehenge paper with oil based relief inks:
Here is the group on our coffee table:
I’m still not happy with the printing. I’m going to have to get some feedback on it. I think that a press would help, but besides that…there must be other things that I can do to get a better print.
I also did a few abstract screenprints. I need to redo the actual screen, as it started to leak ink out of the side a little. I like these, just as a start of something…
I still haven’t found paper that I think is great with this. I’ll have to ask around. Any suggestions?
I’ll have to remount that one…
I liked that one a bit. Last one:
I’d love to have a real setup for screenprinting. One more thing on the to do list…
If anyone out there does either woodcut prints or screenprints…please give me your recommendations on paper & inks!
It’s an amazing, sunny day out there. It might even be in the 40s! We’re starting to see some activity in our “garden”. I put this in quotes, as it’s a small miracle that anything decides to come up at all. I don’t have a green thumb, even though I have good intentions and try hard. Here are what’s popping up today:
slightly wonky 
