Hamlet and the Birthday Boy

I usually give my husband a variety of interesting beers for his birthday. This is much better, and will certainly last longer.

Thank you to my sister, Danielle, for blogging about my artwork today. Thanks for cheering me on! You can visit her entertaining blog about her life in Oklahoma at www.elleinadspir.com.

Seems like I have a long way to go. I keep hovering around my desk today wondering what to make next. I do want to make a dancer, but would like to sneak in a little 2"x3" print before I start that. I'm waiting for a dancer to appear in my head. That is always the first step for me, and trying to do any art without being able to envision it is an exercise in frustration. Waiting for inspiration...

Brush and Baren

Brush and Baren is a blog written by an amazing linocut artist named Sharrie Y. Her subject matter is nature, and her artwork is inspiring. She has just completed a large, 10 color reduction linocut that is truly fine. The process she went through is worth looking at, but if you don't have time to look at how she accomplished this piece, at least go and check out the finished product. Epic. 10 colors. 12"x16". Now that I know just how difficult this is, I stand in awe.
http://brushandbaren.blogspot.com/2010/11/longing-linocut-final.html

Print #14 - Lemur

 My little boy is not so little anymore, and will turn five soon. He was flipping through a wildlife magazine, and pointed to photo after and photo that I could "do a linocut of." So, I asked him if he wanted one for his birthday. Well, yes, actually, he did. We settled on a lemur. He's been delighted by every step of the process: watching me draw and carve, helping me a little with printing, generally being impressed. The color scheme for this print is Mint Chocolate Chip, because that's his favorite gum. Yes, gum.

I think I need to do reduction linocuts exclusively from now on. It forces me to do the whole print run. When I'm only doing one color it's easy to slack on not bother to print more than, say, one.

This print is a big confidence builder. My carving skills are allowing for finer lines, and I'm starting to understand some of the limitations in reduction prints, and becoming more savvy at avoiding problems. I'm looking forward to making complex, many colored reduction prints. A riot of color.

Print #13 - Hamlet, In the Bag

Happy with this. Happy, happy.

Print #13 - Hamlet - Ready To Carve

My favorite part of the process is the carving, and I get to dive right in now. Here's the final image on the block, in reverse, of course. I changed the proportions of the piece to fit on an 8x10 block, so that the final image will fit into an 8x10 mat. I like the balance of it better.

I thought on color and decided that if I want to add color, I will add it after I print the piece.

Print #13 - Making Progress on Hamlet

I redrew my Hamlet sketch, and I am pleased with the result. I think it needs a few tweaks, but otherwise it's far more deliberate and intentional than the first sketch, and I'm ready to call it done.

Now, to color. I have to think about that. I had not envisioned color when I saw it in my mind at first, but I'm willing to consider it. The look is rather Gothic, and I think color will soften that aesthetic, and bring more life into the image. I can also use color to emphasize the focal point of the face and skull. So, I will spend some time sketching with color, and will post what I come up with. I need to get rolling because I only have until the 28th!

My Printing Jig - Updated

March 6, 2011

Update:

That jig was just okay, and did work well for mounted linoleum. But, ultimately it was not worth all the work because you can simply go to McClain's Printmaking Supplies - www.imcclains.com - and get a Registration Board. Then use unmounted linoleum temporarily bonded to plexiglass. Use their instructions for using the registration board. This is MUCH better, and inexpensive too.

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When I was getting started with linocut, way back about three months ago, I quickly found that I needed something called a "jig" - a frame to hold the block in while I am printing. I cruised around on the internet and found a few homemade jigs to try to emulate. I made one, and it really stunk. I used flimsy materials, and it broke after a short time.

I made another trip to Home Depot to get supplies to make a respectable jig. My mother-in-law gave me a board that she used back when she was making cartoon illustrations for KQED. It's a solid board, and very smooth and straight. My husband had a neat solution for holding the block in place on the jig, but the easiest solution was duct tape. It just works, and it's cheap. There are metal guides on the sides for holding up the edges of the paper at the height of the block. The registration of the layers of color has been quite good, so I'm satisfied for now.

Thank you to my husband for building the jig for me. He is meticulous, and the jig is well built!