Printmaking- Latest Results with Copper Etching

 

It's all experimentation. There are so many different ways you can go w/ Printmaking... and clearly I have no clear focus just yet! So, what I did here was start with a copper plate, applied a soft ground, then laid various leaves & pine needles over the surface & ran it through the press to make the imprint in the ground. Then, the organic matter is removed & the plate is placed in the acid bath. Problem was, due to my inexperience & lack of knowledge in this technique, I applied too thick a ground, so when the leaf matter was pressed into the ground it didn't go deep enough... thus, when I put it in the acid bath it wasn't etching the way I would have hoped. Normally, you leave it in the acid about 1/2 hour... after conferring with a fellow student, I left it in for 5 hours!! Another issue I had was a combination of fresh & older leaves (the fresher leaves more of an imprint) so the etching was inconsistent. That said, I still enjoy the over all feel of the print. The larger print on the top was waxed, (encaustics) which turns the thin Japanese paper transparent, then I applied it to a natural background paper & then to the black paper to create a mat. The one on the bottom, I just chose to use part of the plate & print white ink on black paper. I'm currently in the process of reworking this plate & thinking of new ideas for my next print.

Printmaking- Woodcut in Progress

A little frustrated with the results so far on my latest woodcut. It is based on this photo I took on the Oregon coast... but I had a difficult time turning my idea into the desired result. Printmaking can be frustrating in this aspect as it is very time consuming to do the initial cuts, mixing & achieving the colors desired, a day's dry time in between each color & run through the press,  & of course the clean-up. I really liked the color combinations I came up with on the first 2 runs... but on the third run (trying to darken in the sea stack & reflection in the water...) I kept coming up way short of the desired result, which is not pictured here as I'm still working on it. I tried printing it 4 different ways with slightly different colors, and now I am down to only 3 remaining like the one shown here... so after all that work, I may not even get something I like out of this one! I imagine with more & more practice, the execution from ideas to results improves. But for now.... arrrgh! 

Latest Linocut from Printmaking Class

Happy with the results on the earlier Resingrave print, I decided to go with the same theme, only larger with an 8 x 10 Linocut. It took a while to get the result I wanted, ie, cutting the sky several different ways & adding detail to the ice structure in back... but over all I liked the way this one turned out. Again, not super realistic as I seem to lack the skill with drawing & fine detail... but it's cute & I like the way it makes me feel when I look at it. My goal really for this class is just to explore with all the different techniques I've learned... hopefully coming up with some that I like. So far, so good. I'll be trying another woodcut soon (although I swore I was done with that...) & experimenting a bit more with copper etching & aquatint.

Printmaking II: Resingrave

Here are the results from my first experience with resingrave... the image was carved into a 2 x 3" block. For some reason, I didn't care much for this technique at first... particularly when I was trying to come up with a design. As I've mentioned before, I can't draw that well, so my efforts come out somewhat stylized vs realistic. That said, I was pleased with the results anyhow, and will likely do some more of these. I took some scrap paper & made a few cards as I did with the wax encaustics & that was fun. Fun is important... If it's all work & no fun, what's the point? That line of thinking is also what led me to drop my digital class this week. I wasn't having fun, didn't feel like I was learning anything & thought my time would be better spent this quarter really working on my printmaking, and having time to relax & do my own personal artistic research on where I'd like to go with all of this.

Printmaking II or No Time to Waste...

Well, let me begin by saying I was happier with this print than any I've done in Print so far. I spent most of the day yesterday working on this linocut... and as you may be able to tell by the pics above, it took forever to cut out! But, like I said, I was happy with the results so it was worth the effort. I'll be experimenting with different color schemes/backgrounds on this one when I have time, but we're also learning new techniques every week (resingrave, wax encaustics & aquatint so far!) so time is something I'm feeling just a little short of. I think you could easily just take this class & no other, and keep quite busy. So yes, that means no concrete ideas yet for my Digital Print class... crapola. Words like "balance" & "time management" pop into my head & then I have to be honest... I have been watching a bit too many episodes of "Bones" lately. It's just a nice little escape from my constant thinking is all. Most red blooded Americans do it all the time (watch t.v. that is, & I don't even own one)... just a phase, I'll get over it & down to serious digital work soon...

Printmaking I: Linocut Demo & Print

Above is my instructor, Tracy Templeton, giving our Print I class a demo on Linocut last quarter. As I mentioned in my last post, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the reduction process. Our assignment was to do a self portrait, so I took a picture from when I was a kid, scanned it to a black & white photo copy & used a special pen to semi-tranfer it to the lino. The white areas were the first cut. It was then inked, ran through the press, cut again, inked with another color, ran through the press again... and there it is- the final print. Compared to what others did in the class, I wasn't especially happy with the end result... but putting comparisons aside, I was surprised to see it turn out this well. I also wanted to include a link to check out Tracy's work- she is a master Printmaker with specialty in Photo Etching. I am lucky to be learning tools & techniques of printmaking from her as her experience and work are phenomenal. The link below to a local gallery in Ashland has a good representation of Tracy's work.

http://www.gallerydeforest.com/artist-profile.php?ArtistID=44

Printmaking I: Copper Etching- Soft Ground & Hard Ground Examples

Printmaking I, for me, was more about learning the processes, rather than creating "fine art." I've decided to post a couple of my first prints as a visual log of the process as I go along through Print II, and in the spring, Photo Etching. In Print I, we were instructed in Copper Etching (drypoint, hardground & softground), as well as Linocut & Woodcut. The last 2 being reduction processes which were really hard to wrap my mind around & now, in Print 2, I feel like it's just starting to make a bit more sense. More to follow.