FINISHING TOUCHES

This weekend I put the finishing touches on this year's Christmas cards.

I hand-colored each with colored pencils.

I tried several different blues for the sky and settled on a light blue because when it mixed with the grey plate tone it seemed like a sky that was threatening to snow.

Coloring each with colored pencils.

Then it was on to putting my stamp on the back, and signing, dating and numbering them all.

Positioning the stamp

The back of the card.

Then using commercial stamps I bought, using a few different blue inks, I stamped the insides with the sentiment "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow".

Signing the inside, too.

Here it is, all ready to be mailed out, as soon as Darrell writes our Christmas Letter.

An edition of 45 

Hoping you have a great Holiday Season

 and a Happy New Year!

RE-PURPOSED

Sometimes, in life, things outlive their usefulness and are pushed aside by better, faster, slicker.

Sometimes, they are perfect for another purpose.

Weighing down the damp prints so they dry flat.

THAT TIME OF YEAR

Yes, it's time to start on my annual Christmas Card, so making quilts and other things will have to wait.

My biggest hurdle is always the image.  I see such clever things out there, and I think, why didn't I do that?

So, this year I'm going to blatantly steal someone else's idea.

The image I'm using is drawn by me, but it is a direct ripoff of Viza Arlington's image, which you can see at this page on her blog, VIZart.blogspot.com.  Viza is a very talented and creative artist, I love her work.  She also has an Etsy shop, where you can buy her little snowman print.  

I'm using an acrylic plate.  I've done a few zinc plate etchings, but this is a first time with acrylic.  It was really quite simple, and I like that you can paste your image on the back and just trace it, something you can't do with zinc.  I also like using an etching needle because when you make a line on the plate, you get a line of ink on the print.  It's just like drawing.

Last night I made some initial prints and made some adjustments and changes to the plate.

This morning I cut the paper, and after lunch I got about half of them printed.

The plate on the left waiting to be inked up.

I don't use my press very often, this is it an Ettan 24" - very nice.

I place the inked plate into a little cut out in a template on the press bed.

The template has lines on where to place the paper.

The press has several blankets which go over the plate and paper.  When the wheel is cranked the bed moves under the roller and the blankets push the paper down into the lines etched into the plate where the ink is waiting to be picked up.

Here's my stack for the day.  Half way done with the printing of the image.

I originally planned to hand color them with watercolors, but I'm really liking them just like this. 

But, then again, color can really makes things sing....

I don't know....

Stay tuned.