PRINTED SURFACE WORKSHOP

I just finished a three-day workshop with Cameron Mason at Pratt School in Seattle.

It was a very informative and fun class.  I met some really great people, whom I learned a lot from and Cameron was an excellent and generous teacher who really knows her stuff!  

Basically, we learned about 'printing' with fabric dye to make your own unique fabrics.  It was really fun each morning when we would 'show and tell' our fabrics we made the day before.  There were some extremely talented students in the class.  It's always great to learn from seeing other people's work.

Cameron showed us the basics of silkscreen printing and had some great ideas and techniques for fabric printing.  We even got to do some 'breakdown printing' which can yield very interesting and surprising results.  I definitely want to try more of that.

If you get a chance to take one of Cameron's classes or workshops I highly recommend it.  You will have a great time and be very pleased with what you learn.

CLASSICAL ELEMENTS FINISHED

Finally finished with Four Oceans Press Classical Elements Exchange. Yeah!

I started this project with the idea of portraying the elements as we encounter them today in our urban environments. We have limited exposure to the elements, or have tamed them for our convenience.

This last one, Fire, was the one I had the initial idea about. We seldom use fire in our urban lives. Even cooking, we use heat, not fire; and with the microwave, we don't even use heat!

FIRE - DAY TWO

It was a busy day today. I made two passes through the press with the forty sheets of paper. So, there are now four colors on the paper. Tomorrow I'll do the key block, which outlines everything in black.

I'll let them dry over the weekend and then I've just got to sign and number them and stuff them in clearbags. Oh, and write a colophon to accompany it.

Almost there! It will be nice to be finished with this series.

I'm really looking forward to receiving back everyone elses prints. I plan to sit down and look through them all and see each participants four prints together.

FIRE - FIRST DAY PRINTING

I finalized my drawing for my last Classical Element, 'Fire' on Sunday and carved the key block. Yesterday, I transfered the keyblock carving to two more blank lino-blocks. I decided on the colors this morning and carved the first color block.

Today, I finally got ink on paper and just finished the first run.

I set my Zune to play just 'rock', turned up the stereo and set about the repetitive job of inking the block and running the papers through the press. It's mindless but fun. The hardest part is to keep from completely zoning out and not repeating each step exactly the same.

I must reiterate: I love Akua inks, I love my Ettan press and I love the registration system I learned from PrintMakerGuy on Wetcanvas, Andrew Gott.

I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.

I'm going back up to the studio now to carve the next color block.

See ya soon!

ALMOST FINISHED WITH AIR!

Okay, I spent Saturday morning putting the final layer, the so-called keyblock, on - the black ink. I was surprised how well everything lined up! Like I said in the last post, I had adjusted the alignment of the third layer, the orange, and I was worried about how the last would go. It's the most important, since it outlines everything.

I still have to weed out the bad ones, tear them down to size, sign and number them. Then I've got to make up a colophon (description, statement, facts, info and name) and stuff the whole works into plastic bags - which I don't have! Yikes!

I ordered some more, so now they are going to be even later than I thought, while I wait for the bags to be delivered. I must send an email to Four Oceans Press and explain.

I'll reiterate my theme.

In this series of the Elements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire, I wanted to show how we come into contact with them in our modern society. Imagining someone who lives in a highrise in the city - when they want air, they turn a knob and adjust to whatever temperature they prefer.

Here's my latest Classic Element - Air.

And here's the first two I did - Water

and here's the first, Earth -

DAY THREE - AIR PRINT

Here's the third color, I had to do a little adjusting to get it go line up right.

I just love this color! It's Akua intaglio ink Scarlet Red and Yellow Ochre mixed together. I'm using the same basic colors through the four different prints in this series. And yes, that's a cheap-o Speedball brayer. Use and abuse and toss it out and get a new one when it's used up.

And here's my Ettan press showing my easy to make three-hole-punch registration system using a 99 cent three-hole-punch made to fit into a three-ring binder and lots of blue masking tape.

STARTING A PRINT

Yikes, I got an email last Friday reminding me that my next print for the series, Classic Elements, is due on the 15th...next Wednesday.

Ha! I haven't even thought about it, let alone got it ready to go.

Prints are not an easy thing to just whip out.

I started working on the drawing at work over the weekend. I pretty much had the drawing down and finished it up Monday morning.

I carved the keyblock on Tuesday, transfered that to two more linoleum blocks and left them to dry.

Wednesday, I went to Daniel Smith (my favorite store) and got my paper and ink that I needed. I returned home, carved the other two blocks and tore the paper to the right size.

So, that takes me to today, the day it's due!

I started printing, and put down the first color on 40 pieces.

Here's a picture...
I know you have no idea what it is, but if you watch, you'll eventually see!