DIDN'T HOLD UP

This acrylic plate did not hold out long enough to finish the edition.  It started breaking up on the edges, and eventually cracked through the middle in several places.  Those cracks started showing up in the print, so I had to quit using it.\

The plate after about 15 prints pulled.

The cracks were showing up on the print.

DIFFERENT ACRYLIC PLATE

I finally started printing my Year of the Goat (Sheep) print from last year, well this year - 2015.  It's time to start thinking about next year's Year of the Monkey print, so I thought I'd better do this year's first.

I had already had the image scratched onto an acrylic plate.  I'd used some thinner acrylic then I'd ever used before.  If I remember right, it was all they had at the hardware store at the time.

Before I wiped the ink off - don't want to spoil the surprise!

It seemed to be okay, until I started running it through the press.

Sorry for the blurry image.

Sorry this one is blurry too.

As you can see in the pictures, after about only 25 prints, the edges are starting to deteriorate and break up.

I stopped for the day.  I hope it still prints next time I start up again.

GOAT PLAY

Worked on the acrylic plate for my Year of the Goat New Year's card.

It's a little late.

SECOND PLATE FOR YOT HORSE

The second plate will be a 'color' plate, although I'm thinking just different black inks.

I need to do a lot of scratching and crosshatching on the plate to make big sections of 'color.'

So, both plates are finished.  

ACRYLIC? OKAY

After deciding on an image, the next hardest decision would be how I'm going to make this print.

Woodblock?  Moku hanga or oily?

Linoleum?  One plate or two? 

Hand rubbed or run it through the press?

Acrylic plates?...I just finished one and that went well...okay.  Let's go with that.

I didn't have a plate that hadn't been rolling around in my drawer and wasn't scratched all up.  So, where to buy - let's try the local hardware store.  Yes, they had some and it was cheap, but I have to cut it myself.

That's not too difficult,  score it and snap it.  The hard part is getting it really square, especially since I'm leaning towards using two plates, which means they need to be the same.

Let's just say, they ended up close.

Then it was just a matter of scratching the image into the plate - almost like drawing with a pencil.  

No peeking.

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.