An ambitious project

This spring I came up with an idea.  I would take on one of my more ambitious block-printing projects and document it in a blog.  I was going to use a block of about 12″ x 18,” which is larger than I’ve ever done before.

I never really documented it as it happened, but better late than never.    I’ll be posting the prints on my  Etsy store soon.  Below is, in sequential order, the process of inspiration/production.

This old and very interesting tree served as my inspiration.The original drawing, inspired by the photo with extensive creative license.The linoleum block, cut around the outline.The blocked completely cut and inked for the first time.The silver layer of the print, the multiple color idea came late in the process.And the end result.

The Dark Art

I’m a relief print nut. I’m not sure why, because they seldom turn out the way I expect and I’m almost always disappointed. But I persist, even though everyone tells me screenprinting might be more suited to my work. I think it’s the process I love. With my drawings, I tend to get more absorbed in the repetitive action and think less about what I’m doing, whereas block printing forces me to pay closer attention. I also break all the rules of the medium, since my prints are in small runs using different colors and paper, and tend to appear different from one another, each just a little bit unique. I do this for fun, and I don’t charge too much, so I feel like I can get away with it.

The two images below show some of my process. I created the print to the right using the three blocks, only registering by eyesight. While registration is an important part of printmaking, there are some times when it simply doesn’t matter. The fish block I had carved before for a greeting card, and the waves and boat I created later as the idea for the current print came to me. This is a run of 8 prints, and I intend to make more runs as soon as I can find the kind of paper I’d like to use.

These three blocks were combined for a single composition.Sample print using three separate blocks to in the composition.

The resulting print using the three separate blocks.