my printmaking journey

Exhibition of prints opening Friday Jan 13, 2012

2012-01-20T23:07:00.000-05:00

Wilderness: Paterson Gallery in the Thunder Bay Art Gallery

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Keewatin Drive, Thunder Bay, Ontario

My series of wilderness prints opened for exhibition to the public last Friday at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

34 studies are on display until Sunday March 4, 2012.

For the opening I gave a 40 minute in length artist talk complete with some digital slide accompaniment and a table display of tools, surfaces and books relevant to printmaking techniques from my personal collection.

This is my first solo show in my own community on this scale.

The gallery is also featuring two other exhibitions of original print based works and a display of prints created by first nations visual artists that have been selected from the gallery's permanent collection.

some of the serigraphs from my Wilderness series

intaglio plate print with hand colouring titled "Canoe Trip"

patrons mingle and view my work on opening night

photo by A. Mackay

Artist talking to a partron

photo by A. MacKay

Giving an artist talk on printmaking and various techniques I use

photo by A. MacKay

Patrons reading my Artist Statement, Biography and the Curators Essay

photo by A. MacKay

Slide component of my talk

photo by A. MacKay

Describing the process of engraving on an acyrlic plate

photo by A. MacKay

showcase of elementary school student relief printmaking

2011-10-23T10:38:00.004-04:00

Continuing with my last blog entry which I had posted photos of two mosaic panels of print images thought I would post a few examples of some of the individual prints that were created by students from grades 3, 4 & 5 during my recent placement through the Ontario Arts Council Artist in Education program.
The school involved was North Star Community School in Atikokan Ontario right in the heart of NWO just above the famous Quetico Provincial Park (listed in Rough Guide as one of the Top Ten parks to visit on the planet).
The prints are printed from the surface of scratchfoam plates that were drawn into with ballpoint pen, dissected with scissors, had Graphic Chemical water soluble relief printing inks applied to separated pieces using brayers and were finally reassembled and printed. Students printed the assembled plates both on white paper and onto a pre-printed black square on white paper.
Themes that were explored are Flora/fauna and Nature.

Grade 4

grade four

Grade 5

grade 3

grade 5

grade four

grade five

grade 4

grade four

grade 3

grade 5

grade 3

grade 5

grade 3

grade 5

grade 4

grade 5

grade five

Styrofoam plate jigsaw relief printmaking project in a junior elementary school

2011-10-09T15:06:00.003-04:00

Collective jigsaw relief print panel

Theme: Plants and Animals

Grades 3/4

North Star Community School

Atikokan, ON

Collective jigsaw relief print panel

Theme: Nature in Canada

Grades 4/5

Pictured above are the results of a project that I undertook recently in the capacity as an arts educator. This project is funded by the Ontario Arts Council and is under the wing of the Artist in Education program that pairs professional working artists with teachers and their students in the classroom.

I just returned last week from an 11 day placement in a junior elementary school located in a community about 2.5 hours west of where I live.

Two classes were involved in the 50 hour arts education project which focused specifically on relief printmaking. Fifty students from grades 3, 4 and 5 were challenged to create a design based on either the theme of Nature in Canada or Plants & Animals. They took that design and transfered it to the surface of a styrofoam plate. They then added in textural elements to the foam using a pointed tool such as a ballpoint pen tip.The plate was cut apart and individual pieces had ink applied. Pieces were reassembled and a print was made by laying paper over top and by using both traditional hand burnishing. The students were also given the opportunity to use my small table top press to print a couple each of their prints. I also had them print two white line prints and one on top of a pre-printed black square on white paper (for black line definition). We used a new water soluble ink manufactured by Graphic Chemical. This is non-toxic, washes up easily with warm soapy water and has a long working time on the inking slab and roller. It is formulated from glycol.

Once the prints were dry I then took one good print from each student and created a large mosaic panel by assembling the square prints in a grid pattern.

The Editior from the weekly published Atikokan Newspaper The Progress stopped by on one of our printing days and took a few photos and we chatted. This two page story on the project was printed by the paper and I received a copy in the mail.

more prints from recent experimentations with vegetable oil relief printing ink

2011-08-26T10:30:00.003-04:00

I have been putting some of the samples of the Aqualine printmaking inks I received from Rudolph Faust Co. of New Jersey a while back to the test. These I am told by the manufacturer are derived from a vegetable oil base. They have been tested at Duke University and meet all the standards to be labelled non-toxic.In the website they are being called water based but make no mistake they are indeed waterproof once they dry on the paper surface.
The ink will remain open on the inking plate and block surface for quite a while. What I also like about them is the low odor and the easy clean up with a little liquid dish soap and warm water. I found that they do take time to dry much like a plate oil base ink and factors such as humidity, absorbancy of paper and thickness of ink will determine that drying time.
I also learned that some of the pigments used in a few of the colours have a bit of a transparent quality and therefore had to add a little white to increase opaque factor.

I think these will work very well for some of my classroom based activities for the above stated reasons.
Students I work with have pretty much used Speedball water based to date for relief printing applications but there have been some frustrations that include uneven thickness of ink when it is applied to relief surfaces, ink not coating the brayers in some spots.The most irritating thing would be the ink drying too quickly before it is printed from the block surface.

The two example prints both used the Faust Aqualine Ink.

The first is a jigsaw block study derived from a Blick flexible printing plate. This material allowed me not only to cut it apart but also to carve its surface with linocut blades. It has a peel and stick backing for mounting onto a board, card or in this case a thick paper base sheet.
The print is fairly small in size and thus proved a challenge for dissecting (which I ended up using a sharp point craft knive to achieve).
This was printed on Somerset Velvet black 250 gm rag paper with the aid of my press.

The landscape below was created from three separate blocks. The blue and pink were printed first off of an uncut rectangle of Easy Cut material. I blended the two colors together by placing pink in the middle and blue on either side then rolling the brayer on the inking plate until a nice blend occured. This was transferred to the block surface and printed.

The second block (cloud formations) was cut from a piece of flexible printing plate that was pre-mounted onto a heavier piece of bookbinding board. The ink I used was a 50% white and 50% transparent base mix so that some of the blue background came through as a lighter blue.

The last block was printed in black and defined the trees, islands and ripples in the water. The block was cut from a rectangle of golden cut linoleum.

The image was printed onto a piece of thin bleached mulberry paper with the aid of my small printing press.

Upcoming school projects - relief block printing using styrofoam and flexible printing plates.

2011-07-31T10:26:00.008-04:00

Fig. 3

styrofoam jigsaw colour relief print on black paper

The image above is a recent print created as a demonstration piece to use in some of my upcoming classroom based ventures this year. There is more explanation farther down in the post about the technique.

First of I was awarded a Artist in Education grant this past May courtesy of the Ontario Arts Council. This will allow me to deliver a total of 150 hours of visual art projects in up to six elementary grade level schools this coming school year here in the province of Ontario. Since then I took the initiative and shopped my project proposal in the form of a email based document to a host of school boards here in Northwestern Ontario. To date I have received some strong expression of interest from several schools here in the region and currently one school in Atikokan Ontario (2.5 hours west of here) have committed to have me come and deliver 50 hours in their school. It is highly likely I should be able to fill the remaining 100 hours here in schools in the city of Thunder Bay once the school year resumes in early September. The project will have to be completed by next July so I will be approaching principals and teachers once again at the end of August.
This project is designed to teach basic relief printmaking to students from grades four through eight. The end result is a large colorful assemblage (mosaic) of square prints that each school can put on display. The project follows the Ontario Ministry of Education's Curriculum with direct focus on learning expectations as they pertain to visual arts for each of the grade levels I will be working with.
This project will create colour prints using a jigsaw method of dissecting the thin block and then reassembling the inked components into the original block. The blocks will be printed onto paper using both traditional hand burnishing techniques and also students will be given the opportunity to print an additional copy using a small manually turned table top press. Good prints will be made onto quality paper surfaces such as kozo or thin rag papers. Students will also be given the opportunity to develop a feel first using a small practice piece which can be printed onto newsprint in a single colour.
I have designed this project in such a way that two types of surfaces can be used to make prints from. The first option uses a thin peel and stick flexible rubber type material. Students from grades five and up can use this to cut into with linoleum cutting tools. The sheet material can be mounted onto thin card for added support but is thin enough to dissect using scissors or craft knives. It allows students to cut into the surface to dramatically enhance their imagery by exploring positive/negative space and also other things like texture, movement, etc..The second option uses a thin dense styrofoam material (Scratchfoam). I plan to mount this onto a thin card base using a spray adhesive. The students of the lower grade levels can use this method since it doesn't require the use of linocutting tools which might be a safety concern. Instead the surface can be impressed using a ballpoint pen tip, pencil point or any pointed object. They can then dissect the plate with scissors and again with ink rolled on the surface will print them using the same two methods as the flexible plates.
I have opted to use a non-toxic vegetable oil based ink for this project instead of the water soluble Speedball inks that have been used in my past school ventures. At the moment I am experimenting with several inks. There are two in particular that I think would work the best, these are Akua and the other is made my the Rudoph Faust Co. Both of these manufacturers are based in the USA. There is a retailer of Akua here in Canada (Gwartzmans) in Toronto. Faust Aqualine inks are made in New Jersey and can be purchased directly from the company or through Graphic Chemical Co. in Chicago. Not only are both of these non-toxic but have low odour and also clean up easily with soap and water which is a must have for schools in my opinion.

Below is an example of a piece using the styrofoam plate method created a couple of days back. This was to test out how the ink behaved on styrofoam, but I also wanted to create a square format design that I could use as an example piece to demonstrate the technique to the students .

In Fig.1 I made a simple sketch of a sandpiper on tracing paper and traced it through the thin paper using a ballpoint pen. The pressure allowed the pen tip to break through the tracing paper and indent the foam surface. The blue ink also transferred into the grooves and defined the image making it visible. These also would act as my cutting guide lines when I dissected the block. Most importantly this would produce a surface effect much like if I had used linoleum or wood surface and had cut away areas with knives.
The dark navy blue areas you see in the foam are the lower areas created by the pen and are about 1/16 of an inch below the surface. When ink is rolled across the surface with a brayer these will remain blank and produce the negative space of the image when it is printed.

The thin styrofoam was first attached to a thin backing paper (bristol board) that would provide extra stability and keep the foam flat. Using scissors and pointed kraft knife blades I carefully dissected the thin plate. Each piece was inked separately (in this case using Faust relief inks) and then carefully reassembled on a cardboard registration board (fig. 2). I glued down some strips of the same foam material on the side and top so it created a corner into which the reassembled block could be braced. Tweezers and bamboo skewers were used and I was able to piece the block back together.

Fig. 3 (image at the top of this post) shows the print (a reverse image) that was made onto black paper. This allowed me to use the paper to define the print and saved me the trouble of having to first roll out and print a square of black ink before printing the main block.

Fig.1

Fig. 2

Magazine profile

2011-06-19T09:46:00.005-04:00

I recently did an interview for Superior Outdoors Magazine, a publication based here in Thunder Bay and is found in fine bookstores and magazine stands in lakeside communities and larger urban centers both sides of the border.
The summer 2011 edition was recently published and is available on newstands and to subscribers. Unfortunately the current issue will probably not be available fully online for viewing until the next fall/winter issue is published but you can view back issues by clicking on the link. Below you can view the single page profile of yours truly with the block print they chose to accompany the article.
This magazine would have an appeal to readers who have an appreciation of the outdoors and nature. The articles and photographic images are top rate.
I am very thrilled to have been asked to be a featured artist in the arts and literature section. The theme found throughout a lot of my imagery is relevant especially with the focus on Lake Superior and the geography of this region of the province.

Superior Outdoors

Cover of Summer issue 2011

Also on a related note I have an exhibition of 27 selected pieces from my Wilderness series here in Thunder Bay at Calico Coffeehouse. This establishment is located in the lower level at 316 Bay. St. The display runs until August 6. Here is a link with more details as featured in the locally published Webzine The WallEye
http://www.thewalleye.ca/2011/06/14/studies-from-holdens-wilderness/

Continuation of miniature polymer plate etchings with hand colouring

2011-05-22T13:29:00.008-04:00

Tobermory

ã 2011

This study is a continuation in a series of small polymer plate miniatures. The last one is this titled The Swan
I had some small leftover pieces of solar plate from a large 16 x 20 inch piece I had cut up earlier this year so decided to use these up and create miniature works in a square format.
This is based on a photo I had taken from the deck of the Chicheemaun ferry that crosses over Lake Huron from South Bay Mouth on Manitoulin Island to Tobermory at the end of the Bruce Peninsula. It is a study of Cove Island lighthouse that is found about 20 min. offshore from the village of Tobermory.
It was printed with oil based etching ink into Magnani revere rag paper then watercolour was added for the colour.
The plate size is 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inches) and the paper is 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 inches). It will be an open varied edition.

I am hoping to get some more photo studies of lighthouses of the Great lakes in the near future. Have some friends who are boaters who have agreed to help out.

Relief printmaking using styrofoam

2011-04-28T15:24:00.003-04:00

This is a continuation of my last entry regarding earlier works not seen before.
The following prints were created by drawing into the surface of 1.27 cm (1/2 inch) thick blue dense styrofoam from a building materials supply shop. This is generally used for insulation of walls during home construction or renovation. It is not that expensive and can be easily cut into blocks from the main sheet with a ruler and utility blade.
I used ball point pen primarily as the drawing tool as it tends to score the surface much better than pencil (which catches a lot in the material). Some of the finer lines were created using a compass point needle tip but again took a bit of effort dragging this through the styrofoam.

These were all example pieces created as part of demonstrations for relief printing with styrofoam lesson I have to elementary school children during the past several years.

Dog portrait

two block study of flower forms
printed in a light blue waterbased ink over a solid black square

songbird on tree branch

simple sunflower form (slight dot detail in the blossom) against a dark background

landscape
white ink printed on black paper

the hockey game
tan ink on black paper

Light comes through
two block colour winter woods study

the key block (black)
notice how the styrofoam has been flecked away to reveal a loose type of surface

study of an old abandoned farmhouse

Some prints from a long time ago

2011-04-26T23:11:00.009-04:00

I found a few photos of some of my earlier printmaking adventures that not many have seen so thought I would share these with my blog followers.

two colour linocut from 2006
a study of a sailing regatta in Thunder Bay

A relief print I made in 2007 from a piece of scratchfoam.
I drew into the thin foam plate using a ballpoint pen to create the relief.
Instead of printing black ink onto white paper white ink was applied and then hand burnished onto a piece of black stonehenge paper.
Inspired by a visit to Killarney Provincial Park near Sudbury, Ontario.

In 2009 I took a scan of a black ink print on white paper from one of my larger carved pieces of linoleum.
I resized and then reversed the image, printed it onto an inkjet transparency and exposed it as a negative on to a small piece of solar plate. The plate was developed and I applied ink with a brayer on the surface and printed it as a relief image using block oil based ink onto 140 lb cold press watercolour paper. I then applied hand colouring into the print using watercolour. You can get a sense of the size of the printed image as the frame dimensions measure 5 x 7 inches, so it in effect is a miniature print.

2005

another experiment of relief printing from four blocks
made from 1/16 inch thick craftfoam. Pieces were cut out and glued onto a cardboard base sheet.

A cosy place 2006
This is a small drypoint study printed from a drawing
made with a drypoint needle into thin piece of aluminum plate

Heat/Sunspot lover 1987
I made this relief print using a product called Fujiblock that was made by the UK based Windsor and Newton Company known for their fine grade watercolour paints
The block was a stiff piece of cardboard that had a thin layer of felt material glued on top. You cut away the surface material using a double bladed utility knife, then peeled off the thin cut lines and then applied watercolour onto the remaining surface. The media was allowed to dry then reactivated by misting or you could also print onto damp paper to give a unique white line print.

this was a multiple plate square format collagraph
2006

Sunflower linoluem relief block print with hand colouring
2005

Songbird
2005
a simple relief print from a piece of 1/2 inch blue building grade styrofoam that I drew into with a ballpoint pen. I hand burnished the black ink coated block onto torn piece of amber colour japanese Chiri paper.
It has been mounted to float inside a birch shadow box frame.

another multiple plate collagraph
2005

collagraph/monotype
2005

Translating a pen & ink sketch with wash to a solar plate etching

2011-04-21T17:45:00.011-04:00

Catnap

2011

solar plate intaglio

second version incorporates chine collé using hosokawa kozo (a light gold hue)
that is adhered onto Awagami bamboo ph neutral rag with wheat paste

This is the first proof of a new study that was printed from a small piece of Solar plate. It is a study of one of our pets named Dharma (she is no longer with us). Cats (and let's not forget dogs) are the perfect models as they usually don't give a whole lotta attitude (mmm... ok maybe the cats are more well known for this) and they work for nothing.

I saw Dharma napping and noticed a great pose and play of light that just beckoned me to capture this in some artistic format. It also was a good opportunity for me to experiment a bit more with polymer plate etching.

I have titled this Catnap. It is printed onto a piece of white Somerset Velvet cotton rag 250 gsm paper using Graphic Chemical Intense black oil ink.

Plate size is 7.5 x 12 cm (3 x 4 5/8 inches) and the paper size is 15 x 20 cm (6 x 8 inches)

this will be an open edition

detail from Catnap

This started off as a pen and ink outline sketch on acetate done with a technical pen.

On an overlay piece of Grafix wet media Dura-lar film I applied washes of watercolour to define the form.

This film works very nicely with water based media like watercolour, acrylic , gouache, ink.

I then applied Rotring opaque black latex ink for film with a brush to define the background and in the cast shadow of the foreground leg and paw

The last step wash to add another subtle diluted wash of ink to the foreground underneath the cat for definition. This was added right onto the positive.

I combined all of the acetates and made one positive. This was exposed in my homemade UV exposure box using a double exposure method of 3 min. for aquatint screen and 3 min. for the positive. It was developed in lukewarm water with a gentle scrubbing of a soft toothbrush, then post exposed another 10 minutes.

Hosting a Monotype workshop

2011-04-20T12:43:00.006-04:00

Giving a demonstration showing the application of watercolour onto Dura-lar wet media film

Last Saturday I had the honour of conducting a workshop in Monotype printmaking for 14 enthusiastic members from Lakehead Visual Arts, a club I have been a member of since the mid 1980s.

I had been approached a while back by the club to see if I could give some type of printmaking activity that members could do in a one day session and that wouldn't be too expensive for supplies.

We explored two methods. The morning was spent working on subtractive monotypes using oil based etching ink that was rolled out on plexiglass plates from a brayer. The artists used a variety of tools including bamboo skewers, pieces of paper, tissue, blending sticks to remove ink from their plates. These were then printed onto soaked and blotted cotton rag paper using an etching press.

subtractive monotype by R.Vilim ã

working into the ink covered plexi to remove ink

the resulting print in reverse on paper after being pulled through
the etching press onto damp cotton rag paper

subtractive monotype swine study by R. McKenzie

assisting one of the participants run a plate through the press

The second method we explored during the afternoon session was additive monotypes. Participants were given a piece of clear wet media Dura-lar film. They were able to put sketches and/or photos under it to use a painting guide. The wet media film allows washes and thicker applications of paints such as watercolour, gouache, createx monotype inks, and also acrylic paint and ink.
By placing dampened paper over top and using either hand burnishing with a tool or by running the film and paper through the press a transfer is made onto the paper. The painted medium can be dry or wet. If it is dry the damp paper will reactivate it. If you print onto dry paper you can apply a light misting of water to the plate or paper to facilitate activation of the media and allow transfer.

watercolour transfer by G. Postans made from Dura-lar

onto rag paper using the table top etching press

Since nearly everyone in this club are painters I thought that monotype would hold appeal, especially for the additive type where one can apply paint on a flat surface and transfer it in reverse onto paper.

watercolour monotype by R. Vilim ã

watercolour monotype by S. Bishop ã

participants working on their plates

Digital art experimentations

2011-04-11T17:54:00.006-04:00

The following images are not traditional hand printed imagery coming from my studio. These are experimental works I have been dabbling in on and off for a few years now using the computer and some photographic manipulations.
These might prove to be interesting to pursue as photopolymer based intaglio prints. They are a bit of a departure from what I normally pursue in my subject matter.

all images copyright Brian Holden 2011

Continuation of printing an older block onto Bamboo paper

2011-03-20T16:37:00.006-04:00

Moon and Forest

linoleum block print

Image size: 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in.)

Final trimmed paper size: 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 in.)

open edition

This study titled Moon & Forest is the continuation six years later of a linoleum block print that was started back in 2005. At that particular time I was printing only using hand burnishing and using water based inks. I couldn't really achieve a good solid print then and so I put the block away after getting frustrated and producing only a handful of prints on paper.

Last night we were viewing that once every 18 years supersize full moon through the fir trees in my yard (it was a bit obscured by clouds so didn't really see much of it here). Somehow it reminded me of this image and planted the idea to try printing again now that I have better inks and a press.

This morning in the studio I dug through drawers that contain old blocks that have not been cancelled.
Lo and behold the blocks were still there and in good shape (I had protected them in a small box).
The background block incorporates a slight jigsaw option, for the details in the moon face are a circular shaped piece that pops out and is inked independently of the background square. I carefully set it back into place using tweezers after applying a light blue-gray color of ink with a small 19 mm (3/4 inch rubber brayer). For the blue background I put a little Daniel Smith Pthalo blue and titanium white side by side on my inking slab. Using a 6 inch brayer I continuously rolled out the ink until the two blended together. The gradient blue blend came out very subtle (in the first image posted at top) and although I would like a bit more of a lighter blue horizon towards the bottom, I am content with the first few proofs that were printed.

The second block (keyblock) had Daniel Smith carbon black oil applied with another brayer..

This print used my 3 hole punch registration board system and was printed using the slight pressure from the top roller of my printing press. I set a piece of 6 mm (1/4 in.) tagboard over the printing paper and ran it under the roller once the proper pressure had been set with the turnable pressure gauge handles. I did a test print on newsprint first to make sure the blocks lined up on the registration board.

This is also the very first time I have printed onto Awagami Bamboo paper. It is recommended for letterpress and relief printing so decided to see how it handled. I quite like the end result and although it is a stiff 250 gsm paper it performs well when using a press for printing.

Don't think I would want to hand burnish onto this as it is fairly weighty and stiff in nature and needs a bit more pressure to give a good solid and even transfer of ink.
To achieve this I applied a very light mist of water before setting the paper on to the inked block.

It will take a few days to dry but have the few I printed hanging on a line in a warm and dry basement.

Printsy - Printmakers of Etsy - Interview with yours truly

2011-03-01T18:47:00.004-05:00

I have been given the honour of being this weeks featured Printsy artist
if you would like to read the interview and view of some examples of recent work you can click the following link:
http://www.printsy.blogspot.com/

Public exhibition - Showcasing the printmaking created by elementary school age artists

2011-02-17T23:15:00.002-05:00

In a recent blog entry I outlined a little about some classroom based projects I have undertaken with two elementary school classes. This is through a program called Artists in the Fifth, which is offered annually to our regional schools through CAHEP. This means Community Arts and Heritage Education Project.

Artists are given the opportunity to work with teachers and their students in a predetermined number of arranged visits and we deliver interesting projects in the visual arts, written and spoken word, music and performance based artistic endeavours.

The results are presented each February in a half day event called the Arts Fiesta. This public exhibition and live performance event is hosted at our local community auditorium.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to set up the display of the projects that were created by the two grade five classes I visited through the Artists in the Fifth program.

Here are some photos that I took today at the Fiesta and the accompanying project outlines for both.

The first three are photos of a project titled Impressions 2 (the 2 should actually be smaller and floating higher as it represents the symbol for squared)

Project #1

Title : Impressions squared

This project combines relief block printmaking together with sculpture. The images explore the principles of design in each of the learner prints. Sculpture is also incorporated using geometric cubes as surfaces to display random arrangements of hand printed images. The prints are not only repetitive in composition but each learners design has been printed in different colour combinations. The theme Thinking Outside the Box has been taken both literally and figuratively. Two forms of art have been fused together to create one colourful, visually interesting deconstructed larger scale cube made up of smaller cube/hand print components.

Learners were encouraged to think about the concept of repetition as it could be applied to a basic design. They were also challenged to think about the principles of design in the artwork. During the project they learned about such important areas such as line, shape, positive and negative space, rhythm, repetition, texture, composition, contrast to name but a few. Using linoleum cutting tools they were able to carve their images into a soft composite material and apply ink to the relief surfaces and print these in two colour combinations on paper using traditional hand printing methods.

An emphasis was made on focusing on complementary and split complementary colour combinations in the hand prints allowing for stark contrasts and impact in the images.

The learners printed a solid colour square first and then the cut side of the block with their design was printed over top in a contrasting colour.

Special recognition is extended to educator Terry Cano who spent many hours after class constructing, affixing prints to the cubes and assembling everything to create the sculptural part of this project.

Project #2

Project title: Construction

This project uses relief block printmaking as the basis for the creation of hand printed imagery that utilizes several stages of process from start to finish.

Learners were given the opportunity to use two surfaces to create a two colour print on paper.

One surface was left solid and the second surface was carved into using special cutting blades to produce a relief design. Prints were produced by using careful registration of paper and application of ink to both sides of a block in two separate printing sessions.

To begin the project, the learners were encouraged to think about and share dialogue revolving around the concept of the word structure.

Using photo reference they focused on a particular section of either a manmade or nature made structure. They enlarged the chosen area and proceeded to develop it and construct a colour print that would allow it to be viewed in an entirely different way.

This is where adhering to the theme of “thinking outside of the box” came into play.

Learners were also challenged by utilizing the principles of design in their respective works of art. During the project they learned about such important areas such as line, shape, positive and negative space, rhythm, repetition, texture, composition, contrast to name but a few.

Using linoleum cutting tools they were able to carve their images into a soft composite material and apply ink to the relief surfaces and print these in two colour combinations on paper using traditional hand printing methods.

An emphasis was made on focusing on complementary and split complementary colour combinations in the hand prints allowing for real contrasts and impact in the images.

They printed a solid colour square first and then the cut side of the block with their design was printed over top in a contrasting colour.

Cost of printmaking papers could be affected by an increase in cost of cotton

2011-02-05T16:48:00.005-05:00

This topic was discussed recently with some retailers who sell printmaking papers. I was warned to expect a big jump in the price of fine art printmaking papers in early part of 2011 due to a sharp rise in the price of cotton.
Here is an item I found recently online related to this:

LAHORE: World cotton prices continued rising trend during January, nearing the two-dollar-per-pound territory, a statement said.
According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), cotton rates increased between December 31, 2010 and January 28 by 25.5 cents per pound to 197.5 cents per pound.
“Very low world stocks of cotton, limited supply, robust demand and depreciation in the dollar value may have caused surge in prices during 2010/11,” the statement said.

Another more recent factor that may also influence the cost of cotton has been the floods and Cyclone that recently hit in the northeast of Australia. Cotton is an export from that country and the weather may certainly have made an impact with growing and production there this year.

Another Enviromentally Friendly Alternative to Cotton paper to consider
Anyhow this got me thinking about possible alternatives to using papers that do not use cotton in their makeup.

One that I discovered was bamboo. Awagami is a company from Japan who make paper in the traditional sense of washi papers. They are manufacturing a ph neutral 250 gsm weight paper made from bamboo and mixed recycled content. Here is an excerpt from their website.

TOKUSHIMA, JAPAN, November 07, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bamboo is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and has touched every aspect of daily life from art and literature, to design, food and crafts for many centuries. Bamboo utensils dating from the Jomon Period (ca. 10,000 B.C.-300 B.C.) have been discovered in both Honshu and Kyushu indicating that bamboo has been used in Japan ever since the earliest years of its civilization. In keeping in line with Japans rich and time honored bamboo legacy, Awagami Factory has now proudly created Awagami Bamboo Paper.
Awagami Bamboo Paper is a fine organic choice for artist and designer alike exhibiting notable benefits and advantages over cotton based papers. Awagami Bamboo papers' luxurious texture is similar to silk while softer than cotton making it an excellent choice for both letterpress and relief printmaking. Available in sized sheets, Awagami Bamboo paper contains 70% bamboo fiber and 30% mixed recycled* content and sheets are available in a standard basis weight of 250gsm.
About bamboo:
Known as the fastest growing timber plant on earth, bamboo is found in abundance throughout Asia and has numerous environmental benefits. Bamboo is biodegradable, requires little attention during its growing cycle and (unlike cotton) does not require fertilizers or pesticides for a successful crop. Furthermore, bamboo produces 35% more oxygen and consumes four times the CO2 than trees. Bamboo is truly a sustainable and renewable resource; a self-replenishing "miracle plant" which grow exceedingly fast and will continue to do so through many seasonal harvests.
For further information about Awagami Bamboo Paper or about any of our other fine washi papers, kindly visit our website at http://www.awagami.or.jp/
*The recycled content may be a mix of hemp and bagasse (sugar cane and/or sorghum stalk fiber).

For those of you from Canada you can purchase the Awagami bamboo paper from the following retailers:
Woolfitts (Toronto Canada - http://www.woolfitts.com/fulfill/ )
Island Blue Art Store (Victoria, British Columbia - http://www.islandblue.com/store/ )

If you live outside of Canada you might have to perform a Goggle search to see if any retailers in your respective countries sell this product.

There is a European manufacturer producing a line of bamboo based paper for the US market under the company name Smock. However I think this is mainly aimend at use for the Letterpress market.

Elementary School printmaking instruction

2011-01-25T20:01:00.004-05:00

I have been active the past month in the role as an arts educator visiting grade five classes in a couple of elementary school classrooms here in the city of Thunder Bay.

This is through the Community Arts and Heritage Education Project or CAHEP. I have been actively getting placements in schools through this program since 2006.

This year the learners have been given the opportunity to learn relief block printmaking. Not only do they get to try a brand new visual arts technique but learn about the principles of design and explore colour theory in the process. This years theme for the program is Thinking Outside the Box.
Here is the Project Overview for the second and most recent venture:

Project Title: Construction

This project uses relief block printmaking as the basis for the creation of hand printed imagery that utilizes several stages of process from start to finish.
Learners were given the opportunity to use two surfaces to create a two colour print on paper.
One surface was left solid and the second surface was carved into using special cutting blades to produce a relief design. Prints were produced by using careful registration of paper and application of ink to both sides of a block in two separate printing sessions.
To begin, the learners were encouraged to think about and share dialogue revolving around the concept of the word structure. Using photo reference they focused on a particular section of either a manmade or nature made structure. They enlarged the chosen area and proceeded to develop it and construct a colour print that would allow it to be viewed in an entirely different way.
This is where adhering to the theme of “thinking outside of the box” came into play.
Learners were also challenged by utilizing the principles of design in their respective works of art. During the project they learned about such important areas such as line, shape, positive and negative space, rhythm, repetition, texture, composition, contrast to name but a few.
Using linoleum cutting tools they were able to carve their images into a soft composite material (softoleum). Ink was applied to the relief surfaces using brayers and prints were made in two colour combinations on paper using traditional hand printing methods.
An emphasis was made on using complementary and split complementary colour combinations in the prints that would allow for real contrasts and impact in the images.
The students printed a solid colour square first and then the cut side of the block with their design was printed over top in a contrasting colour.

Materials used:
Softoleum blocks, linocutting tools, water based printing inks, soft rubber brayers, registration
boards, subi printmaking paper, rubbing sticks, spray adhesive, white foamcore board panels, spray adhesive

Individual panels contain 6 prints are stacked vertically with an overall measurement 25.4 cm (10 inches) in width by 101.6 cm (40 inches in height).
Each image explores the concept of structure in two colours.

The finished results have been very good. I have put together a display module where an equal number of prints (6) are affixed to a foamboard panel in a vertical format. Four of the panels will be hinged together into a four sided column and set on a table to allow for 360 degree viewing.

The results of these sessions will be presented to the public in a day in Feb. at a Community based Arts Fiesta held annually in our local auditorium. Then the works will continue as a display in a public space such as an art gallery or other public accesible space for a longer duration through the month of March.

Below are some photos that were taken during different stages of the projects.

cutting the softoleum using linocutters

reference for the drawing on the block is from a colour rough sketch

water based Speedball inks applied to the block using a rubber brayer

that was rolled out onto brayer from plate glass surface

registration of block on simple cardboard with foamboard strip taped on top.

The paper is held in place with push pins and the paper is set over the inked block

and burnished using a plastic rubbing stick using constant pressure in a circular motion.

back to back prints hung to dry on a clothes line.

One of several stations set up for application of different colours of inks to the blocks.

zig zag design - orange printed over top of a solid violet square

detail from square print panel - spiral shell design printed in green over red (complementary colours)

another detail from a print panel

spider web study - yellow over top of a solid red square

four panels each with six prints that will be hinged together to create a four sided column display

Each print is 14 x 14.6 cm (5.5 x 5.75 inches) and there are a total of 24 prints in total.

Overcoming problems in relief printmaking when using water based inks

2011-01-24T10:42:00.003-05:00

Recently in the printmaking forum at WetCanvas some artists new to relief printing posted inquiries about problems they had been experiencing. I thought it might be good to share in my blog some of the advice that was given so anyone who might read this journal entry could also use this information to help them.

There seem to be a lot of problems printers experience while working with water soluble inks that are pigment based bound together with gum arabic. I am talking primarily with some brands under names such as Speedball, Daler-Rowley, Ocaldo, Demco (Canadian made). These types of ink can dry very quickly on the inking slab, brayer, block surface if the enviromental conditions are too extreme caused by heat or direct sunlight. Another problem is working with them when the temperature is too cold as they will not behave the way they should for application. The ink will sometimes not grip the brayer surface or apply well to the block surface either.
If it is warm and dry where you are doing your printing you could add a small amount of retarder to your ink. Speedball manufacture such a product and also they make a clear medium extender.
As for working in the cold, your best bet is to print in a space at room temperature.
You may want to make sure that your brayer (roller) is totally free of any residue from past use (especially if it may have seen oil based inks used on it). Water soluble ink picks up best on a clean smooth surface. I personally tend to favor using a soft rubber brayer but to each his own.

Another factor may be the surface of the block itself. Is there any residues on the surface that could act as a resist against water soluble inks?
Might try wiping with soft cotton cloth and denatured alcohol or you could also lightly sand the surface of the block using an extra fine grit paper or sanding sponge.

The ink should be rolled out on your glass into a thin even mass and picked up by the brayer again to allow a thin even coating on your block surface. Ink application is best achieved by rolling it in different directions across the surface. You can tell if there is a even shine across the entire surface but also you shouldn't see marks where heavier and lighter ink layers overlap.

Paper is another important factor to consider. If you are applying hand burnishing to transfer the ink to the paper you want an absorbant paper surface but also the paper should not be too thick.

Here is a list of lighter weight papers that are suitable for printmaking and I have provided links to some of the major retailers online who sell these. GSM refers to the weight of the paper in grams squared). Generally anything higher than 200 gsm might require the use of a press to give you the best results due to the thickness of the paper. The ones listed shouldn't require a great deal of hand pressure. These are also suitable for oil based relief printing off a block surface including those using linoluem, wood, resingrave, styrofoam, softoluem, easykut, speedykut, plaster relief, etc...

Magnani Revere book weight (175 & 120 gsm)
http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-540-610

Canson Johannot book weight (120 gsm)
http://www.dickblick.com/products/ca...not-art-paper/

Zerkall Frankfurt (120 gsm)
http://www.dickblick.com/products/frankfurt-paper/

St. Armand old master (80 gsm)
this mill based in Montreal makes paper in the old world tradition and although I have never tried their Old master drawing paper it is recommended for letterpress and judging by the weight would lend itself to relief printing I suspect?
http://www.st-armand.com/English/E02d-Drawing.php

Arches Text weight (120 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...t=Arches+Text+

Somerset text weight (120 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...et+Text+L aid

Zerkall book vellum (145 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...catalogid=3697

Zerkall Nideggen (120 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...9&cat=Nideggen

Somerset book (175 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...=Somerset+Book

Gutenberg (various weights)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...&cat=Gutenberg

Arturo (!20 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...309&cat=Arturo

Rives Lightweight Paper 115 gsm
http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-285-620LW

Mohawk Superfine 120 gsm
http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-215-010

Velin Arches (Arches text weight) 120 gsm
http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-159-390-001

Hosho
http://www.dickblick.com/products/hosho-paper/

Mulberry
http://www.dickblick.com/products/bl...rinting-packs/

Masa (77 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...d=351&cat=Masa

Kitikata (30 gsm)
https://www.graphicchemical.com/shop...4&cat=Kitakata

I will also mention a retailer based in Toronto Canada who have a fairly extensive array of Oriental made papers worth checking out. The Paper Place on Queen St. W are one of the best sources here in Canada I have found. I believe they also ship worldwide.

Another thing to try is a slight misting of the paper before burnishing. Not too much though since you don't want bleeding of the ink to occur. The slight dampness of the paper surface can also aid a better pick up of the ink onto the paper.
When burnishing the back of your print paper you might want to place a sheet of wax paper, acetate or glassine in between the burnishing tool and the paper. This helps to prevent possible damage to the print paper and also helps the movement of the burnishing tool across the block surface located underneath the print paper.

some older works not posted before

2010-12-22T11:24:00.014-05:00

I have been going through the print drawers and digging out some work to build up the offerings in my Etsy shop. So thought I would post these as a new entry in my blog.
Speaking of Etsy, I was asked recently to join Printsy, a collective of printmakers who feature their works in that site. It is an honour to be included so thank you to those who extended the invitation. There is some stellar printmaking by these artists featured both in the Printsy blog and in their individual Etsy shops.

This is a blind embossing that is titled Concentric. The relief plate was constructed from precut shapes of 4 mm thick Eskaboard that was glued to a base sheet. I then coated it with a couple of layers of varnish and set it aside overnight to dry. A piece of Somerset 250 gm rag paper was soaked and blotted then set over the constructed plate. It was pressed into the paper under the pressure of my etching press roller. It was then set under blotting sheets with the slight weight of a panel set over top and allowed to dry.
I have a basic white cut mat around the impression (same white as the rag paper) and set this into a square birch shadowbox frame.

The study below is a drypoint titled The Park printed using Graphic Chemical Graphite ink on fawn colour Stonehenge rag paper.

The next study is titled The Gistpoort. It is a drypoint with chine colle printed using oil base sepia ink on a cream colour tissue thin piece of kozo. This was adhered to a piece of Bockingford white rag paper with wheat paste during the run through the press rollers.

It is a study of a famous entrance way into the Abbey of our Lady complex in the old medieval city of Middelburg in the Netherlands. I had the honour of being able to visit the complex in Sept. 2003 and had taken some photos that I developed into a sketch and then transferred onto the plate with a drypoint needle.

The following study is titled Moonlight Garden. It is an intaglio print from a solar plate. The artwork positive that I exposed onto the plate was created using pen & ink and also a little noise (background dot texture) that was printed using my computer software onto the inkjet transparency and then scratched away in selected areas. The plate was inked with a mix of carbon black and prussian blue water soluble oil ink made by Caligo Inks from the UK. It was printed into damp and blotted 250 gm Arches Revere paper.

This study is a serigraph titled Moon and Forest III. It was created from a series of five stencils. Each stencil was adhered to polyester fabric stretched over a wooden frame. The ink used was acrylic based and was passed through the open stencil area using a rubber blade squeegee. I printed an edition of 25 onto Arches 88 rag white.

This is a collagraph titled The Stand.

I used a product called play-doh (remember this when you were a kid?) to create the raised elements.

Rolled strips of the medium were flattened and glued down to a cardboard substrate. As these dried the play-doh cracked and left indentations which were revealed when ink was wiped into the plate. However I sealed the plate first before inking using a couple layers of acrylic varnish. Akua inks were used and the image was printed onto Fabriano Rosapina rag paper.

Online marketing of art - Etsy?

2010-11-13T14:14:00.004-05:00

Last year my website got a total makeover since I had a bunch of brand new prints to offer fresh from my exhibitions. I also set up an account with PayPal so that those interested in purchasing prints could have the option to buy directly through my site.
Unfortunately one thing I hadn't counted on was visibility of my website. Since I haven't yet found a paid host site to promote me visits by guests to my website have been lacklustre to say the least.
The question is how can one reach a broader market and become visible without having to break the bank?

This topic came up a while back in the printmaking forum at WetCanvas. One site kept coming up in the conversations, that being Etsy which is a site dedicated to hand crafted items. Several printmakers have marketed their prints in this site and appear to have found some success reaching buyers.
After much deliberation I decided it was time to bite the bullet and test the waters so I joined up. So...I now have a store (page) in Etsy under the name of Borealart.
The terms are pretty reasonable actually, I pay $0.20 cents an item for it to be listed for a 4 month period. If an item sells then Etsy take a 3.5 % commission on the sale. Fees are deducted at the end of the every month and since I am set up with PayPal the amount owing to both Etsy and myself can be processed using this option.

I have a couple of local shops who sell my work but one of them takes a hefty 40% commission on sales. I don't like to overprice my work and want to offer a fair market value. However if you apply the cost of framing to this after the commission of 40% is taken it doesn't leave me with much, sometimes less than what the unframed print is valued at. So not making any profit makes me wonder why I am even selling there. The tradeoff is this place gets a lot of traffic and many seeking inexpensive works of art.
Perhaps Etsy might be a better alternative, however I am approaching this with cautious optimism since there are a lot of listings in Etsy, not only by hundreds of talented artists but also other types of crafts and such. This means a visitor to the site is somewhat overwhelmed with choices. A listing I can put in can find itself buried on the twelth page within a few hours depending on the number of items being renewed or listed by other artists in the same genre that particular day. I think the secret is to list a new item every few days as these will appear top of the list for a while. Hey any chance is better than nothing. Clicking on the listing also allows visitor access to view every other item that is being displayed in my store page.
A seller also may choose an option to pay an additional fee of $7 per day if they want to be prominently featured in the main page. I have chosen not to go that route due to the expense factor. Sure, perhaps it might bring more attention to my page but hopefully if someone discovers my offerings in the great list of printmaking or whatever the work will speak for itself?

I plan to provide a link from my own website to the Etsy store as most of the items I will be listing in Etsy are recent smaller less expensive work. I also produce reproduction notecards of my paintings and photos so this may be a good avenue to market these.

Below is a detail from my page.

Thinking ahead

2010-10-28T12:28:00.015-04:00

Winter in the forest
linoleum block print (art card)
open edition
copyright 2010 B.Holden

This study is fresh from the studio this morning. It is based on a photo that was taken earlier this year during the winter months. With the seasonal change underway thought it might be nice to have some new winter theme work made available as possible Christmas gifts. I may also send a few of these out as my own personal card this year to family and friends.
Three blocks were used to create the image. The first block, the key or main block was carved from a piece of battleship gray linoleum and was the last block printed...with black ink. The second block was also cut from battleship gray lino and it was printed as the first colour in the sequence using a gradiated light cerulean blue and white that were blended together on the inking slab (the white areas were cut away from the surface). Then the block for the bluish gray shadow in the foreground birch was cut from a piece of vinyl composite material and this was mounted to a thin piece of flat cardboard (sealed with water base varathan).
I used a three hole punch taped down to a registration board and set the blocks into an L shape brace. These were printed by passing under the roller of my press with a piece of 3 mm (1/8 inch) tagboard set on top of the paper.
I first spent a day cutting the blocks and pulling rough proofs on newsprint using less expensive water based speedball ink. Once everything was aligned and I had the colours down then I mixed up good colours using oil based Faust aqualine relief printing inks. The keyblock was inked using Caligo carbon black safe wash oil base ink. Both of these inks use soap & water cleanup as they are modified oils that break down with liquid detergent and are also certified non toxic. I feel quite safe working with bare hands knowing this will not harm me if absorbed into the skin.
Since it is not overly large in size I have decided to print the 8 x 13 cm (3.25 x 5.25 inch) block onto a 13 x 18 cm (5 x 7 in) piece of rag paper and thought I might market these as artcard size original prints.

And now for something completely different

2010-10-27T13:54:00.010-04:00

Hey!
styrofoam relief block print

The above image is a print that originated from two pieces of meat tray styrofoam. It proves that art can originate from anything including those things that we just toss out into the trash. I worked the surfaces with ball point pen and then applied water based ink using a brayer. Something a little different than what I generally explore and just a lot of fun letting myself loosen up. It began as an experiment with loose shapes and perhaps there is even an influence of 1960's sci-fi tv shows.

Also in the spirit of the season something a little spooky. It is a photo I took with a macro lens aimed through a cut crystal hanging pendant.

This was last years Jack-o-lantern
a wee bit of a Groucho Marx theme you think?

More miniature solar plate based printing

2010-10-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

Pukaskwa
2010
solar plate with hand colouring
varied edition

This is a landscape study that was printed from a small leftover piece of unexposed solar plate I made last year.

It highlights a bit of shoreline along Lake Superior at Pukaskwa National Park which is very close to where I spent my early years growing up as a child. This place is one of my favourite annual journeys as the geography is unique and the vistas are stunning.

At the time the plate was created I had only printed several images off the plate before becoming sidetracked with other things.

The 5 x 9 cm (2 x 3.5 inch) plate was recently rediscovered and brought out of storage. I have been continuing the edition. It is a varied ed. due in part to the hand colouring application and additional elements in the visual added after printing. Basically the original plate image (printed in black oil base ink) gives me the foreground treeline and the background islands and hills. I put down a little masking frisket in the sky and in the foreground water and applied washes of blue watercolour. I then added in shadows into the clouds and a bit of light pale green to the background hills.

The Swan - hand tinted Solar plate etching

2010-09-28T14:21:00.007-04:00

The Swan
2010
solar plate etching with hand tinting
open edition

I am in the process of creating a series of small miniature studies from left over ends of a larger piece of solar plate. Here is one of the first to emerge from the studio yesterday.
The swan study is from a plate (5 x 5 cm or 2 x 2 inches sq.). Here in the photo it is set into a 15 x 15 cm sq. mat (6 x 6 inches).
I scan the artwork and then using the inkjet printer print the artwork as grayscale onto a specially coated clear plastic transparency page. The plate was exposed to an artificial lightsource (UV emitting blacklight) in a homemade exposure unit. A double exposure method was used. The positive was set on top of the plate and a piece of glass clamped over top. First a fine dot aquatint screen exposure was made (1.5 min) which was then followed by the positive (3 min). The plate was developed in lukewarm water by scrubbing with a soft bristle toothbrush.
Subtle lines were added into the polymer plate surface using a drypoint needle to add a little definition into the bird. Then Graphic Chemical Intense black ink (modified with a little Easy Wipe compound) was applied to the plate and wiped using tartalan cloth followed with a surface wipe using yellow pages from an old phone book .
These were printed onto Magnani Revere 250 gsm suede white rag paper. The paper was soaked in water first for maybe 5 min and then blotted between white cotton towel with MDF board set on top.
Once the inked plate and paper pass under the roller of the my etching press I taped down each print onto a piece of plywood with butchers tape and set aside to dry.
A bit later using Daniel Smith and Fragonard watercolour I applied the colour tint into the water and the swans bill.
I apologize for the visible watermark in the print, this is just for copyright protection while the image is displayed online when a right click disable option is not available.

Monotype in Acrylic

2010-09-22T15:27:00.003-04:00

shore study - Lake Superior

The following landscape was created by painting individual layers of acrylic colour on to a sheet of Grafix Dura-lar wet media film that was laid over the top of a sketch.(as the film is clear and the sketch taped down underneath acted as a guide for painting).

Using a piece of masking tape I hinged a piece of Yupo paper to the Dura-lar. After each application of paint I flipped the paper over on top and burnished with back of a tablespoon. I could then wipe the paint remnants off the wet media film with a damp sponge cloth and apply the next layer of colour. I worked from lightest color to darkest and had to apply the paint quickly at first but then added some acrylic retarder which bought me a bit more time.

I am pleased with the loose impressionist feeling that it conveys however I might add just a slight bit more definition in the foreground foliage. The image size roughly 15 cm x 20 cm (6 x 8 inches).

The Yupo synthetic paper is quite different. To the touch he feel is slightly like a non-skid surface. It accepts acrylic nicely which builds up in thin layers on the surface of this product. I kind of wonder though what kind of effect another type of paper such as a heavier rag might have produced. May try another (not necessarily the same composition)

Loon study - solar plate with chine-collé

2010-07-04T11:38:00.011-04:00

Togetherness

solar plate etching / chine-collé

image size: 5 x 9 cm (2 x 3.5 in.)

paper size: 13 x 18 cm ( 5 x 7 in.)

open edition

I recently had the rare opportunity to get in close proximity to a pair of loons who were swimming & feeding along shore in a lake located in Quetico Park here in Northwestern Ontario. I had my Canon digital camera in hand and from behind some foliage got quite a few good shots of the pair.
One of the photo studies served as the inspiration for this new piece that I have titled "Togetherness".
It was created by first working the image on my pc and then transferring it in grayscale onto an inkjet transparency using black inkjet ink. I exposed the small piece of solar plate (5 x 9 cm or 2 x 3.5 inches) to an aquatint screen for 3 min and 30 sec which was followed by the actual image positive for the same time duration. Then the plate was developed with water and post cured again with UV light.

After inking and printing some proofs off the plate I decided it would look nice with the addition of a colour into the water. I just happened to have a small sheet of blue colour tengujo kozo paper (about 8 g in weight...a very thin and delicate handmade paper from the Orient). This paper came as part of a sample pack that I purchased from the Japanese paper place in Toronto. My thanks to Leah for her assistance and for choosing a great array of papers for me to try out.

I made a tracing of the loons onto drafting film and laying this over top of one of my earlier black and white proofs. I marked the corners of the blue kozo to the same configuration of the corners of the plate. A piece of black carbon paper was then carefully inserted between the tracing and the kozo and I drew over the tracing again which transferred the outline to the blue paper in the carbon ink. I then carefully cut the shapes out using a fine tip xacto knife.

The kozo then had a fine sprinkling of wheat paster powder applied (salt shaker with a piece of cheese cloth under the lid to diffuse in a fine powder) and then it was lightly misted with water. I carefully set the damp kozo on top of the inked plate (inked with Graphic Chemical Intense black oil based etching ink) and using a bamboo skewer I was able to move the paper and position it exactly to line up with the corners of the plate.

Soaked and blotted white Johannot 250 gsm paper was set over top, followed by a sheet of newsprint and finally three wool felts. The plate, paper and blankets were then passed under the roller of my etching press.

The pressure bonded the kozo to the Johannot paper and also picked up the inked fine lines from the plate.

A few of the black and white etchings that did not have the kozo applied have been hand tinted with watercolour such as the framed print below. Although this series is an open edition I am still marking each with a V.E. in pencil signifying varied edition.

Relief Printmaking workshop

2010-06-30T14:16:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I gave a workshop in relief block printing to 12 participants over a two day period in the town of Atikokan Ontario.

This was basically an introduction to linoleum block printing and for this each participant was given a 15 x 30 cm (6 x 12 inch) piece of softoleum, a Alvin linocutting knife kit, a 4 inch soft rubber brayer, a specially made foam core registration board with push pins, a variety of papers that included Kozo (mulberry), Frankfurt laid, Stonehenge, Subi block printing paper for proofing and also some Thai Unryu papers for chine colle application.
Due to the time constraints and the fact most were new to the medium I asked that their designs be fairly simple and limited to less than 2 or 3 colours. In addition to showing them a demo revolving around basic design, printing more than one colour block, cutting and printing techniques they also got demonstrations in how to apply collage using thin handmade tissues, rainbow roll and hand colour application.

We used Speedball water soluble inks to print with and each person then took home 100 gm (3.5 oz) plastic containers with lids filled with colour inks that included: black, white, red, magenta, yellow, blue.

The participants used hand burnishing to print their images from which a variety of tools for this purpose were supplied by yours truly.
All in all it was an exciting and productive weekend with many prints produced.

Wilderness - Exhibition opening

2010-06-09T09:51:00.009-04:00

artist and his work

entrance to the Pictograph Gallery - in the lower level of the Voyageur Mall in Atikokan Ontario

This past Saturday (June 5) was the official opening of my solo show titled Wilderness at the Pictograph Gallery in Atikokan Ontario. I had the honour of hanging the show myself and given the amount of wall space available chose to work an arrangement that would allow each individual work some spotlight. I chose to tag each of the work with floating text by printing title, date and medium onto translucent laser labels. Unfortunately due to the low ceiling and closer proximity of nearby walls the regular glass picked up reflections a bit too well in the photos so I apologize if this makes viewing difficult of some of the work in the attached photos . It didn't appear to be as bad viewing these in person though.

Although the weather turned out to be a bit cool and wet about 40 persons dropped by to view the work and learn a bit about printmaking from this artist.

The show runs until Saturday June 26. The gallery is open Tues - Sat from noon until 3 pm daily. The gallery phone number is (807) 597-4344 or one can contact them via the website link above for more information.
My friend Luke who was in attendance took some video footage featuring a close up of each piece. You can view the footage by clicking the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqocGep9L1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuGSZe1dglE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XASM8LsIyzA

installation of horizontal work

portable wall and end wall with view of vertical work

a fitting quotation that accompanies my work

a small wood engraving - one type of relief surface printmaking that is featured

a monochromatic study pulled from the surface of an engraved acrylic plate

Quetico French Lake

relief block print

finally... a big thank you to the hard-working staff and volunteers of the Pictograph Gallery (with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation) for allowing me the opportunity to showcase in this venue.

Also a sincere thanks to the Ontario Arts Council again for providing the support that enabled public presentation of this series of work.

The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario

Preview in local newspaper arts section of my upcoming solo exhibition

2010-05-27T09:43:00.007-04:00

A couple of weeks back I did an interview with Jolene Davis, a well known and respected arts columnist who writes for the Chronicle-Journal, our local newspaper here in Thunder Bay.
The article was published in todays issue (Thursday May 27) and was featured on the front page of the Arts and Entertainment section.

Unfortunately photos of a couple examples of the work that were submitted did not make it into the article, most likely to space issues and overall cost factor for printing images in colour by the publisher.
None the less I am quite happy with her review of my series and hopefully this will draw a few folks out to view the 40 pieces.
The show opens on Sat June 5 (noon - 3 pm) at the Pictograph Gallery in Atikokan ON (109 Main St. West in the lower level of the Voyageur Mall). It runs until Saturday June 26.
I will be present at the opening and will give a brief talk about the series and it's importance to me.
In addition I will also be giving an Introduction to relief block prints workshop in Atikokan on the evening of Friday June 25 (5 - 9 pm) and all day Saturday June 26 (9:30 -4. If you are interested in participating please contact the gallery at (807)597-4344 or email http://www.atikokanpictographgallery.com/

Home art studio solutions for small spaces

2010-03-25T13:31:00.013-04:00

Here is my print studio in a low ceiling poorly lit basement

I am considering buying and assembling a prefab satellite structure that could be housed in the back yard

Some of my artist friends are part of studio tours here and in other communities where they live and work. They have been fortunate to have spaces in their homes where they can have people come by and see them working on their art and also have a display of work on the walls for viewing. I have not been so fortunate to date with my own set up.
My partner and I live in a fairly old 1-1/2 story small house (it will be the grand old age of 100 in a couple of years) and since we have lived in it (14 years now) and has been undergoing updating in small increments as time and money will allow.
I have a small number of my art work in frames and hung on walls but they are scattered around the house. Some are not even really accessible to guests for viewing. So I have had to decline invitations to participate in studio tours to date. To be honest I am even embarrassed to have other artists see my printing studio...so I avoid showing it at all costs...until now that is (see photo above).
Anyhow I have been seriously thinking of late about trying to find space here at my home where I can have a prep area to work on designs but also have my printing area close by and a wall or two for gallery, in other words an all in one studio space. At present I have three seperate areas in the home I use. The large pine table in my dining nook (which provides wonderful natural light as it has 2 walls with windows) and is where I create drawings, do my block cutting and engraving, etc... I have another room (office/library) where we have our Dell pc and Epson printer/scanner. This is the room where I do photo editing, scanning of artwork and printing of transparencies.
Finally there is the printing area. This is an area in my basement that has a low ceiling (6 ft of overhead clearance...one has to duck under the main support beam when they are navigating around). It is a bit dark down here, it is not finished and can be damp in the warmer weather (not so great for an etching press). There is a dehumidifier that helps during the year when the gas furnace isn't running, plus have rigged up several daylight compact flourescent lights around my printing table and press, but....things could be better. Given that my health is getting more fragile as I age (especially with things like air quality and mold, dust allergies) it would be nice to be in a place where I can breath healthy, have natural light to work by and be able to have a work desk in one corner, my press and printing bench in another and also some area with organized shelving for paper, inks and tool storage.
Given that I do not have any other options inside of my home for a proper studio I may have stumbled across a possible solution.
One of these is something that caught me eye by accident while doing a Goggle search on art studios. It is called a Modern Shed. Given that there is a bit of free area in my backyard this just might be the solution I am looking for.
In the third and fourth photos posted below is an interior of one the sheds. I like the angled ceiling idea with the bit of light allowed in at the front at the top in addition to that from the windows. This structure for my own use would definitely have to be insulated given the area of the world where I live and would have to figure out a way to keep it heated in the winter (solar, small gas fireplace or wood burning stove?) and have a source of electricity (solar panel mounted on top or nearby perhaps or something immediate such as running an extension cable from my house plugged into an outside outlet?).
As an artist/printmaker who uses a lot of water soluble or water based mediums (enviro friendly non- toxic thankfully) I would most likely have to construct some form of washing up area (perhaps an acrylic laundry tub that could drain into a pail underneath). I really don't want to have to worry about complicated plumbing installation so I would try and devise a practical solution for this.
Then there would be security. Maybe an alarm system that could be powered off the solar battery? Luckily I have good neighbours close by who also are around a good deal of the time so that helps.

I also did a bit of Goggle searches and found other small structures (some prefab) which might work too.

This is an interior shot of a structure made by a company called Modern Cabana

and a company here in Canada manufacture perfab spaces such as this little beauty

Adventures with Monotypes

2010-03-03T20:35:00.008-05:00

I have been a little under the weather the past couple of weeks battling a rather nasty virus which had me finally resort to getting a prescription for an antibiotic. Although I prefer to treat ailments using homeopathy or naturopathic medicine, in this case neither was really helping to defeat this virus so hopefully the prescription will do the job?

Needless to say my energy level has been running at about 50% and also suffering with sore achy body. However have managed to at least create something that doesn't require a great amount of physical labour (as say carving a lino surface). I was able to achieve a couple of studies created using a type of printmaking that produces a one off image.

Below are two examples of painterly printmaking. Both are Monotypes.

The first pictured above was created by first sanding the surface on one side of a piece of thin plexiglass plate lightly using a fine grit sanding sponge. I then coated this surface with a thin layer of diluted dishsoap solution and allowed it to dry. Then applied pure watercolour pigment straight out of a tube using brush. You can also use water colour crayons or pencils.
This was allowed to dry. Using masking tape I hinged a piece of Masa paper to the edge of a an equal size piece of paper (the registration sheet) and then centered the plate and drew a pencil line around the edges to mark it's position. A fine mist of water was sprayed over the paper and then I folded it over to cover the plate. The moisture on the paper will reactivate the watercolour pigment which will probably have dried before being printed. Using the back of a metal spoon I used hand burnishing to transfer the reactivated watercolour onto the underside of the paper.

I then folded back the paper and removed the plate which I washed clean and repeated the process with coating the plate with the diluted dishsoap and applying a new layer of watercolour. The plate was again set into the pencil outline on the registration sheet and printed again using hand burnishing. I repeated this several times to build up a series of layers of colours.

The print is a bit organic in it's composition and the layering of colours created some interesting effects.

This is the plexiglass plate with the final colour (dark indigo) painted on the surface.

This is my second study and is a that uses a process of removing ink.

It was created by first coating a piece of plexiglass using a brayer coated with a thin layer of oil based black relief printing ink. Ink was removed from the surface of the plate (here is where the subtractive comes into play) using a variety of tools that included the pointed end of an old paint brush, q-tips, wood toothpicks and my finger tip with small bit of tissue wrapped around it.

The plate was printed onto damp Somerset paper. The plate was first set onto a sheet of white bristol board which had the plate outline marked in pencil in the center and cross marks in pencil to indicate where the corners of the printing paper should align. This was set on the press bed with the inked side of the plate face up. The paper was placed on top, then a piece of newsprint and finally three layers of wool felt blankets over top of everything. The entire works were then passed under the roller of the etching press and transferred the image to the paper underneath. This is the same routine you would use to print an intaglio etching althought not as much pressure is required. My plexiglass was thin enough that I didn't have to worry about bevelling the edges ahead of printing, If it were a little thicker then I would file a bevel so that both the print paper and blankets do not get damaged from the edges of the plate under the pressure of the roller.

The inked plate with details created by removing ink using a variety of tools.

New prints - Water in the Wilderness:Northwestern Ontario

2010-01-28T17:15:00.014-05:00

Quetico/French Lake

colour block print

2009

Posted below are a few photos that show some of the new work from my series titled Water in the Wilderness:Northwestern Ontario on display at Gallery Stratford
I addition there are several other prints from this series featured in a few of my previous blog posts

Artist Statement

We are living in a time of great concern with regards to the welfare of our planet.
Forces of change are occurring that are playing a major role in factors that affect the natural world and ultimately its survival. One important area of concern is water.
Water is of great importance as a basic element that provides sustenance for all life.
In nature it provides a source of nourishment and habitat for aquatic based life such as insects, fish, bird and animal life. It carries nutrients, minerals and the seeds of life in its flow. It is instrumental in shaping and defining the landscape through its own natural processes.

Water is also a common theme in many of the works I produce as a visual artist.
This connection may be due to the influence of having lived a good majority of my life along the shores of Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world. The region also contains vast areas of boreal forest that encompass a large number of fresh water rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and marshes. There is an incredible biodiversity that exists in Northwestern Ontario that is accented by an array of unique species of flora and fauna. All are dependent for their survival on a continuous supply of life sustaining fresh water.

I have had the good fortune to observe this relationship first hand during journeys by canoe to remote wilderness locations that use numerous river systems and portages between lakes. I have hiked on foot through the woods and followed along or directly through streams and shores and waters of lakes or ponds to reach interesting remote destinations. Many of these have been recorded and stored on my camera, which I use as a means of acquiring source material. This collected photo imagery often serves as reference material that is used as the basis for my work. The basic composition that I derive from a photo is then translated to an artistic study using a variety of traditional and modern printmaking disciplines. As that image develops either above or below the surface of a particular matrix it frequently takes on a life of its own. I will focus on a particular area or point of interest in the work where a fair amount of time is spent placing emphasis on details in the image.

The intention with this series of work is to relay some of my personal observations that examine the influence of fresh water in the realm of the natural world is it exists in the wild. I have a fascination not only with landscape which is a prominent component in many of my images, but also with the structures and forms that are found in the many varieties of organic life. With this series I have chosen to illustrate the important interconnectedness that exists between the landscape, living things and the element of water. I present these studies in the form of a visual diary that capture my experiences as individual moments that reflect a particular time and place. As forces of change proceed to alter these habitats and ecosystems these studies might serve as a record for future generations.
.
The images are derived from a variety of surfaces that employ several types of printmaking techniques. These include serigraphy, relief block, collagraph plate, intaglio plate and photopolymer gravure. It doesn’t matter what discipline is employed, for each one will present a set of challenges that force me to think about, learn from and ultimately expand my levels of skill and expertise in that particular medium.
Some of the images have incorporated the combination of media such as the addition of watercolour applied through hand colouring. The computer has also been used as a tool for creating positives in the photo polymer process and also printing of opaque positives that have been exposed onto photo-emulsion coated surfaces that were used in several of the serigraph studies on paper. Polymer plates are a more recent development that allow one to marry new technology with traditional printing processes in a safe non-toxic manner.

solitude
colour relief reduction block

2008

Superior shoreline - west towards Rossport

series II

various relief surface block print

2009

Pool

polymer plate photogravure with hand colour

2008

Young Deer Kamanisitiquia River

engraving

2008

Habitat

polymer plate photogravure / hand colour

2009

Water Mark - Gallery Stratford Jan 17 - Apr 4, 2010

2010-01-20T19:48:00.021-05:00

Water Mark as viewed in 360 degrees

My series titled Water in the Wilderness - a series of 25 hand printed images on paper

I recently returned from Stratford, Ontario where I attended the opening of Water Mark at Gallery Stratford. My series of 25 images on paper collectively titled Water in the Wilderness were created using a variety of printmaking disciplines and are part of this trio exhibition .

Also of note, the new works are featured in my brand new website which launched this week to coincide with the exhibition. You can view the Water in the Wilderness series as well as some older works still available for sale by clicking the following link: http://www.brianholden.ca/.

There is a link in the site to archives where you can view older artwork that was created using other mediums in addition to printmaking.

Gallery Stratford on Romeo St. in Stratford, Ontario. It was once a water pump house.

Besides being present for the docent walk through I also gave an address about my work to those in attendance during the opening on Sunday Jan 17.

The show also features a series of over 45 various size wood engravings by Stratford printmaker Gerard Brender a Brandis and a series of 12 aquatic theme monoprints by another Stratford based artist, Lucinda Jones.

Special thanks to Gallery Stratford staff and Carla Garnet, the guest curator who worked with the artists and facilitated the decision making for presentation of the work.
I also wish to acknowledge the assitance of the Ontario Arts Council. The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

left to right: Gerard Brender a Brandis, Carla Garnet, Lucinda Jones,myself and Zhe Gu Director of Gallery Stratford.

Opening reception for Water Mark on Sunday January 17, 2010.

Educational display case for Lucinda Jones

Educational display case for Gerard Brender a Brandis

Educational display for Brian Holden

The artists were also asked by the curator to supply materials for an education display showing tools, surfaces and source sketches and photo material used in the creation of our printmaking.

Finally....here is a looped video that was filmed on site as it appears playing on the montior in the gallery and is another component of our trio showcase.

It is composed of four short video clips, the first and last clips by yours truly and the middle two clips provided by Lucinda Jones. My segments were recorded last fall and originate from two remote Northwestern Ontario locations. This video display has been included as additional source material along with the items each of us provided for the display cases.

same block but with different ink and printing method

2009-11-22T11:07:00.005-05:00

I took the stryofoam block from which the images in the previous post were featured and this time around rolled on Daniel Smith oil based relief inks.

Carefully picking up the inked pieces with tweezers transferred them back to the registration board. I assembled these together using the tip of a bamboo skewer set into a spot on each piece where ink had not deposited. This allowed me to lift and push them to get that perfect fit.

I placed a piece of Stonehenge black paper over the inked block. I did not insert any push pins to hold the paper to the registration board. I did take an equal size piece of smooth tagboard and set this on top of the paper and block. I set this on my press bed and making some slight adjustments with the top roller created a passage underneath with just enough pressure to allow a nice even transfer of ink when the block passed underneath while the press bed was advanced.

demo relief print made from Styrofoam - jigsaw block technique

2009-11-19T10:37:00.007-05:00

Take out

styrofoam jigsaw relief print on black paper

I will be starting a project on Monday working with about 20 elementary school students (range of grade levels from four through eight). They will be creating individual relief based prints from the surface of a product called scratchfoam. The students will be learning a technique called jigsaw block. They first draw an image into the surface of the foam using ballpoint pen. Then waterbased ink is rolled onto the print surface using a rubber brayer and printed using a hand burnishing application onto a piece of paper that is set over top.

The foam is first bonded to a thin piece of bristol board using a high tack spray adhesive. The bristol board has a thin layer of water based varathane rolled on the bottom side to help waterproof it and to counter act the tension of the two materials brought together. This prevents it from curling when it is cut apart or when ink is applied to the surface. This sandwich thickness is still pretty easy to cut using scissors.

The black and white piece I have attached below illustrates an image drawn in pen on the 7 x 10 inch stryofoam plate that was not cut apart yet and was printed in just white ink on a piece of black construction paper.

The next step is to dissect the block which will allow it to be printing using a jigsaw technique.

I carefully cut the block apart using scissors and xacto blades. The trick was to follow lines already drawn into the foam and use these as a cutting guide .

I devised a registration board system so that a 9 x 12 inch piece of scratchfoam was reduced to a 7 x 10 inch block. This left 1 inch strips of scratchfoam which were set along the edge of a 9 x 12 foamcore registration board and held in place with masking tape. The inked pieces were reassembled back into this frame. Each of the 7 individual segments had a colour of ink rolled on and were then reassembled A 9 x 12 piece of black paper was placed over the block and held in place with push pins at top. The placement of the block contained within the one inch strips along the perimeter helped to center the block on the paper and left a one inch border around the image on the paper.

I found that Speedball ink has a tendency to dry quickly (even with retarder medium added) so had apply a spray of very fine water mist to reactivate it just before the paper was set over top and hand burnished.I usually spray about 15 - 20 inches above the block and let the mist settle gently and evenly on the surface. Unfortunately a little bit more water collected and caused a little uneveness in the light blue section under the crow and to the left side of the trash can. Anyhow those that work with Speedball might understand some of the challenges it presents.

I chose black paper as it provides the dark contrast to define the line in a positive image. If this was printed onto white paper then you would get a neg. image.The students should have some fun with this testing their skills in composition, colour application and exploration of shape, line, texture to name but a few key learning factors.

Another thing I have learned is that some of the Speedball inks such as yellow, red and blue do not print as opaque on a black background so by adding just a hint of white ink will help to increase the opacity. But in some cases the transparency factor can be used for effect (for example a pure yellow was printed on to the black paper in the grass section at the bottom of this image and produced a tint of green).

If I were to do an edition of prints from the foam block for my own collection (which I may still) would most likely would use an oil based ink and print these on a better quality of printmaking paper that is available in black such as Stonehenge, Somerset or Canson paper.

A combination of relief and intaglio

2009-11-14T15:32:00.003-05:00

This new print was born from the combination of two techniques and used one linoleum block. It is a study of the patterns found on the surface of water (in a bit of an abstract presentation). Basically what I did was wipe and force a water soluble oil ink (prussian blue) into the cut recesses of the block. The flat surface relief had a layer of light cerulean blue linseed oil ink rolled onto the surface with a brayer.

I soaked a piece of heavier white cotton rag paper and then blotted it between an old cotton towel. Setting my top roller for moderate pressure on the etching press I put felt blankets and newsprint overtop of the print paper (which was set on top of the block) and ran it under the roller. This pushed the damp paper down into the recessed areas and also picked up the ink from the surface. Some of the deepest areas of cutting did not get ink into them so they printed as slivers of white which add to the play of light on the surface of the water.

adventurous photopolymer prints

2009-11-10T12:42:00.010-05:00

Superior - A reflection

photopolymer gravure/hand colouring

2009

image size 12.7 x 17.8 cm, paper 25.5 x 30.5 cm

variable edition of 50

The Stream of Consciousness

photopolymer gravure / hand colouring

2009

Image size 12.7 x 17.8 cm, paper 25.5 x 30.5 cm

Variable edition of 50

Some recent explorations with interesting results created by crossing media.

Both prints are both derived from photos I have taken. They have been interpreted as prints by exposing the positives made from the photos onto photopolymer plates and printed as gravure impressions in paper using an etching press .

The application of watercolour into both helps to expand each image from the state of a single colour impression and makes each come to life in it's own unique way.

Superior - A reflection remains fairly close to the original photo in it's colour values. I was very fortunate a couple of years back to have come across a pool of water on the shore of Lake Superior which I thought actually resembled this great lake in terms of it's shape (when one looks on a globe or in an atlas). The reflection of the fir tree and branches plus the sky and the few loose leaves floating on the surface add to the overall impact.

This same image started off as a photopolymer gravure study but in a much smaller square format last year. It was created then as a contribution I made to a miniature print exhibiton sponsered by Graphik Vaerstad Print studio in Naestved Denmark. I found the imagery rather fitting for the fresh water connection and so have scaled up and approached it with a slightly different colour palette this time around.

The Stream of Consciousness approaches the presentation of image from a slightly more abstract perspective. I have applied an interferance copper wash over the print (blocked out the white areas using liquid frisket) and then more washes of cerulean and indigo, serpentine green and a hint of cadmium orange on top of each other. The frisket was carefully removed with a rubber cement eraser to reveal the white of the paper. The metallic effect of the interferance wash is evident when the print is viewed in certain light and from particular angles. It reminds me of some of those beautiful glazing effects sometimes one finds on dark colour pottery.

Both of the studies are part of a series of work that explore fresh water and it's relationship to me. It is my intention that they will be on display along with 22 other studies I have produced for a trio exhibtion that focuses on this theme in a display of printed images on paper taking place at Gallery Stratford in January 2010. The show is titled Watermark.

I apologize for the copyright text emblazened across the bottom of each image. Unfortunately I have not yet been able to find a right click disable option in the blog applications so in order to protect unauthorized duplication of my images I must resort to this for the time being.

Second Collagraph for water study series

2009-10-21T10:00:00.009-04:00

Looks like I am on a roll with the creative drive so spent part of the day yesterday constructing a new plate from which the above image was printed. Last night spent a few hours in the studio inking the plate and taking some test proofs. After printing this single colour first proof noticed that the plate needed to be trimmed slightly to square it off, that was easily done with a sharp exacto blade and cork backed metal ruler. This new study features the water's edge (lakeshore) with rock and cat-tail reeds with a slight reflection in a dark pool.

Again used tag board (dense thin cardboard used in bookbinding) for the base to which I glued pieces of styrofoam (thin sheet scratchfoam). I pressed coarse sandpaper into its surface and also drew into it with a ballpoint pen tip. The reeds in the dark pool were slivers of bamboo skewer that I carefully shaved off with a xacto blade and were glued to the cardboard. The top part of the plate was an assortment of organic matter such as dried fern tips and a bit of a cellulose modeling material called paper clay. Everything was sealed under a couple of layers of water base varnish when the glue had dried. Applied Graphic Chemical intense black etching ink mixed with easywipe compound with a small bundle of cotton cloth (dauber) and wiped it into the plate and then started removing ink from the surface areas using tarlatan and final wipe with tissue. Printed into Bockingford 250 gsm white paper.

detail from a section of the plate that shows thin layer of styrofoam with pen markings, some organic plant matter, bamboo shavings that were used to create the cattail reeds and paperclay for cattail bulb and some rock textures.

Everything was sealed under two layers of water based varnish

Below is a photo of the inked plate on the press bed awaiting the paper and felts to be placed over top.

My plan is to use the medium to create a series of images that concentrate on the theme of water in nature.

Collagraph - collage plate print

2009-10-20T14:46:00.006-04:00

I am currently working a small series of collagraph prints which are a combination of intaglio and relief printing surfaces.

The untitled work pictured above represents streams of water, one passing through a channel in rock and the other flowing over a ledge.

I may apply a bit of hand tinting to one of the proofs to see how the image might be affected. Another option is to dab small areas of colour ink to the plate using an a la poupée technique where ink is dabbed on with tiny bundles of cloth and selectively wiped. Poupée comes from the french word for dollies or dauber.

The base plate is a piece of tagboard to which I have applied glue and affixed elements such as thin pieces of scratchfoam (styrofoam product), living organic materials such as grasses and conifer needles, more cardboard and the odd scrap of fabric. Then acrylic based modeling paste was added using a brush and worked with the brush tip to create interesting textures. The rule of thumb is that anything with a low relief (and will not damage your roller) can be attached to the plate which is then sealed with varnish.

Here I have worked into the styrofoam with a needle and also by pressing coarse grit sandpaper and burnishing it to leave impression marks in the styrofoam surface to replicate the pocky texture found in igneous rock that is commonly found in the region where I reside.

Ink is applied and wiped into the lower recessed areas and also applied using a roller to the surface relief areas.

In this particular image I have applied one colour of oil based ink that coated the entire plate and then I carefully wiped away off surfaces using tarlatan (starched cheesecloth), tissue and old phone book pages.

I soaked a piece of 250 gsm rag printmaking paper for about 20 min. in lukewarm water then blotted it between pieces of newsprint and tissue until it was ever so slighty damp to the touch. The plate was set onto my etching press bed, the paper placed over top and then two layers of wool felts over that. It was passed under the rollers using a fairly tight squeeze (as the plate is a bit higher it doesn't require the same amount of pressure as that of metal plate etching).

Liking how the ink deposits into the recesses and with selective wiping creates a look similar to an etching with aquatint.

Water pool - along Superior (Solar plate print)

2009-10-16T16:49:00.010-04:00

Water Pool - along Superior

solar plate print with hand colouring

Image size 5 x 7 in. (12 x 18 cm)

paper size 8 x 10 in. (20 x 25 cm)

variable edition of 24

I used one of my photos as reference to draw a rough which led to the creation of the print.

Pictured above is the second stage on frosted drafting film from original sketch done in pen and ink and fine point marker with washes applied using thinned down india ink. The first rough sketch in pencil on paper was placed underneath the drafting film and was used as a guide to apply the washes first. Once these were dry I then added in the linework and dots with pen and ink. This was then scanned at 600 d.p.i. on my scanner and printed in grayscale onto an inkjet transparency.
Exposed the transparency onto a 5 x 7 inch solar plate using the double exposure method, first stage being the aquatint screen exposure followed by the grayscale positive. The aquatint screen acts like a halftone to pick up the lighter elements in gray from the image so as not to get a high contrast effect.

Printed on Canson Edition 250 gsm off white with Graphic Chemical Bone black ink. Colour was added using washes of watercolour.

Teaching Printmaking in the schools - Collagraph prints from Nature

2009-10-10T07:43:00.006-04:00

untitled

collagraph print

water based ink on rag paper

plate size 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inches)

I recently was contacted by a Gr. 5 elementary school teacher in Thunder Bay expressing interest in having me come and undertake a printmaking based project with his class.

This is for a program called Artists in the Fifth. This program has been up and running for the past few years where grade five students and their teachers in regional schools choose to bring in actual working artists (visual, musicians, dance and movement, writers,etc..) to the classroom and the children work directly with us on unique and exciting projects designed around particular themes. The results of these projects are then presented to the local community in a one day showcase called An Arts Fiesta which takes place every Feb. at our local community auditorium. The participating schools with the students and teachers are in attendance as are the artists who have come into their classes. In addition the public and local media are invited to come and participate.

The visual art creations are displayed on panels or hung on the walls while music, spoken word and movement pieces are performed on stage.
The theme this year for the program is Design by Nature.

The class I will be working with decided they would like to explore collagraph printmaking and so I decided to create an example print that illustrates what can be achieved.

For this particular study I incorporated natural materials found in nature such as leaves, blades of grass, conifer needles. These were adhered to a thin paper plate with PVC glue. I also added in some background texture to the plate by working a thin layer of acrylic gel medium in with a paint brush. When everything was dry and the gel had hardened I coated both sides of the plate with acrylic latex house paint. This helps to seal and waterproof and keep the tension equal on both sides of the plate.

I then applied waterbase printing ink to the plate surface by painting it on with a brush, dabbing it into recesses with sponge foam brush or small bundles of material. The ink was then wiped with rags or worked with my fingers until I felt it had reached a point where it was ready to print onto paper.
As the waterbase ink was starting to dry I applied a fine mist of water spray to the plate surface and also to the one side of the paper which was then set over top of the plate. Both plate and paper were set on the bed of an etching press and a rubber blanket was placed over top of the plate/paper. I passed the works under the roller of the press (it was set for a bit of a squeeze) but not as much pressure as one would require to print a etched thin metal plate.

Notice how the combination of pressure and ink picks up the fine structures found in each object especially the leaves and the cedar needles. This is a direct example of designs created by Nature as they are observed in the actual materials used. I have taken the natural components and arranged them in such a way to teach the students about composition, colour, texture and
the like.

Applying colour into a solar plate print

2009-10-01T10:03:00.008-04:00

Lichen Formation

solar plate print with hand colour

edition size of 40

2009

I finally got around to applying a bit of colour to this work which was originally featured back in my Feb. postings (without any colour application). This was derived from a photo I took and that was converted to a positive transparency and exposed onto a solar plate. Using my homemade UV exposure unit I used a two step process where the plate was first pre-exposed for about 3 minutes to a fine dot aquatint screen followed by an equal length exposure of the grayscale positive. Both the screen and the transparency positive were sandwiched tightly under a 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick piece of clear glass on top of the plate which was set on a dense piece of foam and wooden baseboard using plastic shop spring clamps.
The plate was developed using tepid water in a photo developing tray and using gentle scrubbing of the polymer surface with a soft bristle tooth brush.

It was then blotted quickly with newsprint and dried with warm air from a portable hand held hair dryer. The polymer was then set under the unit for about 10 min for a post exposure to cure (or harden) the surface coating.

I then inked the plate as you would a traditional etching and using Graphic Chemical Intense black oil base ink printed it into a slightly damp piece of Somerset Velvet 250 gsm off white rag paper.

The print was adhered onto a piece of board using gum backed butchers tape. I had set some aside into a storage bin in the studio and a few days back rediscovered those so decided to apply hand tint into the piece by first wetting the areas to receive colour and then allowing watercolour wash to bleed into the white areas of the paper to apply the colour tint effect.

photo collection - a slideshow with music

2009-09-23T11:22:00.006-04:00

I have put together a few images taken by yours truly and have created a video slideshow with relaxing new age musical accompaniment (Trust by Patrick O'Hearn - title track from the cd Trust - Paras Recordings 1995)

note: the photo with the three ducks is credited to my good friend Luke

*Unfortunately this cannot be viewed in a larger screen format due to size limitations with the default Adobe flash player in Blogger.

late summer journey along Lake Superior

2009-09-18T11:49:00.005-04:00

Mink Falls

accessed by a trail off Trans-Canada highway #17 between Marathon and Terrace Bay Ontario

I had a couple of good friends visiting from out of town so my partner and I decided to take some time off and treat them to a few excursions to wilderness places around the region. Needless to say with the entertaining did not accomplish too much in the studio the past few weeks however the time has come to return to my work.

Here are a few photo highlights taken during these journeys.

Wolf Camp Lake

Marathon, Ontario

Hattie Cove

Pukaskwa National Park on Lake Superior

Heron Bay, Ontario

Shoreline study from Ney's Provincial Park on Lake Superior

Transition of colour in Maple Leaf

The video above is of a secluded inlet on Lake Superior near Marathon Ontario named Carden Cove. It is pretty much undisturbed with rocky shore, white sand beach and boreal forest surrounding it.

small hand coloured etchings - regional studies

2009-08-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

This is another recent work which was printed from a solar plate. The image features sailboats in Thunder Bay harbour with the famous Sleeping Giant geographical outcrop visible in the distance. I created the clouds by first blocking out the paper with masking frisket and applying washes of watercolour. Each individual print has a unique sky and cloud formation.

Title: Summer

Medium: solar plate with hand colour (variable edition)

Plate size: 8 x 8 cm (3 x 3 inches)

Paper size: 15 x 15 cm ( 6 x 6 in)

Edition size: 50

Studio downtime

2009-08-17T14:20:00.010-04:00

As you may have noticed there haven't been a great deal of entries during the past month.

I have been occupied with some home improvement projects as I learned will be getting overseas visitors in early September of this year.
Then last week I came down with a rather nasty flu and followup cold that lingered for several days.
Since then have managed to dig out some small intaglio prints that have had hand colouring applied into. I am hanging these small works on a section of gallery wall designated for miniature art that will be made available for sale at a co-operative gallery in our city.

The example shown at the beginning of this post is a small study of tiger lilies that began as a grayscale photo image that was exposed onto a small piece of solar plate and developed. I added watercolour into the work. The frame I chose to use did not cost me anything for it was salvaged from a scrap bin (in it's original condition had dents and chips in the finish and wasn't really usable). I stripped off the old finish, sanded it and applied a golden hue waterbased stain and sealant. The print image size is 4 x 7 cm (1.5 x 2.75 inches) and is set into a 13 x 18 cm (5 x7 inch) frame with a simple white mat presentation.

photo images

2009-07-19T20:34:00.010-04:00

amongst printing in studio have been exploring with the camera lens. Here are a few recent photograpic studies.

2nd relief engraving - The Wild Rose (a botanical print)

2009-07-12T19:32:00.011-04:00

This botanical study of a wild rose blossom is a working proof printed from a small 1.5 x 2.75 inch resingrave block. I was using it as an exercise to practice cutting with a variety of engraving tools. I also received a small sample tube of Gamblin oil relief printing ink from McClain's and so had the opportunity to try it out with the block.

The first image is simple black ink proof printed on white paper. Below that is a hand tinted version that incorporates watercolour.

The image began as a drawing made onto an black india ink coated resingrave block surface with a fine point silver gel marker. Then using a variety of engraving tools I cut away the silver lines (but some non-drawn line cuts were made spur of the moment on the block).

A tip I learned from wood engraver/author George Walker's book The Woodcut Artist's handbook is to brush some chalk or white talcum powder into the cut lines as this will help the relief to become more visible while working on the dark block.

I have printed several proofs so far on a variety of different papers that include Gampi, Kozo, Somerset velvet rag and Arches cover buff.

The block was printed onto the papers using a cardboard tympan set over top and passed under the top roller of my small table top etching press that was adjusted to print using a slight pressure.

Linda Dell - Thunder Bay artist

2009-07-12T09:04:00.007-04:00

Continuing with the profiles of talented local artists I would like to introduce you to Linda Dell.

I have known her for several years (since she was enrolled in a Fine Arts program at our local university) and have really been impressed with her paintings. I love her play of dark and light values, composition & choice of subject matter but it is her colour palatte that really grabs my attention.

Linda has a website: http://www.lindadell.com/

I would highly recommend visiting and having a look at all the gorgeous work she has created and available for purchase.

Here are a few thoughts in her own words about what she creates :

"I am attracted to employing many styles of brushwork. The polished look of blended oils in an art deco work is just as appealing to me as the broken brushwork I sometimes use. The polished blending takes more time to accomplish so it balances my use of time to include works that involve the immediacy of less rigorous styles. Sometimes I will treat the same subject two completely different ways. "

I am interested in lines and edges of things. Many of my works have amplified edges.
I am also interested in the use of colour. The first thing I teach in my painting classes is colour mixing. I feel it is important for a visual artist to understand how to use colour and value.

Pale Yellow Iris

Pale Yellow Iris, 2008 oil on 10" x 8" canvas, is a flower painting done last summer. This charming little work was reserved before it was finished.

Ophelia Reconsiders

Ophelia Reconsiders is one of my most talked about works. (18" x 24")
It is filled with symbols and meaning making which speak to the issue of suicide prevention.

I enjoy teaching art at the local art supply shop and to youths at risk.
I often listen to music or audio books while I paint in my studio.

Jason P. Nelson - Thunder Bay Sculptor

2009-07-06T10:33:00.005-04:00

Octopus Marginatus

Alabaster and Hematite on a Granite Base

15x10x9,

2008

Jason P. Nelson

I recently became acquainted with a Jason Nelson, a sculptor who resides and works out of his studio here in Thunder Bay.
Jason has a website that features quite an array of some amazing sculpture created primarily using natural marble, alabaster and soapstone.
http://www.thestonesculptor.com/

This artist displays a real talent with the medium and obviously dedicates a lot of time carving the stone and getting every tiny detail to capture the realism of the subject.

final version of an earlier work

2009-06-29T00:03:00.007-04:00

Shore

relief block with hand colour

edition size: 40

image size: 2.75 x 3.5 in.

The image at the top of this post is a new version of a print I posted earlier in my blog

(the image just below the first)

http://myprintmakingjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/landscape-demonstration-print-for.html

I printed the original key block (cut from the Easy to Cut material) using black ink onto a piece of waterproof drafting film. While the ink was still wet I then carefully by eye aligned it onto an equal size piece of battleship linoleum. Then the image was transferred to the lino surface using hand burnishing with the back of a wooden spoon (rubbing the backside of the drafting film in a firm yet gentle circular motion.)

Once the ink had dried on the surface of the lino the black line image was used as a cutting guide (the transfer from the drafting film allowed the design to be positioned on the new block in the same directional layout as the original easy to cut block). I decided to incorporate a thin line border around the design for this version.

Another difference this time is that the print is derived from a single block. Colour has been added into the print with watercolour painted in by hand.

19 of the edition are slated as exchange prints with fellow printmakers through the WetCanvas printmaking forum.

Wilderness - new series of works on paper

2009-06-20T00:23:00.006-04:00

Late Afternoon - Algoma woods
drypoint intaglio from an acrylic plate
edition of 10
2009

A study from a new series of 24 prints I have titled Wilderness. Each image in this series is a depiction of some aspect of the untouched beauty found in the region of Canada I call home and have explored at different stages during my life to date. Some of the work focuses on landscapes, others portray flora and fauna in their natural habitats. I also explore different seasons and times of day.
Late Afternoon - Algoma woods is a single colour (monochromatic) drypoint that was created by drawing into an acrylic plate using a sharp steel needle. Ink was wiped into the recessed lines and the plate was printed into dampened rag paper under extreme high pressure forcing the paper fibers into the recessed lines to pick up ink while it was passed through the rollers of my hand turned etching press.
I will be posting more studies from the series as they are photographed.

Teaching Relief Printmaking in the schools

2009-06-09T09:10:00.008-04:00

I recently completed a 25 hour placement in a regional school where the students learned to make multiple colour relief landscape and other prints. This was my first solo venture as an arts educator into the educational system through the Artist in Education program which is offered to schools by the Ontario Arts Council. I have been active through another program here in Thunder Bay called Community Arts and Heritage Education Project (CAHEP) for the past three years running where projects I've offered have been selected by teachers/schools. Usually the time committment is much shorter for these in comparison to the OAC projects.

http://www.arts.on.ca/index.aspx

http://www.cahep.ca/

For this project the students learned relief printmaking from scratch and were given the opportunity to create a series of square format landscape colour prints.

Below are a couple of photos showing a few of the finished prints displayed in a horizontal panoramic type format.

To view a PDF file that gives the project overview and also includes a photo montage of particular stages of this project click on the following link:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7910101&postcount=8

the pdf file can be opened by clicking on the blue underlined text link which is located underneath the photos on the page.

Resingrave - a new type of engraving surface for relief printing

2009-06-01T20:13:00.020-04:00

The Marsh

relief engraving

block size 3 x 6.5 cm (about 1.75 x 2.5 inches)

Daniel Smith Black relief ink printed onto Somerset 250 gsm rag white

Above is a photo and close up of the engraved surface from my first print created from the surface of a material called Resingrave. This study is from a very small block and required viewing it through the magnifying lens of a swing arm daylight lamp while cutting the surface.
Here is a link to McClain's in Portland, Oregon. They are a relief printmaking supplier/retailer who sell the Resingrave product. They also have a wonderful online gallery of works submitted by many known and unknown artists.
http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/blocks/resingrave.html

Last year I purchased a starter set of six wood engraving tools from McClains (manufactured by Edward Lyons Co.) and several blocks of a product called Resingrave. This hard resin epoxy material is bonded in a thin layer onto a thicker layer below of MDF substrate base and is a synthetic version of hardwood. Since traditional boxwood is becoming an endangered species this was invented by a printmaker from California as a substitute. The blocks that I purchased are a new formula that has more resistance to chipping, something that unfortunately was a problem with the original formula and turned a few people off of using it. In addition to the resingrave I purchased a small leather cushion filled with sand to set the block on while cutting (this makes it easier to turn the block when you are cutting round lines). First I coated the surface of the resingrave with black india ink and when it was dry then I drew on top using a Sakura gelly roll white pen. When the surface area was cut away (using the white ink lines as my cutting guide) the contrast off white of the resin epoxy material was exposed, so this more or less shows you a bit of what your image will appear when it is printed in black and white (but in reverse).
I was able to locate a cabinet maker locally who possessed a fine tooth carbide blade and a table saw, he was able to cut down the larger blocks into smaller size pieces . I used a small tabletop etching press to print the block. I first created a set of runners made of compressed particle wood material (MDF) with a thin layer of easy to cut vinyl material glued on top. I wanted to make these the exact height as the resingrave blocks as they would be positioned under the roller to keep it level. Then I would set a 1/8 inch sheet of millboard over top of the damp rag paper which was positioned over top of the inked block and passed the works under the top roller with just enough of a slight pressure to allow a good transfer of ink onto the paper. In the photo you will notice that some of the uninked cut areas that define the sky were embossed into the paper creating a very interesting subtle 3D effect that is quite noticable when light hits it at the right angle. This is a technique called blind embossing.
I have also experimented with other papers including Masa oriental paper and Zerkall paper that is made in Germany. These are not soaked and will not reveal the wonderful embossing effect to the degree that a heavier damp paper will.

Below is a photo that shows the block surface with ink rolled on the flat surface and the resulting reverse image print.

The summer months are going to be spent with more exploration of this medium.

Tutorial in relief printing

2009-05-18T10:46:00.006-04:00

I have put together a step by step tutorial for students who are participating in a printmaking project I am involved with currently. It covers stages from preplanning right through to multiple block printing. Unfortunately I was not able to post the PDF files here so you can access these by clicking on the following link and clicking on the magenta colour underlined files towards the bottom of that post.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7848343&postcount=1

Note: to open and view the files you will require Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your pc .
You can download a free version at this link:
http://adobe.pdf-master.com/?s=goca&a=acrobat&gclid=CPyqj_WSxpoCFQgNDQodvRbdsw

landscape - demonstration print for teaching relief block

2009-04-30T13:18:00.010-04:00

Lake Superior shoreline study

five colour working proof print

speedball w/s ink on subi block paper

printed using hand burnishing

I am starting a classroom based printmaking project next week in a elementary school about an hour east of Thunder Bay. The students will learn to create several multiple colour relief block studies based on landscapes of the region.
The print pictured above is a piece that was created specially for this project. It is a study of rocky shore along Lake Superior. Will be using it as an example to show how to print a landscape using a combination of different types of relief surfaces (softoleum and scratchfoam in this case). It also illustrates how one can layer colours from different relief block surfaces to build an image.

Fig. 1 shows the initial pencil sketch which was scaled down to fit the softoleum block which became my master or "key" block.

fig. 1

fig. 2

Figure 2 shows the colour layout that I did in marker. This will serve as my guide for mixing my ink colours when the blocks are carved and ready for printing.

In figure 3 I have cut away the surface of a piece of softoleum with linocut knives. First I coated the surface using black permanent marker and then using my sketch as a reference I redrew the image on the black surface using a silver gel pen. The light silver colour lines and shaded areas were cut away to leave the surface areas that would determine the relief when it is printed using black ink. This material cuts very easily so I had to just lightly dig in with the tool tips to remove it. I wanted to create a bit of depth from the lower section so I went over that later with a larger U gouge blade to remove more of the rubber like material.

fig. 3

Fig. 4 is an example of a simple registration system for printing. One important observation I made is for exact registration the block height and horizontal level that the paper rests on the block should be about the same distance. Any variance in height can cause a slight misregistration when printing. To allow my paper to lay horizontally level on the 3/8 inch thick softoleum keyblock I found that a strip of 1/4 inch foamboard with a strip of matboard on top of this created a header bar to which I could pin my paper at the top of the registration board. What I did was tape this header bar to the top edge of a baseboard (cardboard). I also cut the baseboard to be the same size as that of the paper which is 23 x 30.5 cm (9 x 12 inches.) The paper was secured by applying four evenly spaced thumb tacks pushed through the paper into the foam strip underneath.

fig. 4

The blocks were secured in place for printing on the registration board by first centering the key block then taping strips of matboard around the sides and along the bottom edge. The additional blocks which were the same size as the key block fit into this U shaped brace. The paper was placed over top of the inked block, hand burnished and then carefully folded back and held down wiith one hand while I removed the block. Then you can remove the tacks and hang the print to dry until ready to print the next colour in which you match up the pin holes in the paper with the foam strip (the thumb tacks will fall into place easily when you find them.

A tip is to make a black dot by using a marker point around the pin hole on the foam strip. These dots can usually be seen through the paper. This helps to relocate the depressions in the foam where the tack points will depress when reattaching the paper to the board.

Fig. 5 illustrates several colours on the paper printed from the styrofoam (scratchfoam) sheets.

Sheets of scratchfoam were glued onto both sides of a piece of foamboard. First of all it made the block the same height as the softoleum block. The second benefit is that it also allows both sides of the block to be used.

fig. 5

Pukaskwa/Driftwood Beach - the finished print

2009-04-23T13:06:00.009-04:00

Pukaskwa/driftwood beach
colour relief blockprint
2009

Finally completed this study which started off as a single colour black and white print.
I wasn't satisfied with the hand colour application so made a decision to cut additional blocks and add in a majority of colour with ink. However a little hand tinting was still used in the driftwood and background foliage. It is hard to tell from the photo but the variations of the light washes of Payne's gray would have been too much work to try and capture printing off another block surface. It also simplified things to paint in the little area of green for the foliage as it is small and subtle. The ink printed a little darker than what was shown in the computer visualization, however the darker hues appear to add more drama which I don't mind at all.
The granular texture in the sand was created from the surface of a piece of wondercut linoleum which produced a grainy effect . This was intentional as the hint of texture added more interest into the image.
The two different colours of blue were printed from one block, the water section was cut away as a jigsaw insert, was inked seperately and then set back into place and printed along with the blue sky with one pass of the press roller.
In the process of printing an edition of 50.

Pukaskwa National Park - driftwood beach

2009-04-15T12:40:00.013-04:00

Continuing on with the blockprint series this is my most recent work. The above image is the first proof taken from the cut block which was printed in black ink onto Subi paper.
It is a landscape study featuring driftwood and washed up weather beaten logs that litter one of the many pristine white sand beaches located at Pukaskwa National Park on Lake Superior.

I plan to apply watercolour to a few and then possibly a series of prints created with the addition of colour blocks. The image below is a computer assisted colour visualization created using Corel software on my pc and overlaying bmp scan of the black and white print over top of the colour elements. This will help me determine the number of colour blocks needed and where each colour would need to be registered with the keyblock. I left some white area in the sky and behind the middle tree line area to indicate clouds which seem to increase the depth factor.

The block was glued down onto a masonite panel substrate and then cut with a variety of linocut tools plus one or two spitsticker wood engraving tools for fine detailing.

I refined the image a bit more with some additional cutting of the block. There is now better definition of the background foliage and also the water to the left side of the print.

The image developed by referring to a couple of digital photos that were taken last fall when we visited the park. Once again I blackened the surface of a piece of linoleum (13 x 18 cm or 5 x 7 in.), however this time used a golden cut variety instead of battleship gray. This allowed me to see the block as it would print (only in reverse) as the lighter areas of the block material would appear as white on the paper.

Below is the freehand sketch on the linoleum surface made with white Sakura gel pen.

The attachment below that is of the block during the cutting stage.

Wolf lake relief block with watercolour

2009-04-10T23:50:00.008-04:00

Wolf Lake - North View

Here is my first attempt at the application of watercolour into the image. Since the paper is a slightly textured 250 gsm rag suited for printmaking it also accepts the washes of the watercolour very nicely. The print was secured to a birch board by fastening with butchers tape around the edges to keep it from developing a permament buckle from the wash application.

Wolf lake - working proof

2009-04-07T17:54:00.004-04:00

I have cut the block and decided to print a test proof. The block had black oil relief printing ink rolled on and was printed onto Subi white blockprinting paper. I spotted a couple of areas that will be refined a little more with cutting tools before the final print is made. My intention is to print this in a single colour (black) on ph neutral paper like Coventry rag or Somerset. Then watercolour will be painted into the image.

The block size is 13 x 18 cm (5 x & inches).

Below is an example of a print I did in 2007 titled Lake Marie Louise which incorporates this hand colouring technique into a single colour of ink printed on to watercolour paper.

Block relief landscape - Wolf Lake, Northwestern Ontario

2009-04-05T12:39:00.004-04:00

Here is the start of a new study. It is a depiction of a place called Wolf Lake, which is found in a remote wilderness area about an hour and a half east of Thunder Bay (a bit of drive in off the trans Canada highway) near the small town of Dorion. It is accessible by a bumpy surface gravel bush road which follows the western shore of the lake for a good part. I had the opportunity to visit Wolf lake in August 2008 and from the many photos taken that day this sketch was derived. The shoreline on the eastern side of the lake is defined by escartment and cliff face giving one spectacular views from both above and below.

The area is part of the Ouimet Canyon geological system. The Wolf River flows out of the lower end of the lake and southward until it empties into Lake Superior.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0010131

The freehand sketch was made using Sakura gelly roll white and silver ink permanent marker onto a piece of battleship linoleum which has been darkened with a Sharpie Chisel point permanent black marker. The next stage is to mount the lino onto an equal size piece of masonite board to keep it flat for the cutting and printing stages.

Final version or not? you be the judge

2009-04-05T12:05:00.009-04:00

Being sometimes a little fickle about a particular image I am working on occasionally yours truly finds himself running into a wall. This has proven to be part of the problem with my cedar waxwing study. I wasn't sure about the busyness of the texture created by the lines in the sky area behind the figure of bird and stump in my first proof. So I took a risk and it was cut out. However after printing the background blend of blue fading to light blue and printing the reworked keyblock somehow it just seems to appear a little stark. On the other hand it places immediate focus on the bird which has had watercolour applied into to the white areas.

One of the problems is having a large border of white surrounding the image during the printing. I have been trying to view this with a colour of matboard surrounding the image, for that may resolve the starkness somewhat by reducing the white outside of the image, which would allow the white elements within the printed area to become more visable.

Having modern technology available for use as a visualization tool, was able to scan an earlier proof (with the background cut marks) and then isolate the marks as saved bitmap file. They have been visualized as overlays in different colours so I can determine if adding in an additional block might add more interest into the image.
So far have had mixed comments from friends and fellow printmakers who have viewed my ideas as to which version works for them. A few have preference to the print in it's current version (without any background texture) but one or two have favoured the black cut mark version. Again here is the age old dilemma of everyone's different personal preferences.
Think the easiest thing for me to do at the moment is set it aside and return at later date. Removing the familiarity of the image with a lapse of exposure sometimes gives me a fresh perspective.

Cedar waxwing block print - mid stage developments

2009-04-01T15:56:00.008-04:00

Continuing with the new block print I have now created a second block from which the colour ink that defines the background sky will be printed. However first I decided to mount the linoleum keyblock onto an equal size piece of masonite board to help keep it flat and also allow a better application of ink with the roller. I simply glued the two pieces together and set a weight on top until the adhesive had completely dried.

For the background sky block I am using a piece of easy to cut vinyl mounted on top of masonite. This keeps it the same height as the keyblock and will not create an offset on the print paper due to height variance. I traced an outline of the bird and stump shape with carbon paper onto the easy to cut vinyl and then cut it away with a U gouge knife blade. I also trimmed back the material around the perimeter of the block surface (about .3 cm or 1/8 inch). When I overprint my opaque black keyblock the black line will cover over this gap.

Easy to cut vinyl mounted on masonite board and inked using a roll blend from dark to light

My Japanese soft rubber brayer hanging on hook with blend roll of ink applied to the (24 cm or 9.5 inch long) cylinder awaiting application on the block surface

The background sky block is printed first (ink was applied using a blend roll where dark and light blue are blended together and applied by roller onto the block). Notice the white open areas that define the shape of the bird and the tree stump. These will remain white underneath the black key block outline and will allow me to apply watercolour to add the colouring in the bird.

The block ready to be printed using the press roller. I will set the paper over top and secure that usingthe three hole punch (the blue plastic and metal on the left hand side. A thin paper board is set over top of the print paper and it is passed under the press roller transferring the ink to the paper.

I have decided that the variation in colours in the bird itself would be a bit tricky to cut blocks to print due to the small area of colour needed, therefore I will apply watercolour into this area by hand. I have cut back all the line (aside from the perimeter border) on the key block to allow the bird to stand out. The colour blend in the background will act as the area of interest around the bird but not take away from the focus.

Next post will feature the key block printed over top of the blue and one of the first hand coloured finished prints.

early stages - new block relief print

2009-03-28T16:37:00.006-04:00

In continuing with a bird theme I decided to do a study from a photo I took last year of a cedar waxwing perched on top of a dead birch tree stump.

I put the photo in front of me and then by eye sketched freehand right onto a piece of gray battleship linoleum that was first coated in black ink from a broad tip waterproof Sharpie marker. The sketch was made on the black using a silver ink extra fine point gel marker. It dries quickly and won't smudge when the lines are dry. The contrast is great and allows me to use the lighter line as my cutting guide.

For this study my plan is to leave a thin line in the keyblock that will be around the print. I also want to add colour so may cut and print several more blocks or I may just apply hand colouring, haven't really decided yet.

I cut away at the block with a variety of gouge shapes but mostly a large U shape gouge for the broad areas that will define the sky. I then carefully added fine line detail in the bird using a wood engraving spitsticker tool.

Then it was time to roll ink across and take a test proof to determine how much more I still need to cut away. It is hard to tell in the background sky what lines will show up until ink is rolled across the surface. Here is the resulting proof produced on bond paper with w/s ink.

I think the sky is a little busy for my taste so will remove more line (but leave a hint here and there just to add a little interest.) Adding colour into the print will also give it a whole new dimension so may do a marker or watercolour rough mockup first from which I can decide how things will work.

A small photo based etching with hand colouring

2009-03-25T19:33:00.012-04:00

The print above developed out of some shots taken with my digital camera last week. Using the zoom lens I was able to capture some nice studies of a small Northern Shrike who was sitting on a lilac shrub branch in my back yard. There is a good sized colony of finches and sparrows around the property who find shelter over the winter in a fair number of old growth spruce and cedar trees that border the yard, and a few predatory birds have been known to stop on occasion to make a meal of one of the small songbirds. Although I did not see this Shrike kill I believe that this was the case. This birds presence also signalled that spring is very close due to migration.

From the photo I was able to print a grayscale positive onto an inkjet transparency sheet, then it was exposed onto a small square solar plate (7.5 cm or about 3 inches square) with UV light from my homemade exposure unit. Followed this with a scrubbing in warm water to develop the image into the polymer and when plate was dry I filed the corners to round them. The sides of the plate had a bevel created by shaving the edge of the polymer coating with a sharp utility blade knife that was drawn towards me angled at 45 degrees.

An application of bone black oil base etching ink was wiped into the recessed lines, and finally the surface received a polishing using yellow pages torn from an old phone book. The image was printed into damp Coventry rag paper passed through my small etching press with 3 layers of felts set over paper and plate.

Once the print was removed from the press fastened the paper to a small wood panel board with butchers tape around the perimeter and when it had dried applied subtle watercolour washes to the image. I first painted on some liquid frisket in spots around the edges of the bird's body and the branch top and bottom. When it was removed it left whitish highlights of the sun defining edges.

Will print an edition of 20 (all variable) since they are going to have hand colouring applied into each one.

First Proof of three block print

2009-03-19T23:02:00.009-04:00

Quetico - French Lake

I finally managed to make some studio time over the past couple of days to print each of three blocks to determine the outcome of a new relief print featuring a regional landscape.

This proof was printed using water soluble ink on Canson Edition ph neutral white paper.
I am happy with the result so have decided to print as an edition of 25 (although I may go for 50).

There are two layers of clouds, the first set are just simple white shapes cut out of the block and then ink was rolled across as a fountain blend effect (darker blue fading to a lighter tone that established the sky and foreground water).

The second block had a transparent light blue gray ink layer printed overtop to define shadows in the clouds. The final third block in black defined the foreground rocks, the distant island and treeline. Had to use fine tip engraving tools to create the small edges in treeline and broken reflection in front of the island.