August | 2011 | Beth Emmott

Archive for August, 2011

Print Class: Last Class

August 17th, 2011

It’s been a week since my last post. There was no class last week and that worked out as I had planned to go to Maine with the Garden Gals and visit the Main Botanical Gardens at that time. That’s a post for another day, but needless to say I didn’t get any print making done while I was there. I did pick up my work from Thurs before I left and here are two scans: one of one printed by hand at home and one on press at school. Still a bit rough but improving.

Two Tone Green, printed on press and Tan, printed by hand.

When I got home from Maine I reworked my design to include the whole image, scanned it and placed it into Illustrator where I redrew it to get clean lines and to delineate where I was to cut and not. I was able to transfer it to my larger block and begin cutting.

Working on my last print for this class.

Didn’t get it cut in time for class but I went anyway to show where I was and to get some feedback. This was my last class. I will finish it and try printing it by hand but now I am at a point where I want to drop back and hone my skills (I do like the design). I purchased some better paper on the way home and have down loaded David Bull‘s e-book on Japanese woodblock printing, Your First Print. So, the adventure continues!

Print Class: Review

August 6th, 2011

Thurs. I printed my new test block. At home I hand printed it using a single brown I mixed and then in class I printed it on the press to see the difference. In class I also experimented with different colors on the same block. Half was a warm light green mixed with a bit of copper and the other half was a darker cool green. On some of the prints I tried making different areas of the block different colors.

Mixed ink showing warms and cools.

Later in class we had a review of our work at this stage. Work was spread out on the table, artist statements were read and progress was discussed. Now we have a week off and then two more sessions of class. One will have a speaker plus some work time and then the final critique.

Work on table for review.

Print Class: Tools 2

August 6th, 2011

Knives and chisels mean sharpening and here we have another learning curve! My dad always sharpened everyone’s knives in my family. He enjoyed this and as he would visit family on my parents yearly trips from their retirement in Florida he carried sharpening stones etc and people from Maine to VA waited for him to sharpen their knives. So, I never learned to sharpen knives let alone rounded and V shaped chisels. Again, out of the basement came an assortment of sharpening stones inc. a Japanese King Combination Water Stone which I have set aside until I master the western stones.

Test result with mallet.

My current favorite tool is a wonderful leather mallet. As I have been testing my mark making with wood blocks I have used my knife and chisels alone. Two days ago I got to the stage where I was trying to carve out larger areas (large is relative as I am working on blocks about 5.5 x 6.5 inches).

After a few hours of very slow going I realized that my neck muscles were speaking to me and this was not working. So I spent a day doing stretching exercises and yoga for my neck and back and working on other projects.

Then the other day I was carving and picked up the mallet. All of a sudden the instructions I’ve read on how to hold these tools etc made sense and the work was much faster, and finer. I have much more control and while I have lots of practice ahead, I can see that this can work. Bob says with all the tap, tap, tapping I sound like Geppetto!

Print Class: Monoprints

August 5th, 2011

Picked up my dried monoprints from last class. Used some copper ink which was fun. Also fun how everyone is different yet based on the same design.

Monoprints based on design for woodblock.

We had to write “Artist Statements” for our work for class. Here’s mine:

My latest work is driven by the contents of a forest floor. Wild fungus in particular. Not there, then over night, all over the place. Strong yet fragile, some awkward, some ethereal. Studies of unity and contrast.

I enjoy the process of making art, the observation, the digesting and the turning my thoughts over and over. Exploring methods and processes which match the subject. I like the equipment I work with, the environment, the labor involved, the culmination of a life’s input.

I seek to find order but usually my favorite work is serendipitous. I do all the prep, study the subject, experiment with ways of expression, explore mark making appropriate to my concept, ready my space, ready my tools, and medium and wait for the work to begin. It always takes on a life of it’s own and therein lies the adventure, that is what obsesses me and brings me back.

Print Class: Tools

August 3rd, 2011

Another medium, another set of tools to get hold of and to learn, and another set of muscles to learn to use.

I had a few things from working with linoleum blocks a number of years ago. One handy thing is a metal stop (a bench hook) for the wood I’m working on. Keeps it in place as I push against it. I did modify it with a rubber mat under it and a sticky woven rubber mat on the surface to keep my block from sliding about.

Bench Hook with both mats and block in place.

I also have a few brayers and a plastic baren (I covet a nice traditional Japanese Baren) and some inks—water and oil based. Bob had given me a nice chunk of glass about 10 inches in diameter and 1 inch high that I use for preparing ink. Don’t know where that came from, probably Edmound Scientific, years ago. I posted a picture of these in an earlier post.

With wood I need better knives and chisels that the speedball handle and cutters I have. Again, Bob’s workshop supplied several sets.

Wealth of knives and chisels.

One is a very sweet set in a wooden box with its own sharpening stone. He thinks it was his father’s. Another set was by Millers Falls, who no longer makes wood carving tools, and a third set by Hirsch which he claimed I gave him years ago but I don’t remember and a tiny set of Dockyard Micro Carving Tools that come in a little canvas carrier.

So, I seem to be set with sharp things for now anyway! Actually after a lot of experimenting, I’m mainly using a knife from his Dad’s set and a rounded chisel from Millers Falls for my current project.