![]() ![]() This keeps me from smearing the ink and making a mess as I work on the block. The talc absorbs into the ink, removing the tackiness, leaving the surface of the ink dry. baby powder, makes the block smell nice too). I brush the block with Talcum Powder (i.e. Woodblock with transfered image – The process I described above results in a block with the ink from the first block transferred to it.As long as I align the mylar with the block correctly, the result is a fairly precise transfer of ink from one block to another. I take a fresh block, align it with the mylar, and rub the mylar against the block. Mylar is a plastic, and the ink largely remains on the surface of the mylar (in other words, it adsorbs instead of absorbs the ink). To achieve the required precision, I print the first block on a sheet of mylar. This requires a more precise process than when I transferred the sketch to the block (as described above). Mylar Transfer Paper – After the first block is carved, I transfer the image to the other blocks.The blocks that define the arch will be bounded by the blue of the sky, so I carved the sky first. I then press the sketch against the woodblock, and rub the back of the sketch, making the pencil lines transfer to the block. To do this, I draw a heavy line around the edge of the image with a soft pencil, my 6B or 9B. First Carved Woodblock – When I am satisfied with my sketch, I transfer the image to the first block.The third color, the reddish brown color will be created by overlapping the two other colors. One block will print the light yellow areas in the sketch, another will print the dark areas shown in the sketch. My plan is to use three blocks, one for the blue of the sky, and two for the arch. I started with pencil to get the overall shapes correct, then added color to figure out how many blocks I would need to do what I want. Graphite and Color Pencil Sketch – Before I touch a woodblock, I sketch the image to solidify my plan.The numbered descriptions below the image describe each item in the picture below.Ī woodblock print in process of being developed (click to enlarge) I took a picture of the assortment of materials I was working with to show and describe to you. As I was working, I realized I was at an interesting point in the process that illustrates how a print is planned and how the image takes shape. All my work was printmaking grunt work over the weekend. I haven’t written much about process hell, but it is when my work consists of carving, mixing ink, rolling and printing blocks, making sure images register, cleaning up ink (and hands, and rollers), preparing paper, and other tedious bits of the printmaking process. This weekend I found myself in the middle of process hell. I sketched Druid Arch while I was out there, and I am developing this woodblock print from the sketch and from photos I took. This arch stands up above a rock plateau at the end of a canyon I reached 6 miles into this desert canyon. It is a challenge to capture the entirety of this experience in a small printed image. It is vibrant, and when I looked at the arch with the sky behind it, the blue began to vibrate and pulse with brightness and luminosity. ![]() Most of all, the sky in the desert is blue. The rocks themselves are rich reds, oranges and whites, cut by the dark shadows against the rock edge. The rock edges are smooth in places, weathered by who-knows how many years of water and wind, yet in other areas the edges are sharp and hard, where the water worked its way into the rock, eventually causing it to break apart quickly and fiercely. The rocks are large, massive, un-moving, yet arches like Druid Arch look fragile, like the slightest push could topple the entire thing. ![]() The colors and shapes of the desert strike me the most. I drew this arch then, and I am printing it now. When I turned my head to the left, I saw this tall arch, standing 100 feet up in the air above this plateau. Druid Arch, at the end of Elephant Canyon ![]()
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