Daisy wood block

This is my first attempt at posting to the blog, hope it works??? I started carving a new block based on my dream. The subject, in my dream, was my daisy. So far I have done a pencil drawing directly on the block and carved the outline with my hanga knife. A small part has been carved away. At first I thought this block might splinter easily, it has given me no problem so far. This block is maple and has a lot of grain, hoping to get some of the grain to show in the print. I am planning to leave space at the top for pins, think I will try white line. Otherwise this will be a reduction print.

Daisy #1

White Heron in Snow

For my latest print I wanted to include some of the traditional Japanese techniques. Here is the background block which will later be used for three more impressions. Note the traditional kento registration marks. Image size is about 3 X 9.5 inches.

The first color impression shows a very beautiful wood grain pattern for the background color. The block is made of birch plywood and Japanese hosho was the paper selected for these prints.

The baren flattens out the paper in the color areas leaving behind whites areas with a light embossing (karazuri) effect. Actually what we are seeing is the natural thickness of the paper !

For the next impression I tried a "double" gradation (bokashi). Using the same background block as before a little pigment and paste was applied to both the top and bottom of the block. First I brushed in the gradation at the bottom of the image (pigment area on brush toward the bottom) then carefully turning the brush around (pigment area on the brush now towards top) I brushed on the gradation at the top. Proper brush alignment is key during gradation to keep the paste and pigment areas from messing up. The impression was then taken with the baren. Although not traditional the white cardboard pieces are used to keep the edges of the print smudge free, they flip out of the way while applying color to the block and then flip back in place just before placing the paper on the block.

Here is the before and after photo for the "double" bokashi.
Proofing for the desired amount of bokashi turned out to be as tricky as getting the same results on every print. Eventually I settled on one of the darker tones near the right of the photo. In case you are wondering the sharp metal tool in the photo was used to cleanup the small crevices from accumulated pigment.

A third and darker gradation was applied at the top of the image for additional contrast. The key block was next and a black/blue tone was used for the branches, tree trunk and legs. Not happy with the original heron beak I had carved it was removed from the block and I went ahead printing what you see here. Then the final color impression for a new beak and eye. For the last impression no color was used. The still moist prints were placed back on the now dry background block and heavy embossing (kimedashi) was obtained by carefully pushing the paper into the carved out crevices (tree branches, trunk and heron body). The moist paper expands and takes the shape of the carved out area. The tools I used for pushing the paper were a popsicle stick and for tight spots the tip of a golf tee. This last photo shows the verso side of the print. Note the feather and wing pattern on the heron's body. As the paper dries the embossing remains. Thanks for checking out my work.....Julio

Daniel Kelly's "Highfire" 2008

Idaho born printmaker/painter Daniel Kelly resides in Kyoto Japan since the 1970's when he was a student of Tomikichiro Tokuriki. Back in the early days of "Baren" Daniel was a frequent contributor to our discussion group and now once again via Friends of Baren Forum on Facebook.
Using a mixture of old and new techniques in the making of this print Daniel shares the step-by-step process (woodblock, chine-colle). See the video of making "HIGHFIRE"
For more info visit Daniel's website at: http://www.danielkellystudio.com/

Cervidae Arboreous

New woodcut reduction from Nathalie Roland I printed these for the Tree Show at Giant Robot SF which opens this Saturday July 14th. Image is 12" x 17.5" varied edition of 14 carved on scrap wood from my friend's candy shop construction.
1 color 2 colors and the final color

New print for Nude Exchange

My print for Exchange #29
Here are some pics of one of my latest prints. It's a three-step reduction print carved on 3/4" birch-ply and printed in traditional Japanese style. I have included pics of the block at each step. Click on any of the images to see an enlargement.

Step #1 - Background Yellow color

Step #2 - Light skin tone

Step #3 - Dark skin tone

Final Image

Happy Christmas with my first print

Merry Christmas everybody. I thought I'd let the world see my first very modest little print, "Catching Snowflakes". 6.5 x 5cms. (So I think the image you can see below is about 4 times bigger!). I've had to fit it in around a busy work schedule, but it's gone out as a Christmas card to select friends and family, and via this blog, to all at Baren.

Only 3 blocks, black, blue and red/light pink.
Considering it's my first attempt at anything like this before, I'm quite pleased, and I've learnt far more by doing than I have by just reading, especially when it came to printing. I just want to get stuck into my next one now.
Merry Christmas everybody.

Impression of Griebel in Schleswig Holstein, Northern Germany

Printed on Holland paper with Lawrence linseed oil inks cut on Cherry 25cmx12cm and based loosely on an original sketch at : http://homepage.ntlworld.com/h.french1/sketchone.htm
It takes too long to update my website. This system is much better ; that's if members are clicking on from the main Barenforum! Harry Lincoln UK

Website Update

Bareners, I am conscious of flooding the Latest Prints blog with my work, so I’ve updated my website instead. My prints are all on : homepage.ntlworld.com/h.french1/NEWWORK.htm Regards to you all, Harry Lincoln England UK

S.F.

this is my latest print. i redid the inner part of my steamroller print to a more manageable size (12 x 12) and also left in more of the water, which i think looks much nicer.

Stone roof tracery : Gainsborough Old Hall : Lincolnshire : UK

230 cm x 200 cm : birch plywood : three colour reduction cut. Aqua Kolor inks on Holland paper The seventh print in a series of Moku Hanga printed illustrations of this Medieval building (1460AD). All the best for the New Year. Harry

year of the dog

(click on the image for a larger view)
so here is my print for the year of the dog exchange. they'll go in the mail tomorrow and will hopefully be in your homes soon! below is all 70 of them laid out drying! best, brad

The Oriel window : Gainsborough Old Hall : Lincolnshire : UK

30cm x 20cm : Birchwood plyblock : printed Moku Hanga technique. Six variant, reduction prints on Gampi vellum paper with Akua inks.
Regards, Harry

Gainsborough Old Hall

26cmx14cm : Birchwood plyblock : printed Moku Hanga technique.
I was delivering Baren brochures to the Gainsborough Arts Centre and came out with an unexpected exhibition opportunity to produce work from the immediate environment. I set about sketching this old hall which was a place of worship for the Separatists before they moved to Amsterdam and later to America. I hope to call the exhibition “West meets East" : just eight woodblock studies of Gainsborough Old Hall cut in the western tradition and printed in the eastern manner..or something like that.. I did not intend to print them Moku Hanga because of my inexperience in the technique, however, as I have signed up for the #27 Moku Hanga exchange (Mythical beasts) next year these prints are a trial run. I am only showing about eight prints so not to bamboozle the audience and maybe include a display as to how the prints were done..or maybe I’ll just exhibit and leave out the educational bit which would make a refreshing change! Harry Lincoln UK

Letting Go - Second Color

Second color, alizarin crimson, applied to my reduction print. Almost finished carving for the third and last color.

Wedding Gift Woodcut Edition

Hello all, Here is a woodcut I did as a wedding gift for the 2 folks pictured. I gave them an edition of 12 figuring that they could then give them to friends and family. So thats 12 of my prints out in the world and 0 in my drawer (except 2 APs, just in case) - usually it's the other way around! Size is about 9"x12".

What I did this summer

Hi all, This past summer I was able to attend two Japanese woodblock workshops. One at a local community college taught by April Vollmer (and where I served as her unofficial TA) and I one at the Penland School of Crafts, a two-week workshop with Keiji Shinohara. In April's class I complete one print (San Francisco de Asis)and in Keiji's class I completed 3 prints--as well as practiced bokashi. If I've done this correctly (this is my first blog posting), I'll have 4 images along with this entry. Take care, frank
San Francisco de Asis Serengeti Plain Summer Gingko Nuestra Senora de los Dolores

New Web Site and Woodcuts

Hi everyone. Here are a couple of brand new woodcuts. These images are from an abandoned nuclear plant construction site in South Carolina. The reactor was about 3/4 built, then they just abandoned the project. That was more than 20 years ago and the site has remained untouched (except for lots of fresh shotgun shells and beer cans). It's a very eerie, surreal place.




I climbed to the top of this tall observation tower that overlooks the whole site. I was unable to get onto the little deck at the very top because a hawk had built a huge nest over the entry hole. 2 hawks were circling the tower the whole time I was on it. I guess they were making sure I wasn't there to evict them.





Technical: 4 colors each, 1/4 inch birch plywood, Graphic Chemical litho inks on Arches Cover through the ol' Dick Blick Econo-etch.
Also, I just totally redesigned my prinmaking web site: www.danielallegrucci.com so check it out. Thanks, Dan Allegrucci

Two Hand Reel

Here's my Newest Print 29 colors, lino block, on hosho student paper using graphic chemical water based inks. Kento registration.

Castle Schuyler House -- Happy 33rd Anniversary

I carved this over the summer as an anniversary present for my husband. It's a creative redrawing of the Norman Keep at Castle Cardiff. Bill tweaked it from a friend's photo to make it look more like his business logo. Perfect for my purposes! The castle is Bill's, the bucalic scene is mine.
The trick has been to keep him from seeing it before the 9th. I'm fairly confident he won't look in here. ;->
Woodcut on Baltic birch, 9"x12". I utilized the direction of the grain for the cloud action, but it fought me all the rest of the block. I'm wondering if Belinda DelPesco's technique of staining the block then using polyurithane wouldn't have helped with all the chipping. I may try that for the next one.

The Bookkeeper

This is a watercolored etching. I used cool primaries to color it. I'm always mixing up my warm and cool blues, so I'm hoping this will help me keep them separate. Next is a dragon all in warm colors.