Test Prints

I tested the maze print tonight. I'm still experimenting with getting the right amount of ink on the roller, but I did manage to get one good print out of seven.


I would really like to test this stamp using oil-based ink because I think I would get a cleaner print. However, oil-based inks are messy and definitely not a Tuesday night experiment.


P.S. Check out the awesome bumper sticker my buddy Robin slipped through my mail slot yesterday. Reunite Gondwanaland. Hilarious!

Touchdown!

When I started carving my maze lino block this afternoon at around two o'clock I assumed that I had lots of time to finish and test the print before the Superbowl (Go Colts!). Not so. Seven hours later, I was still chiseling out the last few lines (give or take a few minutes for pizza eating).



Minus a few hand cramps, the carving went smoothly and I'm really excited to see how the print turns out. But right now I've got to get back to the game!

A-Maze-ing!

My experiments with the trapezoidal prints on the weekend reminded me of an old passion I used that have for drawing mazes. The trapezoid prints were all narrow, straight channels and as I carved them I kept thinking about how cool it would be to create a labyrinth print. I started drawing mazes in high school to avoid doing actual math equations on my graph paper, and while creating mazes might not have helped me on any of my math exams, it certainly paid off tonight when I made my first attempt at designing one on a big 5x7 lino block.

First, I mapped out a very tiny grid.


Then I traced out the correct path as well as a few phantom ones to give the maze some structure. After shading in most of the correct path, I think started filling in the dead ends, erasing in certain places to ensure that I left lots of wrong options, bad turns, and dead ends.


It took me a little while to remember some of the techniques I used to use to fill in tricky spots (a much harder task than I originally anticipated), but then end result looks pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that for the time being I'm officially going to list this as Number 25 - Experiment with one large-scale lino block print.


Now all I have to do is carve it!

To Alter or Not To Alter...

Lately, I've been feeling the urge to make a few modifications to my 100 goals list and this has lead to a bit of an artistic crisis. I originally conceived of the list as a written-in-stone kind of thing, meaning I couldn't change or delete any goals - no exceptions!

However, in my rush to finish the list for January 1st, I fear I might have added a few goals that are, well, a bit silly. For instance, do I really need to learn to make a new cocktail (87)? I certainly enjoy a good glass of wine, but I seriously doubt that I need to know how to make a Tom Collins in order to expand my artistic horizons. Also, do I really need to make a pop-up book (96)? A POP-UP book? What was I thinking? Ditto for making a blurb book (55). I've already included a bunch of hand-made and graphic novel focused goals, so do I really need to make an online, templated photo book?

In addition to these problem goals, I've also started working on some new project ideas that aren't on the list (my lino cuts from last weekend, for instance), and I find myself wanting to replace some of my sillier goals with better projects.

I realize that no one is actually holding me to this list except myself (and you, dear readers, should you choose to reprimand me via the comments section), so technically I can change whatever I want. But I'm still torn about modifying the list too much and not holding myself to many projects that I do want to push myself to accomplish.

Maybe I should give myself a 10% leeway on the list - I can change 10 goals over the course of the year provided that I replace the existing goal with an equally challenging and worthy replacement.

A fair compromise?

Round 2 (And My 100th Post!)

Thank you so much for all of your comments on my post yesterday! I have definitely learned my lesson when it comes to editing out my stamps... carve, test, wait at least 24 hours, then edit.

Who am I kidding, I'm totally going to make this mistake again. It's just so hard to resist making changes when I can tell something doesn't look right.

Fortunately, I had a lovely Sunday afternoon to make up for my poor artistic decision. I carved two lino blocks - a second attempt at my trapezoidal print and an etching-style face image - and then rushed to stamp out some test prints before the Grammys (T and I just love our award shows).



I opted to make the trapezoidal print a little more fractured so that the figures would stand out. I'm not sure if I was successful in this regard, but at least it doesn't resemble the crazy stick figure print I ended up with yesterday after I went all Freddy Kruger on my first lino block.


My face print was less successful, although it was definitely an interesting experiment. I tried to carve the lines as if I was drawing (no easy feat with a less-than-razor-sharp carving tool), and I purposely left much more positive space on the block than I normally do. The ink was a little too thick on some of the test prints, so the fine lines didn't come through. However, I think I've learned enough from this print to do a better job on the next one.



I'm really happy with the lino prints I carved this weekend, although I'm amused that I didn't scratch any goals off my list. However, this post marks a pretty momentous accomplishment anyways because it's my 100th! Holla! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself).

I hope you've all enjoyed the first 100 posts. The blog has evolved somewhat since May, but I think I've stayed fairly true to my central goal of getting my artistic experiments out into the world and connecting with other crafty individuals. And even thought it's tough to post as regularly as I'd like, I'm still 100% dedicated to keeping this blog going and growing it's readership.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!

Back on the Horse

I've been brainstorming ideas for a print image to accompany the short story I wrote last weekend. The story was written on the theme of the uncanny and it's been difficult to think of a good image to match it. Today, I sketched a rough idea inspired by one of my favourite paintings, Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2.


I drew the idea on one of my wood-backed lino blocks and carved it out using my new set of cheap (but sharp!) blades.





I really liked the resulting print, but I was disappointed that the figures didn't stand out more. T confirmed that this was so when he responded 'What figures?' and, thus, sealed the fate of my lovely stamp.

I went a little nuts cutting out sections and ended up with this:


Not really what I wanted....

I think I'll try a new image tomorrow and stay closer to the first print, but with slightly more defined figures. Despite the crumby end result, it was really fun to get back into some printmaking.

Brightening Up January

At such a drab time of year, it's important to keep tabs on the fun things in life. Here are a few of the things that brightened up my weekend:

1. Sunny, yellow tulips!


2. Discovering one of your favourite art stores has wood-backed lino blocks back in stock!


3. Finally putting one of your favourite Kid Icarus cards to good use! (Happy Birthday, Robin!)


4. Golden Retriever Puppies! (Specifically, the 3-month-old golden retriever puppy that your sister just bought)


Mid-January might not be the most inspiring time of year, but the cold weather sure helps keep a gal inside and productive. I finished an important goal this weekend - Number 7. Write on the theme of the 'uncanny'. My writing took the form of a five part short story and although it's still in rough draft form, I think it's a pretty interesting/creepy idea. I also did some brainstorming for other projects, but nothing worthy of actually scratching something else off the list.

I hope you all have your own bright things to keep your January cheery! A puppy definitely helps.