Demonstrating

I gave a talk and demonstration yesterday evening to the members of Doncaster Art Club. As part of the demonstration I carved and printed this simple 2 stage reduction print. I'm not the most confident of public speakers, I find talking and demonstrating much more intimidating than leading a workshop. Anyway I think I got away with it without sounding too incompetent.

After making the print above and to demonstrate that the process is the same if you are printing two colours or ten I showed the following sequence of prints, that in the best Blue Peter tradition I had prepared earlier.

Colour 1

Colour 2. A dark to light blue blend.

Colour 2 overprinted on colour 1.

Colour 3 printed on its own.

and overprinted on top of the previous colours.

Colour 4. Looks quite pale

but darkens up when printed over the previous colours.

Colour 5, on its own

and overprinted

Colour 6

looks a bit garish when overprinted, but the next colour should knock it back a bit.

Colour 7

colour 7 overprinted all the previous colours.

and the final dark. At this stage the block has much more detail on it than my usual work. I wouldn't normally use such a heavy keyline around everything and I don't put a border around my prints, but I was printing this as the final part of the demonstration and I needed it to look like I had actually done something when I pulled the print from the block.

the finished print.

Proofing

Its about time we had some wildlife back on this blog, so here is a 3rd stage proof from the current Mezzotint I'm working on.

After 10 hours rocking the plate and around another 7 scratching, scraping and burnishing, I think I've fiddled around with this plate enough now. I just need to wait for delivery of a batch of Somerset paper, which should be arriving in the morning and then I can print the edition.

Whilst I had the inks out I ran a proof off from a drypoint plate that I also have on the go.

Another one more or less ready to edition.

Ynys Lochtyn

Ynys Lochtyn
10 colour reduction linocut
275mm x 173mm
Edition of 8.

With the addition of a couple of more colours, a dark grey and the final dark blue grey I finally finished this print.

Prints are available to purchase on my Folksy shop by following the link to the right.