Friday meltdown Monday back to work

I am really starting to hate this print. I had a meltdown friday after working on it for a week straight 8 to 14 hour days. so i took saturday and sunday off and now i am back to it. it is taking forever to print. it is so tedious and the size alone just makes it horrible. hopefully i wont totally screw it up in the next few days i think it will take me to finish. then maybe after it dries which will probably take a while i might start to like it again. i just want it OUT of my dinning room! maybe i will title it marvin k. mooney right now i am calling it bamboohoo. oh and that is quarter in the picture for scale.

3'X5' Bamboo Forest print progress

as you can see in my last pic my paper flipping method is very low tech a long stick. it works okay but it has caused a few crinkles here and there but i have decided not to let it bother me and to try and think of them as part of the "charm". It has taken me six days to get this far. Two days transferring the image and redrawing/making corrections on the block, one long day carving and this will be my third day printing. I expect to be at least halfway through the printing by the end of today.
The paper is a mulberry and i am glad i had it laying around because i probably would have went with a roll of Rives BFK and printing is already hard enough i didn't need the extra thickness. Sometimes i wonder why bother with all this why not just make a painting? I do like they way they look and i don't think i could duplicate it in a painting so i guess that is reason enough.
i also don't have representation so i don't really think i will be selling many if any of these so why go through the bother of multiple blocks to make an edition if they will just be rolled up in my closet. well these are my excuses for using such an inefficient form of printmaking anyway. I am using oil based relief inks with a drop or two of burnt plate oil. i have used a small roller a little but most has been done with stiff hog bristle bushes. i use them more like dobbers then brushes most of the time. i do like the richness of the oil inks and they blend nice but i really need to look into getting some Akua Kolor because clean up sucks. Also i am short so when i get more towards the middle of the block things will even be harder. I think i will be done in three days if all goes well.

Poppies Woodcut/Monoprint 22X30 inches

I have been worrying about how my large (3ftX5ft) bamboo print will stretch during printing so i made this "white line" monoprint using oil based relief ink with a bit of burnt plate 00 oil added sometimes to thin . I like the way it turned out so i will probably go ahead and proceed with the bamboo print using oil based inks instead of watercolors and on dry paper (so i don't have to worry about paper stretch and registration) the other photo shows the original watercolor/pastel painting with the finished print next to it (i like the print better) I always think i am better when filtered through a printmaking process of some sort. the occasional drawing being the only exception.
Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Poppies
Monoprint/oil based white line woodcut print on Rives BFK Buff colored paper
image size: 18X24 inches
paper size 22X30 inches
this is a one of a kind monoprint I carved out the "white lines" from a block of wood then hand painted the image areas using relief oil based inks slightly thinned with burnt plate oil 00 then transfered to paper using a baren.
I consider each print to be an original oil painting on wood transfered onto paper.

Poppies Watercolor 22X30 inches

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Poppies
Size:22X30
Paper: Rives BFK tan
Media: watercolor, pastels and pen and ink

Exchange 46 Linoleum block print

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Sugar Skull
paper size: 5X7 inches
image size: 5X7 inches
edition: open
Hand-colored linoleum block print on Rives BFK paper.

Bamboo Forest II (white line woodcut)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Bamboo Forest II
white line woodcut print on Rives BFK
image size: 9X15 inches
paper size 11X17 inches
this is a study for a 3x5 ft. print

Bamboo Forest (white line woodcut)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title:Bamboo Forest
white line woodcut print on Rives BFK
image size: 9X15 inches
paper size 11X17 inches
This is a study for a large piece.

CrystalButterfly white line woodblock print

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: CrystalButterfly
white line woodblock print on Rives BFK
paper size 8X10 inches

Crystal Skull (white line woodcut)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Crystal Skull
white line woodblock print on Rives BFK
paper size 8X10 inches

Agave (White Line Woodcut)

This one is about 8X10 printed by hand using a baren onto Rives BFK. water soluble crayons blended with finger tip.

white line printed on fabric experiment

another white line woodcut experiment this time i printed onto an old sheet. i think it turned out pretty good.

hydrangea ghost print

the ghost print was very light
Artist: Viza Arlington
Title:Hydrangea
hand painted white line woodblock ghost print on Rives BFK
image size: 5X7 inches
paper size 6.5x8 inches

Hydrangea (white line print)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title:Hydrangea
white line woodblock print on Rives BFK
image size: 5X7 inches
paper size 6.5x8 inches

I used linoleum for this print. watercolor definitely would work on linoleum (i tried that first just to see) but the water soluble crayons worked great!
I used water soluble crayons (they are very easy to blend with your finger tips) then spray misted the block and paper and printed using a my small etching press. I like the press because it gives a nice even print and the white lines are nicely embossed.

Crystalline (white line woodcut)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title:Crystalline
white line woodblock print on Rives BFK
image size:approx. 4.5X6 inches
paper size 6x9 inches

I used water soluble crayons, spray mist, and printed using a small hard lino roller. Today i plan on making another horse print and experimenting with some HP 140 lb. watercolor paper. i am hoping the smooth paper meant for watercolor will give a more even watecolory looking print.

Dappled Grey (original ink bubble drawing)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Dappled Grey 08-13-2010
paper size: 18X24 inches
charcoal, ink bubble drawing on acid free drawing paper
I mixed india ink with water and dish soap and blow bubbles to make this image. very very messy but lots of fun. i had to wear sunglasses so you can imagine my face!

Torso II 8-12-2010

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Torso II 08-12-2010
paper size: 9X12 inches
pencil, pen and ink and watercolor drawing

Torso 08-11-2010 (original pencil drawing)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Torso 08-11-2010
paper size: 9X12 inches
pencil drawing

Nude 8-10-2010 pencil drawing

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Nude 08-10-2010
paper size: 9X12 inches
pencil drawing

Hand (mechanical pencil drawing)

I am trying to draw everyday. some days are better than others. I like how this one turned out. it was very meditative. i think i might try some large scale pieces.

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Hand
paper size: 9X12 inches
mechanical graphite pencil drawing

Earth Horse

Printing is my least favorite part of printmaking other than the first and last print. white line prints take a lot of time but every print is the first and last print so for me it takes the drudgery out of the printing part of printmaking. This version uses only water soluble crayons.

Exchange 45 woodblock print

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title:Cosmos? ( i haven't decided on a title yet)
woodbock print
on archival cotton rag BFK paper with deckled edges
image size:10X15
paper size: 10X15
edition: 100
bleed print (image covers entire paper)

white line print day three

I never posted my last Blue Horse white line print experiment day three. Here is a grey version as well.

Peacock Feather (white line woodcut)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Peacock Feather
white line woodblock print
image size: 6X9 inches
paper size: 6X9 inches
I used watercolors mixed with iridescent powders
Each print using this method will be unique.
I painted this one let it dry then squirted the block with fine mist from a spray bottle and used a small hard rubber roller to print with. I repeated the process about five or six maybe even more times until i got a solid print.

If there is only one god........Epiphany

I have never really liked watercolor or painting for that matter. I love what other people can do with watercolor but for me its hard to work with, finicky and has too many of its own opinions on the way things should be, i like a little more control so i have changed gears. I mean the wood already has its input then you add watercolor to the mix and i hardly have any say at all. Then it just popped into my head ^%&$#** WATER SOLUBLE CRAYONS **(*&&*! I used to make silkscreen monotypes with them. They are heavily pigmented, water soluble, lightfast and will sit on top of the wood instead of soaking into it and its more like drawing than painting. Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists' Crayons are ones i have. In addition to changing to the crayons i also changed the way i print the block. Instead of spritzing the block now i tape the paper into place on the block with gummed paper then fold it back and moisten the paper with a sponge flip back onto the block and print with a baren. I get good coverage the first time so i don't have registration/paper stretching/buckling problems anymore. I might have gone too far with "sprinkles" one the ghost print but it was fun and now i will keep all the sharpening shavings in containers for possible future use.

If there is only one.......day two

i printed one print and one ghost print today. i didn't add any more paint to the background. the ghost print colors seems to be more consistent so my paint thicknesses probably need to be thinner still to get an even look on the first print. widening the lines helped keep paint where it was supposed to be i think they could be wider still... next print.

If there is only one god then what happened to the other ones?

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: If there is only one god then what happened to the other ones?
white line woodblock print on Rives BFK
image size:18X24 inches

I used Beech for this and its so darn hard i decided to use a wood burning tool for the lines but even that had a tough time cutting through. i used a bit too much water on this one plus my lines are too shallow and thin so i had some running together. I also think that i laid down too much/too thick watercolor for most of the colors. I went back and widened my lines last night but haven't printed another one yet so we''ll see if that helps. since these prints take so long to complete the learning curve is also slow. I should probably make some smaller pieces to practice on but i guess i just like doing things the hard way. why else would i have even started these white line prints? They are so not efficient and kind of go against everything "printmaking" but i can't stop for some reason.

Waterfall (white line woodblock print)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Waterfall
white line woodbock print Rives BFK
image size:17X26
paper size: 22X30

Gold and Silver Falls (woodblock print)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: Gold and Silver Falls
oil-based woodbock print with gold and silver leaf the sky is silver leaf with india ink rubbed into it
image size:17X26
paper size: 22X30

white line experiment day 2

Today I started at 11:00 am. and finished at 12:30 pm. so I cut my time in half today. Since the ares in this block are large and there is no way to cover them and print before the watercolor dries this time I decided to paint the whole block then mist and print. over all I am pleased with the print the one thing i don't like about it are the variations in the blue of the horses body and ear. this was caused by not mixing enough paint to cover the whole area and also using too small of a brush. in the darker areas the paint was a much thicker consistency going down than the other ares on the body. painting the whole area and letting it dry then using a fine mist to reconstitute the watercolor worked great i also gave the paper i light mist just in case. I repeated this to get the coverage you see in the final print.

white line experiment

I have been interested in white line block prints for awhile now but there isn't much info out there so i just decide to go for it today. I used an old block that had been printed using oil based ink but that didn't seem to be much of a problem. the image is about 9X14 inches. I used the watercolors which i have on hand (a very limited palette) but its just an experiment so ....... most of the areas are fairly large and the watercolors dried fast so i would "color" in some areas until i got bored then I misted those areas with my best spray bottle (produces the finest mist) then printed. some of the smaller areas i printed while still wet. It seemed that if the paint went down thick or was too dry the paper would stick a bit to the block. i couldn't find any thumbtacks so i used sewing pins definitely not optimal but it still worked. i spent about three hours on the one print. i had fun with it and will keep trying it. i don't really see myself using the method to print editions but i have lots of black and white white line prints like Arion that will be fun to experiment on. heres the original print http://vizart.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html

Murphy the Cat woodblock print

Chine Colle using tissue papers. Chine Colle is another process that i was going to swear off just like moku-hanga but i have made this exception.

oil based raven woodblock

I have decided to take a break from moku-hanga printing for awhile because it frustrates me so much. I wanted to print out the rest of my raven block http://vizart.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html using oil based ink. I mixed the blue PearlEx powder in with my black oil based ink and printed the block as usual. I was disappointed because it just looked black with a very faint shimmer but no blue at all. I figured i would have to print it again with the PearlEx mixed with transparent base which is fine but i tend to be lazy so it would have been better to get it done in one printing. So anyway this morning being the impatient person i am i decided to check the prints for dryness even though i know there is no way the ink could have possibly dried over night so i rubbed it with my finger and there it was the blue shimmer i was looking for after the print dried a little more i burnished the whole image and the blue came up over the whole print. I thought this might also be used along with an oil based Shiomen-zuri (Hiding Technique). Its not the easiest thing to photograph this photo was the best i could come up with.

cat block

here is a pic of my block.

Cat 11X15 Woodblock print

Cat that i am working on. I hope to have some color prints tomorrow. I used my 1.5 mm u-gouge almost exclusively for this block. i did use my knife on some of the lines in the face and a v-gouge here and there and a 3.0 mm u-gouge for the tummy fur. shina plywood.

Plumeria 18x24 (original woodblock print)

Artist: Viza Arlington
Title: plumeria
paper size: 18X24
image size: 18X24 inches bleed print (to the edge of paper
Woodcut and pastels and or acrylic paint
I have not decided on the final edition colors yet

I always like the black and white prints best but that was not my original idea so.....
i will do a few more proofs i plan on carving a backround block but i like working with the pastels.
I don't know
I always get wishy washy at this point it always takes me forever to decide on colors
feedback is always welcome i love to take votes (with a veto option:)