52 Postcards | Week 7

I had a fantastic vacation. Part of me hoped to have started the Hawaii postcards while there, but I took full advantage of being on vacation. I took a few notes and made a few plans for the next couple of weeks.

This first postcard is inspired by the coolest little fishy I saw while snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It is the Kikakapu, or the Threadfin Butterflyfish.

This was the first for several things this week.
1. I used two colors, which leads to
2. I had to use registration marks to get alignment.

Angela, my neighborhood printmaking resource, helped me out with the registration issue. She also reminded me that I am more of a visual learner than I think. Many of the printmakers I am following on the internet are printing onto fabric. So they lay out their bolts of fabric and "stamp" the print onto the fabric. Angela schooled me in the correct way to make a print: ink the block and then place the paper on top of the block. This works much better with a single image print. I do think repeat patterns are easier to do the "stamp" way.

I felt uneasy all throughout the block carving and even printing of this project. "Will it look ok" "My lines are not perfect" "blah, blah, you are a faker…" But the more I look at my final postcard, the more I LOVE IT. Thanks little Kikakapu.

Materials:
Flexcut Palm carving tool
Easy-to-Cut Lino
Speedball yellow & black water-soluble ink + retarder
Strathmore Printmaking paper, 400 series, 280 g/m2

52 Postcards | Week 6

I'm on vacation. If this grey squares postcard posts, it is because I've been swallowed by sand, sun and saltwater. I haven't had a moment to work on a cute sea turtle or a yellow hibiscus flower or a neon humahumanukanukaapuaa. You can hate me if you want. I'll eat some pineapple for you.

I love this postcard. I love the grey. I love the solid ink and the break of the squares. Initially I carved a small leftover square with just the squares. As I was contemplating the printing, I decided I wanted the reversed squares on a band of color that spread across the entire width of the card. I spent about a day trying to come up with a way to do that with my little square What I realized was that I just needed to recarve the squares on a larger block. I needed to include the entire band in the block. Fortunately it was a quick carve. Totally worth it for the results.

Materials:
Speedball carving tool
Speedy-Cut white block
Speedball balck+white water-soluble ink
Utrecht American Masters 100% Cotton - White, 90lb/250gsm, Acid Free

52 Postcards | Week 5

Full disclosure: I am getting ready for vacation. I write this because I spent less time than usual on my postcard this week. I want to be able to step off the plane in Hawaii, yea, Hawaii without having to think about work for the entire week. I have some projects to chew on. I'm sure solutions will reveal themselves while I am basking in the sun or snorkeling among the sea turtles. But the goal is to not have to open the laptop I am taking to actually allow myself to relax completely. If I don't have it, I will need it. Even if I don't, I will worry I will need it. Now, if I take it, I am 99% certain I won't need it.

I appreciate the simplicity of this design. The execution is less than impressive. TOO MUCH RETARDER. The paint was too wet and heavy on the block. Some of the patterns are pretty fun. I would like to go back and use the same block with 2 colors to make a plaid.

Materials:
Speedball carving tool
Speedy-Cut white block
Speedball magenta water-soluble ink
Strathmore Printmaking paper, 400 series, 280 g/m2

52 Postcards | Week 4

This week's print was quick. Almost to the point I wanted to keep printing postcards last night. Just keep going and going. Maybe it was the squirrel, maybe it was the brown. Maybe I am getting into the process more.

I used the easy-to-carve, soft Speedy-Cut and again, the results were similar to my frustration before with the Speedy Carve from the chevron. The material is slippery with the ink when printing and the image doesn't print as crisply as I would like. I am learning that the Speedy-Cut is better for larger, less detailed prints.

I love how these postcards turned out on the craft paper. I may revisit the same little squirrel only carved from actual lino and see how the printing is different.

This little guy had the flu last week. He spent a good deal of time resting, sleeping and literally, being underfoot. He cuddled up in the dog's bed while I carved the squirrel, keeping me company. The squirrel is for him, the Master Squirrel Moochie.

Materials:
Speedball carving tool
Speedy-Cut white block
Speedball brown+black water-soluble ink
Natural craft cover stock

52 Postcards | Week 3

Several big lessons learned this week.

First and foremost, don’t be so stingy with the ink. A little does not go a long way, a lot goes a little way. My first few prints were so light and splotchy you can’t tell what you are looking at. But I figured it out by the end of the printing and the results were decent for the block. I did mix my own shade of blue and added some ink retarder, which slows the drying process. Compared to last weeks quick-drying frustration, it made a noticeable difference. My paper had a bit more tooth this week which added to the splotchiness. I do like the natural texture of the hand printing process.

I used a new linoleum material, Easy-to-Cut Lino in a moody dark grey. It is a much stiffer material than I am used to. My design proved to be more challenging to carve. I borrowed Angela’s higher quality, more expensive carving tools that actually made this possible. There are so many small triangles to remove among all those circles. The small size of the postcard has some limits I need to consider as I move forward.  Be warned that tiny details can lead to knots in the shoulders and a never-ending trudge to reach the end.

 It was an idea, anyway.

See all of those tiny triangles? Not a smart move Holliman.

More, more and more ink

I carved a 4x6 piece of the lino and printed first, then trimmed out the postcard to their final dimensions. In doing so, I lost the more natural edge but the printing was easier. The paper soaked up a lot of ink. With such heavy coverage, a smoother paper might have given me better results.

block, first print and final print.

Materials:
Flexcut Palm carving tool
Easy-to-Cut Lino
Speedball blue & white water-soluble ink + retarder
Strathmore Printmaking paper, 400 series, 280 g/m2

52 Postcards | Week 2

Two down and…it is way too early in this project for that kind of thinking. Besides, I am super excited about all the things I am learning about printing. My friend Angela has been a good resource. I am borrowing her better cutting tools for next week’s block. And I have read a bit from the book Print Workshop: Hand Printing Techniques + Truly Original Projects by Christine Schmidt.

One challenge is going to be finding ways to make this project happen without spending gobs of money each week. I could easily spend a small fortune on paper and ink and all the shiny tools I don’t really need at this point. I will have to get creative…

I made my first trip to Columbia Art & Drafting for some carving material and paper. I am moving on from the pink Speedy-Carve. I purchased a sheet of the Speedy Cut, some unmounted linoleum and Easy-to-Cut Lino that “cuts like butter.” Maybe I’ll even try wood one of these weeks. That feels really intimidating.

This week’s chevron block turned out ok. I had a bit of a time with the ink being either too thick on the block or drying out too quickly. Next week I will try adding some Retarder to the ink to see if that gives me better results.

Materials:
Speedball carving tool
Speedy Carve pink rubber
Speedball black water-soluble ink
Strathmore Mixed Media paper 140lb (300g/m2)

52 Postcards | Week 1

Here I begin my year long journey. I was wracking my brain to come up with a card design for the New Year. From the ether, probably in the shower, I decided on an image of the rings of a tree. Each year, new growth, another ring, another circle of proof of having existed yet another 365 days. And always up for a good block print, I would carve and print the year on top of the image.

Inspired by the results and the fun in doing this project, I challenged myself to a year of block printing. Here is the first postcard…

I used the pink speedy-cut rubber because that is what I had laying around. It cuts quickly and is easier to size than a linoleum block. In the end, it was a bit too soft for the numbers. I would have liked a cleaner, sharper edge.

Printing the postcard 2-up from my ink jet.

Testing the opacity of the ink on the paper.

One down. 51 to go.

52 Postcards: A Year of Creativity, Printing and Writing

Hello. I’m starting a project. 52 Postcards. That’s one postcard a week for each week of this year. I have been wanting to do more block printing and I’m not getting any younger nor will there be more hours in the day anytime soon. (My fingers are still crossed for this, however.) So once a week, I will carve a block and print a postcard. I'm leaving everything else open for maximum flexibility!

I have 4 goals for this project:

1. CREATE MORE. I spend a good chunk of my time being creative for others. Clients, friends who need design help, clients, the kid’s school, clients, and little time on the things I love doing. It is so easy at the end of the day to plop down in front of the TV or get lost in a book.

2. PRINT MORE. I love printing. All kinds actually. I have dabbled in screen printing and letterpress and loved both of those. I have carved linoleum blocks a few times but mostly I use the pink or white rubber. I want to explore and get better at block printing. I want to know the best way to use my ink and learn what materials work best for what. Sure, I could read a book (I have some on the shelf) but the best way to learn is to do.

3. PROJECT MORE. I want to commit to a project. Some creative adventure I will do for a finite amount of time but that is bigger than anything I have done before. I don’t think of myself as an artist. It makes me cringe hearing people refer to me as one. But maybe I am changing. What better way than to dive head first into the role. By taking on this project and making it public, I am asking for some accountability. It is so easy for me to let myself down. But if I ask for you to cheer me on, I think it will be easier. So hey, my corner of the internet “I am challenging myself to make one block printed postcard a week for the whole damn year!”

4. WRITE MORE. This year I want to build my writing muscle. The free-ist way to get better at writing is to write, often, habitually. Or so they say. So in addition to the project, I will be writing about the project. And writing in general. Working out and stuff.

So there you have it. 52 postcards in 2015.

More to come…