Engine for new quilt

For IF: Even with her engine in reverse, she couldn't stop herself from lifting off the hill.

Actually, this is part of one of the drawing for my new print quilt, Dreamer in Training. I'm burning another test plate for this today; the first one turned out way too light. I'm going to radically pull back on the exposure this time; another reversal!

Dream Lover

For IF: No matter what she did, she couldn't get him to surrender.

Directions for lithos on aluminum plates

I was just compiling my notes about printing lithos on aluminum plates and I came across this site. It does a wonderful job of laying out the steps for this type of printing. Thanks to Andreas Dieberger for the clear directions. http://homepage.mac.com/juggle5/art/art-related/LithographyNotes5-2007.pdf

Litho paper

As I learn more about litho, I'm finding things to add and alter about my paper "What I learned at Ox-Bow".

First, I learned from Mariel that Simple Green, a cleaning solution in a very friendly spray bottle that one would think, because of the name is harmless to the artist and the planet. Not so. Mariel told me about a printmaking teacher who is pretty sure that Simple Green caused her breast cancer. A brief search on the net backs up this opinion, and there are sites that link the ingredients to Simple Green to all kinds of ailments. So it will soon be out of my paper!

Also, I have to check if I said this in the paper, but Stonehenge paper is not good for litho. I remember having a terrible time with litho at Idaho State, an experience that resulted in my swearing that I'd never do it again. Now I know that it was probably paper troubles all along.

The last thing is that I have conflicting information about the strength of the second etch. Mark Pascale said one thing and Mariel says another. I'm waiting for my Tamarind book on litho to show up to solve the argument.

A new quilt for a new year

Here are the drawings for the new quilt. I'm still working on values and on the track. The lines are pretty much there, but I still have to fix the curves and widths of the track.

I'm also drawing on a litho plate and I hope to get the litho lab set up soon. Thinking about litho has made me find some things to add to my litho paper. Those things will be my next post.

Lithos on an etching press!

One of the amazing things that I learned at Mariel's workshop was that litho plates can be printed on an etching press! And, the CAC, where I teach, has all the stuff needed to process and print this way, so part of my Christmas break (I'm finally, finally done for the semester) will be spent getting set up to make lithos. I'd post the litho that I made at the workshop, but it just stinks out loud. This coming semester should allow me more time to draw and print, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I also have all of the drawings for my second quilt well under way. I'll post them assembled very soon.

Mariel's workshop

Mariel, my wonderful printmaking professor at Kendall (KCAD) held a workshop in litho this weekend. I spent all of yesterday printing a really awful print, but learning and remembering tons about lithography. It was kind of a refresher course, and Mariel is in such a state of discovery in litho, that there was a sense of exploration and problem solving in the workshop.

I follow the blog of Alicia Wierschke, a classmate of mine. Alicia was at the workshop, too, and provided excellent advice on procedures. She's a good teacher. Her blog is called Art of Alicia Wierschke. She is quite faithful about documenting her art life (which is considerable, since she is a full time MFA grad student in printmaking.

This workshop was the most fun I've had all semester.