At the printmaking evening at WonderLab I was thrilled to unveil my bromeliad flower. I finally realized that rather than trying to put another strong color on the print, a transparent one would be best. A bit more carving and a transparent blue brought out the shadows of the very pink flower.
|
|
 |
| I found this mini-jig made registration easy for people while they were printing with a spoon. |
 |
| I love that Aha! moment when you pull up the print. |
In my studio, I’ve been working with the idea of a matrix that overlays the image. I posted the last post about this on several Facebook groups and got some interesting feedback on what people saw. I’m actually working on two different blocks, and when I had finished, I saw that I had carved one differently.
 |
| I saw chicken wire fencing…. |
The first one I followed the corners of the hexagons. When I looked at it, I saw chicken wire. It wasn’t what I wanted. So I carved away some more, smoothing the corners a bit…
 |
| Now I see honeycombs — thank heavens! |
With more rounded shapes, now I saw what I was looking for — honeycombs. I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about bees, their importance in our planet and food system, and the dangers they face. Now I have to continue my experiment with matrices and see how well it works on a large scale.
It is amazing to me how easily perspectives can change.
Gorgeous! Absouletly love the subtle colours and shadow.
It is amazing what you can do with a blend roll.
I have been contemplating a similar setup to your jig. Is it difficult to hole punch the paper so it fits over the pins?
Hi Diana,
I use the plastic tabs that are made to use with the pins. You need to add (into your measurements) a sacrificial scrap of the paper at the edge where the tabs will be taped. (For example, I have two inches on the side, plus four inches on the side nearest the tabs.) I have marks on my jig at inch intervals so I can align the paper. I put the tabs on the pins and tape the part of the tab that extends over the paper with masking tape. When I am finished I just tear off the two inches I don’t need, so that the back isn’t marred by the masking tape being removed.
I use an etching press and found that the holes I punched would stretch over time. Super frustrating. I love the pins and tabs because it makes misregistration rare.