revivingKensArt (1 Viewer)

[Drellas]

I'm very curious about the positive... O

Ulrike

 

[colleenc]

so do you print light to dark? could you have white saved somehow?

 

[solitaryVSong]

I'm very curious about the positive... O

Ulrike

Ulrike, here's the positive print for color number 4. This actually will be part of the edition since you need to print each color on good paper, then keep printing over as you go.

Colleen, the only way to keep the white of the paper is to cut out those areas before you apply any color and pull the first print. For this print I cut out a few areas, basccally the wing bars on the bird and a few other small hatched areas. In other prints I might want to keep more white but here I deliberately kept just these few areas. I think it shows up a bit better in this version. The problem with keeping just a small area of white is that by the time you try to register 5-6 colors the occasional overlaps due to mis-registration will lead to and even smaller area of white.

One of the reasons I did this print is that I wanted to show the white/gray with just hints of orange on the breast. Unfortunately the gray that I just printed is far too dark for that to happen, even though the bird was that dark towards the bottom of the breast where it was in full shadow. So there's some very slight possibility that I might print another block that is just white in that area. I'm sure it would play havoc with registration though. I don't want to have to try that.

And I still plan at least 3 other colors. So I may just be too tired with it by then to try any more colors.

My feeling about this type of work is that you just have to improvise as you go along. Most of the time I like that. And sometimes I don't.

 

[colleenc]

how to take a nice simple process and make it complicated:-O:-O my reduction printing definition....think I'll stick to my brushes8-P


maybe you could make a stamp to put the white on, then you could place it where you wanted.

 

[solitaryVSong]

how to take a nice simple process and make it complicated:-O:-O my reduction printing definition....think I'll stick to my brushes8-P

I realize that this must seem like some sort of perverse torture. But for me it's not. What I like is that it seems to force me to make design and abstraction more important than naturalism or realism. Even though I like to do field sketches and some more naturalistic work I think that I'm best off when I'm looser and more abstract. If I could paint birds like that with a brush that's probably what I'd do. But I haven't yet done any I'm happy with. So this seems like a good way to go about it. Once I get comfortable with this I hope it will appear in my painting.

How's that for simple?!

 

[username]

There is always something very special about your lino cuts Ken.....[and as you know...i am a big fan of them]...:t:

 

[Woody]

I love this process Ken, not that I feel I could do it! This is looking great already.

Mike

 

[timwootton]

Cor - that's a cracking image, no-matter how it's derived. Superb!

 

[phil baber]

Ken,

As a big fan of woodcuts, this is a dream! It brings that medium, light and modern techniques (ie lino-cuts...) together, through your inimitable style.

As it stands, it is a joy to see.

Good luck with where you go from here...:t:

 

[Lykos]

very fascinating :t:

 

[solitaryVSong]

Thanks all. I imagine this lino may seem a bit of a chameleon as it keeps changing. But I'm nearing the end and it's much as I planned. I'll most probably replace most of the blacks that aren't in the bird with greens of some sort, and one swatch of bright orange on the Blackburnian's throat.

For better or worse I think that will be it.

 

[colleenc]

its a beauty Ken:t:

 

[timwootton]

. . . for better - most definitely!

 

[phil baber]

A keeper Ken. Adorable!

 

[orniodesigns]

Thanks for showing all steps!

 

[solitaryVSong]

Thanks for showing all steps!

Not quite all the steps Hannah. Here is the final print, with I think three more colors.

For anyone who's interested I'm including a photo of the final block with most everything cut away. All that is left are the areas with the final greens and the one small spot for another color of orange on the throat.

 

[colleenc]

ok Ken totally made a believer out of me, just brillant:t: I don't envy you doing all that registration stuff tho...so easy to go off.

 

[solitaryVSong]

ok Ken totally made a believer out of me, just brillant:t: I don't envy you doing all that registration stuff tho...so easy to go off.

Thanks Colleen! It has been an adventure, and quite a bit of work. A tortuous way to my goal I know.

 

[Strandman]

Not quite all the steps Hannah. Here is the final print, with I think three more colors.

For anyone who's interested I'm including a photo of the final block with most everything cut away. All that is left are the areas with the final greens and the one small spot for another color of orange on the throat.

amazing- I do like that intermediate stage at #1363 with its background colour and the final block is a fine thing in its own right

 

[timwootton]

Magical!