Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to everyone from my side of the world.
It was a great, long holiday weekend up in northern Michigan.

I finally got to post my quail print. I gave it to my sister as a gift.
I framed it with a thicker brushed chocolate frame this time instead of the small black that I usually do.

Here are some other color variations...


I made quite the mess with this print...

Final Ink

You have to love the power of YouTube. I found some cool little videos about printmaking. This one called "Final Ink" was sped up and set to music. I thought it was pretty cool. If you've never seen how a print is made, watch this clip.

I've posted two other videos on the sidebar to the right.

More Leaf Monotypes...

I'm having a bit of a leaf obsession lately.
The fall colors are just now turning.
I'm collecting leaves while I still can for projects in the winter.

"Leaf Shine 2"
Monotype

"Leaf Shine 1"

Monotype

Ruth Thomas - Contemporary Printmaker

I stumbled across this artist's website and was really inspired.
It's not often that I find someone who specializes in collagraphs.

I really enjoyed her portfolio. I posted two of her pieces below.
View the rest at: http://www.ruththomas.net

"Bodelwyddan III"

"Relic"

Canna Leaf Monotype

Canna
(click image to see detail)

My instructor brought in a very large Canna Leaf from her garden for me to make a monotype with. These prints are 22 x 28 inches. I had to use a full sheet of paper. It was my first time doing so. I had to have other class members help me align the paper to the plate.

At first I didn't want to use the leaf, in fear of making a mistake. In the end I'm really glad I did. It came out so nice. We ran the leaf through the press twice so the juices wouldn't ruin the prints. I ran the first print on newsprint. Then peeled off the leaf leaving the first initial ink on the plate. I really like this method. I love how you see the veins in the leaf. Overall I got three prints from the leaf. With the amount of ink I used, I could have got 5 prints.

I did run into one problem, the paper warped slightly. I'm not sure how to prevent this when drying my prints. It happens often. I place them on a flat surface, yet they warp upward.

Leaf Series - Monotype

I had a great time experimenting with fresh leaves.
I also was able to get 3 prints from the same plate.
The cognate or ghost print was always better than the first.
The details of the leaves came out really well.

Gum Arabic Transfers of Detroit

These were created from my original photos of Detroit.
I then made xerox copies of them and used a gum arabic transfer method with sepia ink to create the final print.

For all those that commented:
It is a process where you wipe a gum arabic solution over your xerox and it is resisted by the black areas. This allows you to roll your inked brayer over the xerox and coat all the black areas with ink. Meanwhile your white areas stay clean and clear.
A high contrast image is best.

I made a lovely series of three like these, but in blue, for my friend back in March.

Taj Mahal - Collagraph

"Taj Mahal"

I've always loved the Taj Mahal so I decided to make a collagraph of it.
This was the most time consuming one yet. Cutting the small details was slow going but worth it.

Animal Series

"Deer in Flight"
This has been my favorite print so far. I used a combination of real plants and paper to create it. I hand drew the deer design. I created many different versions of it. Some have typography or sheet music overlaid on top. This was done using a gum arabic transfer method.

"Sitting Bear"
I added real plant life to this collagraph.
I also created this in purple and sepia.

"Robin Song"
This is a collagraph I created by first sketching a design
then cutting out the paper shapes.
I also created this in a burnt yellow color.


"Snowshoe"
This is a collagraph also made with paper cut outs.


"Horse Concerto"
The horse is an etching. The sheet music was a second run done with gum arabic.

"Quail"
I added cedar leaves to this collagraph.
The rest is a paper design.

Turntable Collagraph

"Turntable"
-Not for sale-
I created this turntable collagraph earlier in the year as a gift to a music lover.
To get the dark and moody look, I wiped certain areas more with a coarsely woven cloth called a tarleton.

"Detroit Techno"
-Sold-
This is a variation built on the first original collagraph.
This version has a the Detroit skyline and Detroit techno DJs placed on top using the gum arabic transfer method.
One print is available in a dark blue color.

Monotypes

"Vintage Red"
This is an abstract monotype I created last year.
I rolled red ink onto an acrylic plate. I also used pieces of lace and mesh for texture.

"Paris"

"Falls"
This is an abstract monotype I created last year.
I rolled black ink onto an acrylic plate. Then I wiped away the ink with a cloth and Q-tips.



"Animal Screen"
This was created the same day.
This time I used some old mesh material and laid it on top of my plate.

Another in the same series of monotypes...



"Valentine"
I created this last February with doilies, feathers and heart confetti.
The plate went through the press twice, first with black ink, second with red.

Koi Yin Yang

This was my first collagraph done last year. I quickly fell in love with the texture and style. Now it is my preferred method of printmaking. The master plate was created with office paper glued to mat board. You do not need a deep thickness to create lines and form.