Playing with watercolors

I’ve decided to try something a little new….Once I am done with my cat commission project (going to print the first layer on Monday), I will revisit my Geisha prints 1-4 and reprint the key blocks. I’ll then be able to fill in my “key” prints with watercolor and do an “edition varie,” a series of prints that are varied in color and texture. Once I do this, I can then sell my prints at a lower cost and still make fun and beautiful artwork with my Geishas as the main focus. Speaking of focus, I really need to learn to stay focused on one piece at a time…..anywho, this is an idea that I will visit shortly.

Two prints of my latest Geisha watercolored

FINISHED!!!!!

ERMERGERRRR…..*falls over in exhaustion* The final layer has been printed!!!!!

FINALE!!!

I can now pass out happily…..My goodness though….I had to pull at least…6 or 7 proofs before I found the one. The issue I ran into was the silver ink!!! Because I never used it before I was unsure as to what problems it would bring…the main one: it didn’t let the black ink lay on it. GYAH! Worst possible problem there could ever be….but! Easily fixed.

Denese Saunders from OGS helped me by giving me this:

It is an additive that makes the ink greasier so it will play nicely with the other layers of ink. I had to experiment with it on a small section of the block to see if it would work since we weren’t really sure if the silver was the problem or not…..I had to pull a proof….ink the block….pull more proofs….ink again….pull a proof…..add more ink….KJDFOISJF!! In the end it all worked out and I learned what to do when I use silver as a second to last layer.
THANK THE PRINTMAKING GODS!!!! IT IS THE END AND IT ALL WORKED!!!!!!!!!

The next thing that I’ve decided to experiment with is watercolors on the “key” (black) prints. This way I can do a larger set of prints that are varied in colors and textures.

Starting a watercolored version

It is (almost) the end….

Another day closer to the end for my geisha print!! My final layer of color will be the black, but the silver needs to be dry before I can print. So it’s a carving day only…..but YAYYYYY!!! Almost done!!!

Super glue is my best friend…….but especially for the “key” layer with all the tiny lines….

Shmerrrrrr….

Here is the silver print!!!! ERMERGER!!!! It came out alright and I am SUPER happy!!!! I was very worried that the consistency of the ink was going to be too different to work with, but after a few “too-much-ink” runs I got the feel for it. It looks a little weird right now because it went from “dark-to-darker-to-light” again in color tones, but that’s what makes the black final layer so much more exciting to wait for! 😀 Hopefully I’ll be able to print said black layer this coming weekend (Got to let the silver layer dry all the way through), so I shall keep posting and carving!!!! 🙂

SILVER!!! O__O

Here are a few “detail” shots:

Close-up of kimono

You can see the registration getting off alignment….darn it….

YAYYYY!!!!!! So excited for the final layer!!! ALMOST DOOONE!!!! Then on to the cat!! =^__^=m

New woodcut

Here is a work-in-progress of my newest woodcut, 6 out of 8 colors in:

Sixth color out of eight!! ALMOST DONE!!!! 🙂

My final two colors will be silver and black. I have never used this particular silver ink before so I am a little nervous as to if it will come out the way I would like it to, but meh…..what else can we do with art if not use it to experiment!!!!!! 😀 I say this, but if it doesn’t come out right I will most likely cry and throw a tantrum….-__-

I am also starting a commissioned project of a cat that I shall be posting up work-in-progress posts of as well.

The sketch

The block (I am currently fixing that right-hand side….)

This is Ajax, the beloved cat of a family friend. Ajax is named after the Greek hero, Ajax, cousin of Achilles, and I wanted to highlight his name as much as I could. Ajax is associated with the gladiolus flower so I brought that into the background as well as a well-known Grecian design as the border.
I think this will be a pretty fun project, it is definitely a new take on what I have done before, but that’s all part of the art experience: doing things that you’ve never tried before and working through them one step at a time. I am very excited to start this block (already started carving some of the whites out) and I can’t wait to see how it looks!!