The Process of Making a Linocut Print

As promised I have documented the making of my next print.

First I choose a picture to base my print off, an old one from a hike in Moab with my dad and brother (yes that's me in the red haha).

Then I made a simple sketch of the things I wanted to include.

Next I transferred the sketch in reverse to the blank block shown below. Also shown is the cutting tool.

Then after I had it carved out I put a scrap of paper over it and made a rubbing to get an idea of how it looked. The finished print will be a reverse of this though.

Then I squirt out some ink and use the roller to get an even layer.

And then ink up the block.

Next comes the hard work. I place a sheet of paper over the inked block and burnish it with a wooden spoon- basically polish the paper onto the block, pressing hard to ensure complete transfer of the ink.

Finally the magic moment, peeling the paper off and critiquing the print. Usually I'll see something I want to change so I have to clean the block and go back to the carving stage, repeating the process until I'm satisfied and pronounce the block 'bon a tirer', good to print. I mark the print 'artist's proof' and all other prints in the edition have to be compared to this one. Each print is marked with its number over the total in the edition. For example 1/15 would be the first print out of 15 in the limited edition.

Pastel?!

Going through one of my old sketchbooks, a small 3.5x5" one, I came across one of only a few oil pastel drawings I have ever done. I still love this concept and I know I'll revisit it someday when I feel I can do it justice. I also know I'll further explore pastels someday.

My second print

Today I printed an edition of 15 of my latest linocut. A few nights ago I planned it, the next day I sketched out ideas until I was satisfied, then I transferred it to the linoleum block in reverse and started carving. The carving takes quite a while but I quite enjoy it. For my first block (golf club) I just wanted to get to the printing so I rushed through the carving. This time I went slow and found that the carving is just about as good as the inking and pulling. Then I pulled a few proofs and made the necessary adjustments last night. Today came the hard work of printing but I'm happy to report that the result is exactly what I was going for. Nothing was lost in the transition from idea to sketch to block to print- in fact much was gained. I realize that the process is probably a mystery to some of you, it sure was to me a few weeks ago! So for my next print I'm going to record each step for a tutorial :) The subject is a South American cowboy drinking the national Argentine drink yerba mate.

El Gaucho con su mate' / The cowboy with his mate'

Image approximately 5"x7"

Black water based ink on white sulphite paper

Available for $10 plus $2 shipping

Commissioned Cars

I finished this set of three canvases to be used in a five year old boy's room. The client gave me a pillowcase to match and the project took about three hours each canvas. It was an interesting challenge to match the cartoony cars that broke just about every rule of perspective.

Carter's Cars

Oil on three 8x8" Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Commission

More coming soon

I'm currently 2/3 through a commissioned triptych as well as starting an ambitious linocut print series so stay tuned!

Exploring other media...

I have a new obsession. For the last couple weeks I've been doing a lot of research on printmaking, specifically woodblock and linocut prints. My artistic passion was ignited and I knew I had to try my hand at it. The catalyst was a little homemade face stamp I carved into an eraser last year-

I have also always been an admirer of chinese and japanese woodblock prints. So for my first foray into this ancient art I planned a linoleum print for a hand made Father's Day card. From the carving, inking, pressing, and hand pulling the print- I was hooked. The whole process is very tactile and rewarding. I love all the little irregularities and personality in each print. I loved making my first print and I'm already planning dozens more.

After much deliberation...

I've decided that rather then keep these two that I'm particularly fond of for myself, I'll give someone else the chance to enjoy them.

Classic Literature

11"x14"

Oil on canvas board

$100 plus $10 shipping

St. George near Tuacahn

24"x16"

Oil on Canvas

$75 plus $5 shipping

Now available!

Summer Watermelon

11"x14"

Oil on canvas board

Purchase securely through PayPal for $70 plus $7 shipping

Lilacs

9"x12"

Oil on canvas board

$40 plus $5 shipping

Cup of blueberries

8"x10"

Oil on canvas board

Promised sale price of $35 plus $5 shipping!

And now for something completely different...

Stained Glass Still Life I

Oil on canvas board

9"x12"

Available when dry

This piece is a lot of things: A drastic attempt to force myself to eliminate detail and focus on basic shapes, an experiment with a style completely different from any I've explored, and an enjoyable hour of painting. I've always been fascinated by stained glass windows and think that their creators are vastly under appreciated. They were one of the inspirations to try something like this, and while the result may be a bit simplistic, it has intrigued me and I believe I'll explore this idea more in the future. I think that if I did a larger canvas filled with many carefully arranged objects, it could really work.

Watermelon

Watermelon

Oil on Canvas Board

11"x14"

Available when dry

I started this yesterday and it smelled great, but then I finished it today and the watermelon smelled like jack-o-lanterns two days after Halloween. Who knew? The painting, however, went smoothly and I enjoyed it. I sketched out a few possible compositions in my sketchbook before I started and that prevented the blueberry problem. I've been dying to put a knife in a still life for a long time. I wanted to have a reflection on it and this painting was perfect for it. The last time I had a knife with fruit was my Mate with Orange seen in this blog's header. This picture is very unsatisfactory and I hope to get a better one soon because the watermelon color was pure joy to mix.

An imperfect process

So I had this picture I took in Hawaii that I knew I'd eventually paint, but I had been waiting until I felt I could do it justice. The other day I was feeling pretty good after a few successes but I wasn't really in the mood to start a big, detailed painting. Yet I did anyway. Why? I still don't know. Early on I about called it quits in favor of something small and immediately gratifying. But I kept with it and suddenly saw potential that fueled my efforts.

Things were going well for a time...

but after that came another trying period of temptations to quit.

Yet I fought valiantly on... well okay I gave in and painted one little canvas in between but I couldn't resist! Afterwards I was ready for more slaving in front of my ill timed project.

I began the finishing process in the background and worked my way forward, making good use of my painting knife. At this point I was feeling pretty good again, thinking I could pull it off.

Alas I made it through the foreground but was left very unsatisfied. It's not finished, but I don't know exactly what else to do. So I'm posting the process thus far while my canvas sits on the floor and I contemplate my plan of attack. Any tactics would be greatly appreciated.

Lilac

Lilacs

9"x12" Canvas Board

Available when dry

I've been planning on painting lilacs for awhile and last night I snagged some from my in laws. The colors in this photo are a little saturated as usual, but what can you do? I now have wet canvases laying everywhere and I'm running dangerously low on blank canvases.

Cup of blueberries

Cup of Blueberries (Still wet)

8"x10" Canvas Board

Available once dry enough to ship for SALE PRICE of $35 + $5 shipping

On my never ending quest to try more subjects and styles I was excited to paint some blueberries- perhaps too excited. I wanted to get started even before I had thought through my set up and plan. So before too long I had to make some drastic changes and run with them. Things came together at the end and it was challenging and fun to keep the whole thing lavender. The only small canvas I had was already toned a tan yellow, which I initially thought would cause problems, but it ended up being perfect because it reminded me of the color of the inside of a blueberry.

Cross

Not yet titled

8"x10" Canvas Board

Collection of the artist

Several years ago I drew a crucifixion scene with my only available tools- printer paper and a regular old pencil. I really liked the drawing but wanted it on something more permanent since the already cheap paper was already wrinkled and worn. So today I re-sketched it simply in oils on canvas board. It was a new challenge doing it monochrome using only Burnt Umber and using my paint brush more like a pencil, but I enjoyed it. The photo is unsatisfactory but I'll take a new one when it's dry.

Impressionist

Footprints in Hawaii

9"x12" Canvas Board

Available for purchase for $55 +$5 shipping

I recently finished the book Monet's Landscapes by Vivian Russell and was amazed at how hard Monet worked to master the depiction of light. He was obsessive and sometimes had up to ten canvases in progress at a time, setting apart specific times of the day for each one depending on the daylight and weather. Yet he was rarely satisfied and at times even had to wait until the next year when the conditions for his 'motif' were back to finish them. I have even more respect for him now and dedicate this little impressionist canvas to him.

He also mentioned a feeling that I can relate to...

"...every day I am discovering more and more beautiful things. It's intoxicating; I so want to do it all, my head is bursting." -Claude Monet

Everywhere I go I constantly see things in terms of painting. I try to figure out what colors I would use to depict something, what style would suit a specific scene, and what paintings different things remind me of. With all that swirling around in my head I try to combine it into actual ideas for future paintings and sometimes when I think of something that I HAVE to paint or see something that truly inspires me, I feel like Monet. Before reading this quote I had decided that the best way to describe this feeling was a combination of an adrenaline rush and a panic attack. It certainly doesn't sound like a pleasant sensation, and maybe it's not really, but it keeps me going. Unfortunately it seems like this mostly happens when I'm lying in bed trying to sleep :)

Critiques Welcome

After some very helpful critiques and compliments from the good folks at www.wetcanvas.com I saw how off my perspective had become with the top two books. So I battled awhile to correct the problem without affecting the overall painting too much. I stopped myself before I could ruin it so it isn't perfect but I'm pleased with the fix. Also, here is the promised landscape from Southern Utah. Painting this with bright colors (brighter than they appear in the photo), thick paint, and painterly strokes was a perfect follow up to the more disciplined book still life.

Also, the landscape is on a 24"x16" canvas, as opposed to my usual smaller canvas board. I liked the feel of the canvas indenting under my brush, especially for a looser painting. On the other hand I like the support of the board when working on small details.

Classic Literature

11"x14" Canvas Board

Giclee prints available when ready- stay tuned

St. George near Tuacahn

24"x16" Canvas

Available for purchase $75 +$5 shipping

Classic Literature

I finished my current project and I couldn't wait to post pictures. I used a more classical and realistic approach for this one, drawing in the books, then underpainting them and progressively adding layers. I also focused more on values and correctly mixing colors, which takes more time but really pays off. I even spent extra time on the composition, getting a single light source on the subject because "a painting that is well composed is half finished" -Bonnard. I'm pleased with the outcome and will definitely continue to work on realism although I'll still need to do more freely expressionistic and painterly paintings too. I'm debating whether to sell this one or keep it for my personal collection but since it has a few months to dry I guess I'll keep thinking about it! Comment if you'd perhaps be interested in owning it.

Classic Literature 11" x 14"

Top: H.P. Lovecraft - Tales

Middle: Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

Bottom: Dante Alighieri - The Divine Comedy

(All wonderful books that I highly recommend)

I love summer time

Here are better pictures of my last two paintings slightly more dry.

Porch decor painted alla prima in about two hours

8"x10" Canvas Board

Available for purchase $45 +$5 shipping

Mango II

8"x10" Canvas Board

Sold