It’s A Lino, It’s A Drypoint, It’s…

…It’s a reduction linocut AND drypoint montage!

That’s right, folks. Today I bring you (cue the Monty Python voice) something completely different hot off Little Mr. 906–a.k.a. my newest studio addition, the etching press, which I have mentioned in prior posts.

“Begonia Temptation” 2/ 7 prints. Reduction linocut and drypoint. ©Katie Kath 2023. Do not use without permission.

This printing technique is what you might call a “twofer:” it marries the linoleum block print with a drypoint etch all in one single print. Needless to say, this technique (which I discovered and read up on Belinda Del Pesco’s amazing blog of experimental printmaking) called for a strong dose of planning, patience, time, paint-mixing, and many runs through the press. (Thank goodness for that press!)

The first thing I needed to do was come up with a sketch and some idea for how many colors I dared–er–wanted to print. I transferred the sketch onto the linoleum and blocked in my chosen pigments with colored-pencil. I ended up using a total of five colors.

Everyone knows that hurdles are to be expected when trying out something new and somewhat complex. My first hurdle was dealing with the fact that you must always start with the lightest colors first when carving linoleum for a reduction print.

As you can see from the pictures above, I ended up needing to create a mask (I used plastic tracing paper) for the yellows, since there is a strong presence of blue in my image and I wanted to make sure the yellows stayed yellow while at the same time allowing some areas (in this case, the chair cushion) to turn into greens when I made the blue pass.

In the same vein, I didn’t want my blues ALL turning green, which would happen if I inked the entire linoleum plate in yellow for a first pass. Masking is great for solving issues like this.

After masking, I added the pink details with a sponge pouncer.

Here is the final color run for the linoleum print portion of this project: a dark bluish black. You can see that all of the prior colors have been completely carved away.

The finished color prints! After each color was run through, I had to wipe the plate clean and proceed to carve out the areas for the next color. I let each color dry completely overnight to prevent any smudging or ink transferring issues.

I decided to make 10 prints total. Even though I cut 15 sheets initially, I was so tired from caring for my toddler in the daytime, I decided if fate had it that I managed to totally screw up all 10 prints in the end, I just needed to regroup and try something else entirely.

It turned out that fate was on my side! After five colors and five runs through the press, I ended up with 8 good prints, which is a pretty lucky start.

Once the linocuts were complete, the final step in the process was to ink up and run a plate of plexiglass I had carved, dry-point style, back over all of the good lino prints.

Yes, what you are thinking is correct: this is yet another chance to screw up prints! (This is why I made so many prints to gamble with initially.)

This leads me to my final hurdle: lining everything up correctly.

Despite my very best efforts, my first run was not aligned AT ALL. After beating my head against the wall one evening trying to find a solution, I decided to sleep on it. The next day, it finally occurred to me–duh–that plexiglass is clear: I could simply ink the plate, flip it over, carefully match it up to each print without fear of unintended ink transfer (remember how much pressure it takes to actually make a dry-point print?) lightly tape it down with painter’s tape, flip it back over, and run it through.

Bada-bing-bada-boom: worked like a charm.

So: there you have it folks: my first lino-drypoint mashup. Overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out.

Do I want to do more of these in the future?

My impatient and toddler-weary side of me would probably prefer something that gave me a little more instant gratification. This entire process has taken me weeks to complete since my free evenings are limited in quantity and time. However, that’s not what creating is about, is it? You can’t get better at something with a one-and-done. So the answer is yes, I will be making more, at some point.

Until next time, happy creating!

Advertisement

Collagraphy – Uninhibited Color!

“La-La-Lemons” #1 – Collagraph Print. © Katie Kath 2023. Do not reproduce without permission.

Several months ago I became fascinated with the endless possibilities–of which I was previously unaware–that printmaking can afford an artist. I’m not sure what started me down this rabbit hole, perhaps it was my continued search for something other than watercolor to keep falling back on like a tired old habit, but it has turned out to be one of the best rabbit holes I could have stumbled upon. Countless articles and excellent blogs (with special thanks to Belinda Del Pesco’s blog, which is far superior, vastly more extensive than mine and a gold mine of a resource for a printing novice) have taught me just about as much as a crash course class in printmaking could.

So, with a heart full of gratitude to the internet, on to more printmaking adventures!

Long before getting my Little Mr. 906 I had been chomping at the bit like a frothing horse to try out collagraphy, which I had never heard of until I read about it.

What first got me interested in this technique was how basic it really is: no fancy carving tools, plates, acids, washes, or inks are needed to create these stunning little pieces that positively pop with color.

I won’t give detailed instructions for creating a collagraph–this isn’t a “how-to” type of blog and I don’t wish to make it into something that extensive–but I will give a quick low-down for those who are specifically interested in how the “La-La-Lemons” prints were made.

I first cut down some scrap mat board to make a plate and carved out a design with an x-acto into its uppermost surface.

I then sealed the block with clear varnish to prevent sticking, and let it dry.

After mixing up my desired color, I used a dauber (rolled up craft felt) to push the ink into the recessed areas of the plate. (Sound familiar to an etching? It is!)

After wiping the surface, leaving the ink in the recessed areas, I found that I had to go in with Q-tips to really scrub away at anything I didn’t want to be slightly tinted with a blue hue.

I added additional ink colors with a paintbrush until I was satisfied, and pushed her through the press!

After I used up all of my mixed inks (and pulled three successful prints), I went on to use colored pencil to create a bit more interest and variation to each print, making every one completely unique!

*If this post has piqued your interest in collagraph printing, I do have a few things to consider that I discovered along the way:

First, this is another technique that cannot be achieved without the press. It seems there is disagreement on this point, but I can’t see how this can be done by hand without lots of frustration and aching wrists.

Second, it is vital to use a thickener for your background ink, or else it will just wipe off completely. I used Akua Intaglio Mag Mix.

Third, while you can get by with newspaper and Q-tips to lighten the raised areas on the plate, it seems to me that wiping tarlatan is a better investment than the headache that came with using newspaper. Tarlatan is cheap, and I’ll see if it makes a difference in my next print.

Finally, when cutting out your design, you don’t have to cut very deep…however. My shallower cuts definitely had some trouble holding ink, so I would say to cut a bit deeper than you would initially think.

Overall, I would say this experiment was a great success!

Adventures In Drypoint, redux

Back in July I promised a drypoint etching on this blog (thought I’d forgotten, eh?). Well, here it is! I promise, I deliver–even if the delivery comes 7 months later. But hey, this is why my readers have to faithfully keep checking in on my little blog. You never know what you might find next, amiright?

Ok, down to business.

“Lora 2” – drypoint etching on Stonehenge paper & Akua inks. ©Katie Kath 2023.

One of the reasons why this post was so long in the works was because after an initial failed attempt (and two sore wrists later) at doing a drypoint print sans printing press, I was simply fed up with how limited my printmaking sessions could be without an etching press to do the job.

I’ve been dabbling in various printmaking methods for years–mostly linoleum and woodblock prints, which are pretty forgiving when it comes to hand-pressing–but I have always ended up disgruntled from constantly being hobbled by the nature of the beast: hear me out! There are some printing techniques that are, in my opinion, unachievable without a press, especially if you want to save your wrists and your sanity (and since I’m a mother and I’ve already lost half of my sanity I would like to keep the rest of it, thank you very much!)

The finished sketch of “Lora”, ready to be engraved into plexiglass.

Pictured above are a few process shots from my first attempt to hand-press this etching. Even when using thin Japanese kozo paper, which works quite well for block prints, the print came out blotchy and uneven. Comparing the etching plate (left) to the final print (right), you can see how so much of the ink was still left on the plate, even after intense rubbing with the baron AND a metal spoon.

So, I bit the bullet and finally did what I’ve been wanting to do for years: I bought a small press from Blick.

Meet my new baby, Little Mr. 906.

Is it a Takach press? Only in my dreams. (Oh, how I lust after those presses!) But let me tell you, this little beauty has turned out to be quite the gem with a fairly inexpensive price tag. Last evening I tore some nice, thick Stonehenge paper, let it soak a bit, and ran three prints through the press and so far this bad boy does deliver. Behold!

I decided to tint the last one with some colored pencils after the print dried overnight because, why not? The worst I could do was screw up a print, and obviously I can now make many more without the fear of sore wrists hanging over my head.

I think I’ve definitely fallen head over heels for that little blue press. I cannot wait to do more printing! As always, stay tuned.

A Hopeful New Year

“Juggler Bear” – soft pastel and colored pencil ©Katie Kath 2023. Do not reproduce without permission.

Happy New Year to everyone!

I used to dislike New Years. Being such a Christmas fanatic, the New Years holiday seemed more like an anti-climactic ending to such a festive time of year–like Christmas’s sad, ugly, forgotten cousin who had a birthday that everyone felt they needed to begrudgingly acknowledge–than a real cause for celebration.

But, in the past several years, I have grown to increasingly love New Years because it is a holiday that is filled to the brim with hope. It’s the holiday of endless possibilities: you can sit down and list out all of the things you’d like to do or aspire to in the next year, no matter how wild the ideas are that cross your mind, AND you have 365 days to do all of those things! Not a week! Not a month! An entire year. There is no rush, no limits, and my daydreamer self loves that concept.

Here is to a happy, healthy New Year for everyone.

Getting In The Saddle…Or Did I Ever Leave It?

Two posts ago I wrote about my extreme distaste for my current watercolor situation. So, I decided to begin at Square 1, which was: clean my palette completely off and start hunting for a wider range of colors.

“My Reflection” Gouache and pencil. © Katie Kath 2022. Do not copy or reproduce.

I’ve been using the same color palette/scheme since about 2014. While the colors one can potentially mix from a mere set of reds, yellows, and blues is supposedly infinite, I’m here to tell you that’s honestly a load of horse patties. Sorry, color-theory folks.

Now, I was faced with the first problem. Paint is expensive. Like, seriously expensive, even for .5 measly little fluid ounces of the stuff. Granted, a little Daniel Smith goes a long way, but still. I can go through a whole lot of Shadow Violet.

And then, I remembered.

The GIANT TUB of gouache and watercolors I received from a dear friend who lost her cancer battle several years ago had sat languishing in the back of my closet for quite awhile, begging to be organized. Well, then. It was time to organize.

What a treasure awaited me.

Tube upon tube of colors arrayed before me. So many exciting new colors I’d never used or heard of–or simply hadn’t bought because of the expensive gamble of buying a color and deciding I hated it–were miraculously at my finger tips. Folks, I haven’t been this excited about painting in awhile.

I spent an entire evening sorting through almost all of the empty tubes, dried up tubes, leaky tubes, and perfectly fine tubes of paint all in an evening, creating a pile for gouache and a pile for watercolor. Then, I organized each paint type into color families so I wasn’t spending valuable time hunting for a Dioxazine Purple amid my Yellow Ochres. I made color charts and painted various experimental doodles with both gouache and watercolor to decide which I liked best. It felt like I was putting all of my favorite pets into little comfy corners of the room, waiting to be doted upon.

I think I might finally be heading in a better direction for myself. As always, stay tuned.

A Post Dinner Sketch

With company over last weekend and this week shaping up to be very full as well–we have a toddler starting a Mommy and Me gymnastics class and a husband who has started school again–I haven’t found the energy to post something lately.

“Playtime for Little Ones” – © Katie Kath 2022. Do not reproduce without permission.

So: for now, here is a quick sketch of M., happily stacking plastic rings after dinner this evening.

Good night!

Something Other Than

I had a realization yesterday afternoon that just about shook me to the core.

I was toying around again with the idea of going back to a personal project I had shelved more than a year ago, (more on that to come), and had even hauled out my watercolors to start painting, when a distinctly and increasingly uncomfortable feeling began creeping up my spine. As I watched the painted sections dry, a sudden awareness came into focus like a developing polaroid: I no longer like to work in watercolor the way I have been. The worst part? I can’t remember a recent time when I did.

“Ol’ Paint, the Dapple Hobbyhorse” – ©Katie Kath 2022. Do not use without permission.

For an artist whose current career has been built on a certain medium, this is akin to waking up one morning and suddenly realizing that you have been in a souring relationship for many years and despite your numerous, desperate attempts to save it, it has, in fact, gone permanently south.

And, like many relationships that fall apart, there have been obvious (ignored) signs along the way. So many signs that you feel like a total idiot for not recognizing them in the first place. (Or, perhaps, it was the refusal to recognize them).

I’m not saying it’s time to chuck, along with my brushes, every single tube of Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton out the window, but this is a sure sign I need to step back, scrub out my old painting palette, reevaluate, and ask myself some questions. Maybe I need to expand my current color palette? Maybe I need to try some dyes? Maybe I need to take a seriously long break from watercolor altogether.

The long and short of it is, the current situation of this “relationship” needs to drastically change. I don’t know what it will look like in the end, but for now, there’s a road ahead of me and I have to travel it.

A Bit of Opera

“Dreamland” – pastel on paper. Katie Kath 2022. Do not copy or reproduce without permission.

Tonight’s drawing of my snoozing son is inspired by a sweet aria entitled Evening Prayer from the opera, “Hansel and Gretel,” by Engelbert Humperdinck. (And no matter how beautiful the music is, I cannot for the life of me get over that name. What did his mother call him? Lil Dinkey? What did his friends call him? Bert? Did he have any friends named Ernie?)

I digress. To the point, it’s a wonderful lullaby and a dreamy tune, with lyrics which I will inscribe herein:

When at night I go to sleep, Fourteen angels watch do keep, Two my head are guarding, Two my feet are guiding, Two are on my right hand, Two are on my left hand, Two who warmly cover, Two who o’er me hover, Two to whom tis given to guide my steps to heaven.

Sleeping softly then it seems, Heaven enters in my dreams; Angels hover round me, Whisp’ring they have found me; Two are sweetly singing, Two are garlands bringing, Strewing me with roses, As my soul reposes. God will not forsake me when dawn at last will wake me.

More Pastel Adventures + VIDEO!

Happy Saturday! I know it has been several days since I have posted, but hopefully the wait will have been worth it since I had to spend some time filming and troubleshooting a: (drum-roll please…) time-lapse video for the first time ever!

That’s right, folks. Today you get to see one of my drawings come to life before your very eyes–several hours worth of work blitzing by in a matter of seconds for your viewing pleasure! (And maybe for your inspiration as well.)

“Taming the Wildfires” – © Katie Kath 2022. Do not reproduce without permission.“

As you can see in the video, this piece is a bit larger and more involved than most of the work I have been posting here of late, so it was filmed over two days. Unfortunately, on the second day my filming angle got a bit off-kilter, but you get the bonus of seeing my wonderful mother-in-law drop in to chat with me about family resemblance and the dog chase our cat out of the frame (Ah, family life!)

As a double bonus you get to hear my lilting voice describe a few of the techniques I’m using so any viewer can take those little nuggets of knowledge and apply them to their own pastel adventures, too.

Happy painting!

Lora In Pastel

“Lora” – pastel on paper. © Katie Kath 2022. Do not reproduce without permission.

There is something about pastel to which I keep getting drawn. (Yes, yes, very punny.)

Maybe it’s because it is a drawing implement that you actually PAINT with, (and that is, in fact, its proper term–if you use pastel, you say that you “paint” with it, as opposed to drawing with it.) yet there is not water or brush involved.

It’s like the best of both worlds, sans drying time and plus portability.

I’m sure I will be painting with them more.