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!

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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.

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!

A Monday Monotype With Food For Thought

“Yia-Yia’s Cat” – Dark field monotype print. © Katie Kath. Do not reproduce without permission.

I know I do a lot of pieces in black-and-white.

Sometimes I even say to myself, “Seriously? Another black-and-white drawing?”

“Yes. Got a problem?”

There is something I really love about black-and-white. No matter how many color pieces I do, black-and-white is like that one boyfriend who you just keep going back to, not because he’s a sleazy hunk and a cheap date, but rather because he’s a romantic. He’s the boy next door who maybe everyone else failed to notice but you–and every time you come back, golly he just gets cuter.

In fact, a former professor was once singing the praises about the virtues of black-and-white art-making, saying that, “It’s really all you need. All of the visual information you ever need is there.”

I remembered this phrase, interestingly, on the heels of browsing one of my favorite textbooks by Martin Salisbury, where he states (and I paraphrase): “The important thing (about drawing) is whether or not the approach serves the drawing’s purpose.”

So. Let a drawing serve it’s purpose. i.e.: Show only what needs to be shown. Get rid of the weeds. Don’t overly complicate a piece if it shouldn’t be complicated, WHICH INCLUDES not adding color if it isn’t necessary.

I love black-and-white. So there!