old printmaking how to.

My friend GuettaGirl asked me to do a little printmaking how to a while back. Hopefully if you are interested in trying printmaking this will encourage you to go for it. Here is a little video to get you started.

Watch video part one

Guetta Girl: What are the basic materials needed for this printing project?
HPR: What I used for this video (there are many alternatives)
1. Relief Surface: Wood (linoleum, thick acetate...)
2. Carving tool: utility knife (wood carving tools, exacto knife...)
2a. Wood Splinter remover: Old tooth brush (steel brush, nail scrubber brush...)
3. Ink applicator: soft roller (sponge, hard roller, brush, tooth brush...)
4. Ink: water based ink (so many ink types to choose from...)
5. Ink area: Plexiglas found on the street (smooth tile sample, glass
from a thrift store picture frame, glass table)
6. Ink Receiver: Paper (textile, board...)
7. Ink transfer Pressure: In my case Feet. (smooth wooden spoon back,
hands, press, steamroller...)

GG: what are the basic steps for this project? (aside: you can be real basic with this)
HPR: 1. Have idea, Make drawing. These are both Reduction woodcuts- Meaning the first color is printed, then the second color is carved out of the same block (as opposed to multiple blocks per color) and reinked and printed over the first color. So when doing a reduction its important to have a plan for your colors and your phases. I recommend a single color if your are trying woodblock printing for the first time.
2. Draw on wood (remember if your end result is reverse so lettering should all be backwards) Carve wood at an angle: Your grooves should be valleys and your relief surfaces should be mountains.
3. Clean out the splinters with old tooth brush.
4. Roll your ink out, adjusting as needed for your desired color. Roll the ink on your block. Get it good and covered with a nice even layer.
5. Lay the paper on the inked wood.
6. Apply pressure evenly around the whole surface of the papered wood.
7. Peel the paper off and let the print dry.

*It should be noted that I did a little spot color red with a paint
bush and ink on the sprout watcher print.

Here are static images of the final prints created in the video.

Sprout watcher

This is from a series of prints featuring yellow monsters who protect and encourage plants.

Candy Stanley at the beach

This is from touring with Scrabbel, the clouds feature ice cream, hot pepper and guitar.

GG: Could you give us a pro and con about this type of printing, and/or a piece of advice to those getting started?
HPR: Pro: You can print in your house with easy to clean materials and little equipment.
Con: If you have a pet they may step on your prints if your only work space is the floor.
Advice: Get a small (4"x4" ish) piece of soft wood, start with a black and white or single color design, keep it simple and just go for it. Don't be shy with your carving, the only way the process will be clarified in your mind is by trial and learning. Remember wood may have a mind of its own, don't fret, there is beauty in imperfection and the character of your wood grain is part of the charm of wood block printing.

Here is another video which shows the "printing" part in greater detail.

Watch video part two

Here is the final print from the above video.



GG: What got you interested in printing?
HPR: My High School Art teacher, Fran Nichols at 11800 Texas Ave. She showed me how to make etchings in acetate using a T pin taped to a pen. Things soon evolved in that classroom- I was stencil airbrushing spot colors on the paper and then printing the black ink line etchings over it. I think she was the first person to show me an inventive path to printmaking alternatives. So here I am 11 years later, after studying all the processes, Lithography, Intaglio etc, stepping on wood in my house. I love all the printmaking processes I have learned so far, I could go on and on about all the things I love about printmaking.

GG: What do you consider to be the best "mistake" you ever made during this process?
HPR: Every mistake is a good mistake, as long as you can learn and accept the new direction your wood grain has shown you. Most recently I tried to do 2 different shades of green for two different wood blocks in a row. the second green came out horribly wrong because I didn't give myself enough of a break between the two. I learned when mixing shades of the same color, always have a color sample for ref on hand to make sure the color in your mind is the same one you are mixing.

For larger prints or editions I sometimes use my press, which I named Friday Capone. Here is a little photogallery of Friday's activities Friday Capone

Thanks for asking me about printmaking.