Got my registration pins!!

My registration pins came in the mail the other day and I'm really excited to try them out.  Turns out my hole punch isn't 1/4", but instead is 9/32's.  (??)  The registration pins do come with these awesome little tabs though that can be attached to the paper.

Not much work has gotten done recently due to work, the weather (heat and humidity) and my birthdays for both my wife and I.  My ink seems to act funny on days that are super hot (low-mid 90's) and have high humidity.  Even with an air-conditioner running at it's lowest setting doesn't seem to offset the heat.  Plus I have to close all the windows and you're supposed to do this kind of work in a well ventilated area.

The temps are supposed to be falling this week though with lower humidity so this should be a good week to get things started up again.  I really want to redo the Cafe color (just not happy with the initial light grey - just too dark for me) and I'm really excited to get to work on the "Diner" piece.  I would like to submit both pieces to an upcoming exhibition, but I only have until September 1st to have them both completed.  That's a tight deadline for someone with a full time job.  I'll probably wind up using my cobalt drier to try and push things along.

Wish me luck. =D

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #ternesburton #registrationpins #readytogetprinting

Diner Reduction Linocut - update!

 

Diner - 10 Color Reduction Linocut - 10 x 22"

I discovered yesterday that the pressure gauges on my press were way off (the only downfall of the Blick 906 press that I use).  I reset them and now I'm happy to say that everything now matches up and I will hopefully have less issues with pressure that I had on the "FU" print.

After fixing my press though, I decided to run my traced "Diner" through and transfer the design to the lino the I bought.  I did something that I'm completely not used to doing - I transferred the design, and then I completely traced the entire piece in Sharpie marker.  I was only going to do the top and the "D" to see how things were working out.  I then decided to do the "I"....a part of the "N" was sticking into part of the "I" so I did it as well.  I then did some of the smaller areas (easy parts) along the edges so I wouldn't be able to smudge them while it waited for me to complete the tracing later.  That turned into me totally completing the piece.....first time ever.  I think the entire process took somewhere around 3 hours.

It's now ready for me to carve it and begin printing.  I am going to hold off a little while though as I've purchased some registration pins and want to use them on this piece.  This lino, unlike what I normally use is not mounted onto a wood base so my normal way of registration will not work with this piece.  I ordered the Ternes Burton registration pins this morning so I'm excited to get to use them.

Diner - 10 Color Reduction Linocut - 10 x 22" (Detail)

This was supposed to be the stopping point.  Oh well....at least it's done.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #neon #diner #summitdiner #somerset #pennsylvania

Diner - 10 color reduction linocut - 10 x 22" - update

Been very busy today working on various projects.  I printed and also traced the entire "Diner" print that I want to work on.  It's my birthday week and I took a large portion of the week off and I was really hoping to get some art done.  Work has been slightly stressful for no real reason lately and I'm glad that I decided to take the time off and do this stuff.

Below is a detail of the "E" from the tracing as well as the color list that I've compiled.  I could actually make it 11 colors, but I'm unsure.  If I chose to make it so then there will be a dark blue that will be printed 2nd to last.  Not sure that it's totally necessary so for now I'm sticking with 10 and if I decide differently later then I've got plenty of time to make that decision.

 

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #neon #diner #summitdiner #somerset #pennsylvania 

Harley Davidson Las Vegas "Cafe" - First color printed

Printed the first color of the "Cafe" print from the Las Vegas Harley Davidson Cafe this morning.  Wanted to get it printed before the upcoming days of mid to high 90's with high humidity.  This color is for the initial neon tubing color located in the "Cafe".  It's a little darker than I initially intended, but not as dark as it looks here (the paper is a bright white).  A slightly darker pass will come next to give the neon tubing some dimension by adding a shadow.

I made a total of 12 prints for this edition.  Out of those 12, 1 will be an Artist Proof and as long as nothing goes terribly wrong the other 11 will be available for shows and possible future sales.

 

Here are some detail shots of a couple of the letters and how they look at this point.

I have an idea that this piece is going to wind up being more colors than I would like, but we'll see how things progress.  I usually plan for a certain number of colors and then as I print the colors I see other things that I would like to have happen.

OT - 5 Color Reduction Linocut - DONE!

So after a bit of procrastination I decided that I really wanted to complete this piece today.  I've been so busy with life, work and developing new ideas that the actual printing process has taken a back seat for over a month.  This piece has been ready to be finished for quite a long time and I'm happy to say that it is finally completed.  

I'm also happy that I've finally managed to create something that had less than 10 colors.  When I look at things I really can't seem to stay away from making it as real as possible...which also includes adding in so many values and tonal changes of the colors that I really start to go crazy about half way through.

Below is a progression of the first four colors.  The first three were nothing more than the neon tube color as well as a light and dark shadow on the tube.  The next color was the background and the final color was the black outline around the letters.

(4 Color Progression)

Here's an image of the original sign as well.

The sign was located at the Las Vegas Neon Museum located at:

770 N Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89101

There space is filled with hundred of old neon and bulb signs from past Las Vegas motels and casinos.  It is quite an awesome place and I highly recommend checking it out.  If you decided to visit though, it is advised that you visit their website a couple weeks in advance of your visit and buy your tickets then.  I'm sure that walk-ins can sometimes get in on one of the tours, but most people seem to purchase their tickets in advance.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #neon #OT #motel #LasVegas #LasVegasNeonMuseum #BlackJackMotel

Summit Diner - New idea!!

I've recently been looking to create a larger piece at home using a much larger portion of the press bed.  I've been hunting for a good sign that would allow for a large-ish horizontal or vertical piece for me to play with.

During a little day trip with my wife we came across the Summit Diner in Somerset, PA.  

I initially drove past and didn't feel that the sun was in a really good spot, but later decided to head back and see what I could get.  I took about 15 pictures from different angles.  I really liked the "DINER" part of this sign and have decided that it will make a nice vertical piece.  I've used one of my pictures and cropped it into a 9x24 size and printed it out (see pic at top).  I'll tape those printed images out together and then begin the process of tracing it onto tracing paper.

I'm still trying to figure out if I want to include all of the printed image or just the yellow circles with the neon and partial shadows.  That will be figured out as I go along.  Glad to have found a sign that suits the need that I wanted.

#art #printmaking #linocut #lino #reductionlinocut #neon #diner #somerset #pennsylvania #summitdiner

Zion National Park update

Since the last time that I posted the image above I had just finished creating a broken down color version.  I've been slowly working on this piece since I have quite a bit more to do on some other pieces, but spent about 30 minutes this morning tracing the image from the last post.

I'm probably going to take a good amount of time on this piece.  I've been researching a lot of other lino landscapes and trying to figure out how people handle them.  I really would like to make one that I'm proud of rather than one that I chalk up to yet another learning experience.  I know it's going to take me some time and I'm wondering if I should focus on a landscape that's a little more simple...  Guess I'll just have to see.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #tracing #ZionNationalPark #NationalParkService 

El Patio Motel - Erie, PA - another new idea for lino!

My wife and I traveled to Erie, PA the other week and on our way back out from Presque Isle I saw this motel sitting down the street a short ways.  The sun was out and very bright so I knew that the shadows cast from the tubing would be fantastic!  We stopped for gas and I ran over to the sign for a couple pics.  I also have 5 others in various formats for this one.  I really like the little guy resting on the cactus and have plans to try and make this one sometime soon.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #ideas #ElPatioMotel #Erie #PA

Playing around with a photo of Zion National Park

So I want to do a semi-realistic linocut of a landscape, but for some reason I have a major mental hurdle in the way when I'm trying to figure out landscapes.  They are rather daunting since there is so much information in the photograph for the viewer to look at.  Colors (including all values of), shapes, details, etc.  I drew out some small thumbnail images, but to be honest I lose so much of the information that makes it look like it's supposed to.

I tried separating the colors in photoshop and breaking it into simpler shapes and colors, but I could never get the look I wanted.  I decided to make a color test with Sharpie markers and a transparency.  Whether this actually works out for me or not I'm unsure.  I taped the transparency down on top of the photo and basically colored in the areas and tried breaking them down.

I'll trace this over in pencil and then use the photo and this image to help define areas for color on the block.  I'm going to give this one a try, but I'm really unsure as to how it's going to end up.  

This is the actual photo that I'm working off of....guess I'll have to see how things are going to go.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #landscape #ZionNationalPark #NationalParkService #Utah #LifeElevated

Paper torn and ready for the Cafe print!

Tore the paper down today for the Cafe print!  The paper comes in large 22x30 inch sheets and I hand measure and tear them down to the appropriate size for printing.

A 9x12 inch block get 1 inch on each side and then another half and inch on one of the long sides turning the torn paper into 11x14.5.  The half inch at the end is so that I can punch holes in the paper for the registration setup I have.  Registration is important so that every time I print the image the colors all line up appropriately.

#art #printmaking #linocut #lino #reductionlinocut #HarleyDavidson #LasVegas #Cafe #neon #sign #paper #readytogo