Ice Cream - Third time is a charm, right?

Ice Cream - Reduction Linocut - 3rd attempt

So yeah.....things were moving along with my 2nd attempt at the Ice Cream neon sign linocut that I was working on and then I started questioning some of the color placements.  A couple of the colors should've been switched with one another.  I really tried to not let that be a setback for me and tried ignoring these colors that were not exactly correct......I couldn't.

This piece is actually being done at the request of my wife and to be honest, I'd like it to be as close to perfect for her as possible.  Each time I've worked with this piece I've made small discoveries that at the time I wish I could have discovered a step or two previously.  So instead, I've restarted and applied that information to the next piece.

 Luckily, I still had the original graphite drawing I did of the sign and was able to transfer it one more time to a new piece of linoleum.  I also altered the shadows using references of photos online as well as pictures that I had taken myself and came up with what I feel is a decent rendition of shadows.  The last ones were just not really doing it for me, but since I didn't have actual an actual photo with a nice cast shadow I had to try and make them up.  I chose the easy way and just transferred the neon tubing areas of my drawing back onto the lino except I offset it's position.

This time around I spent a little more time studying photos or cast shadows and I'm much happier with what I've come up with.

In order to really speed up the process, I took my linoleum with me to my workplace and would work on it during break times.  I taped a piece of tracing paper over top of the graphite image so that it wouldn't get accidentally erased by my arm.  As I traced the drawing with a Sharpie marker I would discover areas that weren't very defined (the original drawing had already been transferred a couple times and wasn't leaving an easily visible transfer image).  I would make little notes all over the tracing paper indicating where I needed to double check with both the drawing and original photo.

The "glue" in pink was an area that I started to carve and then realized I had made a mistake.  Luckily, I had not completely the cut and was able to glue the piece back into place.  

One of the issues that I've been running into with this piece is that the colors weren't always being placed properly.  This is actually poor planning on my part.  Yellows are fairly transparent and if you aren't careful with how they are layered then disaster is close behind.  I try to mix a very small amount of white into my yellows so that they are less transparent, but this doesn't mean that previously printed colors aren't going to show up through the newer layer of ink.

This time around I decided that I was going to run colors test on each of the three different yellows that I used in the first two Ice Cream attempts.  The image above shows the three colors and their unaltered hues on the sheet of paper.  These colors are straight from the tube.

I also mixed each color with an equal amount of white to see how it would affect the value of the original color (1:1 ratio).  I also mixed that original color at a 2:1 ratio with white to see how much lighter it became compared to the 1:1 ratio.

After I mixed all the colors and made swatches of those colors, I inked up strips of linoleum and ran them through the press.  One set printed the darker three colors over the lighter three and then vice versa..printing the dark three over the light three.  Though the results of these color tests are fairly close, there are several areas where certain similar colors (ex. light yellow overlayed with dark yellow vs. dark yellow overlayed with light yellow) showed significant differences in the values printed.

I've already torn my paper for this piece and hope to start it very soon.  I'm excited to take another stab at this piece and hope that I've learned enough from my past mistakes that this time will leave me with a piece that I will be proud enough to offer to my wife.  =)

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #reliefprint #IceCream #neon #sign #Disney #CaliforniaAdventure #yellow #testing #printingprocess

NEW! - Racer Roller Coaster - Kennywood Park - Pittsburgh, PA

Racer - 16x34"

This has been a piece that I've been kicking around since mid-summer.  Wasn't sure whether I wanted to do something this big or not.  I have done two 18x24" pieces previously and though this one is 2 inches shorter in one way....it's also 10 inches longer.  It definitely one of the largest undertakings that I've taken since getting my Blick 999 press and this print is pretty close to my printing limits.

For those unfamiliar, the Racer is a 1927 dual "racing" roller coaster located at Kennywood Park, just outside Pittsburgh, PA.  There are two trains that are released at the same time and run practically side by side for most of the track.  At one point or another one of the trains takes the lead and whoever returns first to the platform...is obviously....the winner.  I've ridden this ride more times than I can honestly remember.  It's one of a couple iconic roller coasters that Kennywood has...the other two being the Jack Rabbit and the Thunderbolt.

The idea for a larger piece started this past summer when I delivered my Diner print to a show and the juror of the show commented that she thought that the print was going to be larger.  At the time I made the Diner print, it was not only the largest I had done at home, but it was also the maximum size that I could do at home and I was proud of it.  I drove home from the drop off that day thinking "I'll show you....I'll make something big....real big!!!!"  HAHA!

I just didn't know what.

I have reference photos of so many signs and even considered remaking one of my prints into a much bigger version, but also figured that wouldn't be much fun.  When I came across the Racer facade on a visit to Kennywood, it was lit just right by the sun so I took a pic and really didn't think too much about it.  I figured that I would make a print of it, but I wasn't really thinking about one this size.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #signage #rollercoaster #racer #kennywood #pittsburgh #pa #printingprocess #biggestprojectever

Orange Ice Cream and some new projects

Ice Cream - 20x16"' - Shadow Orange

Got a lot of things happening and moving forward so first off is my current large project.  I wasn't sure how this piece was going and doubts usually start to form....then....you add in a color that adds a bit of contrast and most of those doubts disappear instantly.

This past weekend I printed this orange color which acts as the actual shadow on the cone and a faux shadow on the lattice work of the cone.  Thought not my initial plan, I discovered that I also liked how it looked as the shadow for the neon tubing that goes around the edge of the cone as well.

 

                                  

The addition of this new color has re-energized my excitement for this piece.  I've already managed to carve most of the lattice work of the cone and the major shadowed areas away.  There are a few little bits in between the actual Ice Cream letters that I'll have removed shortly.

Green Street - 8x10"

So I'm still slowly making progress with this piece.  As mentioned above there are times when doubts surface...this piece embodies that completely.  I recently printed the olive green that makes up the trees, bushes and grass.  I really thought that it was going to create an excitement, but instead I still see errors and areas that I'm unhappy with.  Keep in mind though that a lot of the colors that are going to add some contrast have yet to be printed. 

I still have 3 or 4 colors left to print on what has become one of the most difficult pieces I've ever attempted.  I'm hoping that the next color, a medium grey color, really makes this piece pop.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see....There is still hope though and registration has remained fantastic for this piece.

I've also been taking this block to work so that I can get it carved as quickly as possible.  I would like to print the next color as soon as possible so that I can see where this piece is headed.  =D

NEW Bottle caps!!!!

I little while back I completed a 3x3" Coca-Cola bottle cap for a show.  It was a fun little test that I wasn't sure how far I wanted to run with.  Well, I've been collecting bottle caps off of glass bottles sodas for a little while and finally decided that I wanted to expand my mini-print collection.

The Pepsi and Orange Crush were easy to find, but it took my wife and I going on vacation for me to run into the Dr. Pepper one.  Glass bottle sodas (pops) are not always easy to find these days, though they do appear to be making a small comeback.

These are practically ready to print.  I just need to cut the linoleum down to the proper size and begin the carving on them.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #icecream #neon #disneyland #californiaadventure #lightandshadow #printingprocess #greenstreet #houses #bottlecaps #pepsi #orangecrush #drpepper #lino

Sooooo....I've been a little busy and have not done a good job with updates.

Hi everyone!  I'd like to apologize for my absence lately.  I've been rather busy with life and a little busy with my linocuts, but not in the printing every week kinda way.  I was out of town for a couple days in back to back weeks (on the days I'm usually printing) with my wife and spent another two weeks preparing for multiple upcoming shows that I had been accepted into.

I recently had five pieces in a local community show.  Of those pieces, only 1 of them was matted and framed, all the others needed to be matted and I had to get frames for all of them.  On top of that our roof had a small leak that managed to get onto the mat board that I already had and completely ruined it.  Though matting and framing are generally not overly difficult, it does seem to take a good bit of time.

On top of that I have two pieces in a show that opens this Saturday in New York City at the Manhattan Graphics Center, another piece that needs delivered for a Southwestern Pennsylvania Art Show in Ligonier, PA and another piece that also needs delivered in the coming weeks to the Printworks 2018 show at Artist Image Resources in Pittsburgh, PA.  I've managed to get myself into 7 juried exhibitions and a single community show this year...that's 3 times more than I usually enter and get accepted into.  I hope that that is a sign that I'm getting much better at this art form.

Ice Cream - 20x16" Reduction Linocut

Since my last entry, I've printed two colors to this piece - the darkest yellow (on the image) and the light orange/yellow lattice work of the cone itself.  I like my progress on this piece, but I am starting to question how it's going to turn out.  This is the difficult part of this artform...I'm somewhere in the middle of colors that I want to print and the transformation of the image is slow, which causes me to question how it's turning out and whether I like how it is turning out.  So far the jury is still out on this one....time will tell and hopefully I won't need to do a 3rd version of this piece.

My original version of this subject matter is still being worked on, but the more it's going on the more I feel like I'm just wasting my time with it.  During my last printing, I decided to cut back the number of prints being worked on to 5 (down from 10).  It takes about an hour and a half to print ten of these pieces, so printing 20 takes almost 3 hours.  I don't know how much longer I'll continue on with the original, but so far it's still surviving...though it's on life support.

Updates on current pieces - Ice Cream and Green Street

Green Street - 8x10" Linocut

I've not surrendered to this piece yet.  =D

I'm still pushing ahead and recently printed the large green grass area at the bottom (obviously).  This color is a middle tone for the grass and will show up here and there.  I will print a darker green over top to indicate shadows on both the bushes and the grass itself.  I'm in the process of trying to figure out/carving out the areas for this particular color.  I'm feeling probably another 5-6 colors until I complete this piece.

 

Ice Cream - 20x16" Linocut

I've advanced one color on the Ice Cream piece as well.  If you compare the last update of this piece with this one you may think that I'm showing the same picture, but I assure you I'm not.  You can see some really light detail of the yellow neon tubing which makes up the edges of the cone and a little on the bottom where it crosses horizontally.

I've also been working on the block and trying to get it carved as soon as possible as I'm enjoying this piece a good bit so far.  If my calculations are correct, I'm looking at probably another 7 colors on this piece until it is finished as well.

I've also been busy working on a new piece entitled "Racer" which will be my longest piece ever created at 34".  The subject matter is of an old roller coaster located at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh, PA.  I'm hoping to have this piece done by early, early spring, but the size of it may also call for the purchase of a larger brayer to ink the block up.  I'm not exactly sure how this will work out...a new brayer is rather expensive and the amount of time it would take to ink the block without one would be considerable.  

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #icecream #neon #yellow #streetview #houses #greengrass

Ice Cream!!

Ice Cream - 16x20" - Reduction Linocut

I've restarted the Ice Cream print due to unhappiness with the original that I started a while back.  Originaly I started with a light grey color that completely altered the color of the next layer...a light yellow.  Yellow is generally very transparent so the grey showed through and created a very non-appealing yellow color.

I chose to restart and instead of starting with grey I began with a very light yellow.  This time around I'm going to do all the yellows and some light oranges before moving onto the grey.  I am at the moment right up against vacation and a friend's Grand Opening of a business she is opening so I probably won't have any time to work on this until my return from vacation.

I am going to continue printing both the original print that I started as well as the newer piece.  I'm going to probably alter the colors of the older piece since it wasn't quite working out as expected.  I am excited about this piece and some of the upcoming pieces that I have planned.

Stay tuned...but I probably won't post for another two to two and a half weeks.

#art, #printmaking, #linocut, #reductionlinocut, #neon, #icecream, #yellow, #disney, #californiaadventure, #california, #paradisepier

Flo's V8 Cafe - Disney/Pixar themed Original Linocut

Flo's - 12x16" - 10 Color Reduction Linocut (COMPLETE)

Edition: 7 - 1 Artist Proof

So here it is!!  After a couple months worth of work I finally printed the final color (black).

The registration on this piece has been fantastic.  I usually tend to lose 1 or 2 prints from an edition due to registration issues, but this time I printed 8 and still have 8.  I have several other signs from Cars Land at Disney's California Adventure that would be just as fun as this one was. 

I'll be considering them in the future, but I do have a couple smaller pieces that I've started as well as one that will be probably the biggest piece that I've ever attempted.  The big one will push the limit of my press.

Here is the progression of steps for the colors used in this piece.  I apparently missed taking a photo of the second step which was the light pink by itself.  The second image that has the grey and pink also includes a darker pink that was printed 3rd.

#art #printmaking #linocut #reductionlinocut #printingprocess #flos #disney #pixar #cars #carsland #californiaadventure #disneyland #reliefprint #neon