Reduction Relief Print

I'm overdue for getting my Baren Forum Chinese New Year exchange print done and I finally got time blocked out to work on it.  After some  research I decided on a design and got it worked out.   The reasons for doing a reduction print are less carving, better registration and harmonious color.  I had a new material I bought from McClains that is linoleum-like and is used by Japanese schoolchildren.  I bought a larger piece and cut it to size on my Kutrimmer with no problem.  I even rounded the corners on a corner rounder.   

I tried at first to use the Daniel Smith water washable oil relief ink but it wasn't drying and I remembered reading  that it takes a long time to dry especially with layered color.  Plan B was using my lithographic ink from Graphic Chemical and that worked fine.  I used a LOT of the transparency medium for the first block which gave the pale blue background color.   I even used a good bit of transparency medium with the second (brown) color.   I liked the second stage of the print so much I almost quit but I'm glad I didn't now that I've carved and proofed the black layer.

Happy Year of the Ox!!

I love Serendipity!

I found this piece of furniture at a thrift shop and immediately saw it as a carving station extraordinaire.  It already had the slanted top and I put on some wheels and drilled holes for the pegs so the block can be held steady in different positions and glued on some non-slip material.  I don't know if I'll stand or sit as I haven't tried it out yet.  I love the fact that it has drawers down both sides for tools, etc.   I wonder how I can customize it some more--maybe a corkboard above the desktop to hold references for carving?  Maybe some small pegboard to hold stuff?   The brakes on the wheels need some adjusting so they work better...

Hooray!!

I have my 32 Moku Hanga woodblock prints done and will get them in the mail before the deadline--what a 

relief.  Ha ha--unintended pun!   For those non-printmakers, I'll explain.  A woodblock is a relief print, as in the ink is on the flat surface of the print when it is printed.  The negative/non-printing areas are carved away and below the surface.   What a relief!!  

Here's one of my favorites--I like the way the pears glow.  It's so different from how I originally envisioned it but it doesn't matter!