Welcome to My Head

Ideas, ideas

Inside my head: books, tools, sketches...kind of messy but it works

The creative process starts differently for every artist and the question "where do you get your ideas?" is one we artists often have to answer. The answer, of course, is...how the heck should I know? In my case, the closest I can come up to explaining how ideas come to me is...er, well! ideas come to me!
I may be walking around, tending the garden, working on a home project, driving (many of them driving), and all of a sudden, screech to a halt, THERE it is! Immediately I have to stop what I'm doing, let it simmer in my head for a while, turn it around, explore it, view it inside out, and then, if I still think it might be a good image, jot it down someplace.

I am not one to starve for ideas, often have a bunch of colorful little electronic post-it notes on my computer desktop with things like "explore 3D bas-relief versions of older prints," or "take print x, make it more romantic," or "add earthy feel to print y" and so on. Many get tossed, some come to fruition at one time or another.

Sketching

Sketch for City of the World, previous puzzle project

That's probably where sketching comes in for almost every artist I know but I just really "sketch" in my head until the darned thing explodes out my ears onto paper or block (lately, Photoshop and a Bamboo graphic tablet).

But these puzzle prints are a bit different because they require a very specific type of idea/concept. The overall design has to follow the theme, of course, but be almost "invisible" and subordinate to the marvelous individual contributions from the participating artists. The design also has to be fairly simple and unify the whole collection of tiny gems together so that it will be pleasing from afar, and at the same time call the viewer closer. Nothing like restrictions to make an artist panic! So I have to sketch and discard many along the way, just like everyone else.

Final sketch for the Fantastic Garden, puzzle print IV

Peace Puzzle Sketches

This being my fifth shot at this, I jumped right in with a few elements that speak peace to me. After about two days in the studio (off and on, I go outside a LOT), here are some loose ideas on paper. I am liking the nature feel, may ditch the dove and add some peaceful landscape elements. Don't really know yet, but the design is beginning to emerge.

A mess of sketches, small and large.
I sketch in magic marker to make myself even more nervous!

Peace beginning to emerge, love, river, sun, branch, bird...
or translated: love, life, light, nature, freedom...

The Peace Puzzle: Current project open for enrollment! 

http://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com/p/peace-puzzle.html

How to sign up:

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/peacepuzzle

Click on Back this Project green button

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Cork, linoleum and everything else!

There is life after wood in relief printmaking!

Last Leaf, 3 block lino-cut

Linoleum

Aside from wood, any surface that is fairly easy to cut and takes ink is suitable for relief printmaking. In experimenting, I wouldn't (and haven't!) discount anything that's laying about and looks interesting. I think almost everyone that starts printing "woodcuts" does so on linoleum. Lino, as it is familiarly called, is very easy to cut and somehow less intimidating than wood. There are various grades and types, battleship linoleum (called battleship because of its gray color, not because it comes with anti-aircraft cannons) being the most commonly found in art supply stores.

After paying for mounted linoleum I decided unmounted, by the roll, is much more economical in the long run and allows for more flexibility of block height. Linoleum has gritty stuff that will dull delicate wood carving tools so I either use the lino-designed tougher tools or use my cheaper sets when cutting linoleum. Really easy to cut, fast prints are possible so it is very suitable for working in series and with larger prints.

Cork

And then there's cork! One of my favorite surfaces because it just yields results that are quirky and unexpected. Cork is readily available as tiles or rolls in craft stores and home improvement supply stores.

Cork is tough to cut, not because it is hard but because it crumbles and woodcut tools really aren't any use. The tools of choice are X-acto knives, craft knives or even box cutters or utility knives.

I use cork to add a sort of an irregular "shimmer" to the color blocks in some of my newest prints. I must say that it is frustrating to use and unpredictable at first, tough to carve, impossible to keep together and...well, that's enough bad rap!


I do like the results which is why I continue to use it. I get cork squares online or locally at craft stores and roll cork from fine woodworking stores; I think it's used for backing and dampening vibration.
I transfer key block to cork block using stiff transparency such as for projector presentations (well, before PowerPoint).
I print the key block onto the transparency sheet usually with water-based ink. The transparent sheet is pinned down.
Then lift transparency, remove key block, slip the cork block into the registration jig, and transfer carved image to cork block.

I usually transfer to several blank cork blocks even though I will only use one.
This is because the cork is fragile and prone to crumbling and carving/cutting errors. Or I may just make two prints with different color schemes such as shown here.

Puzzle Prints

The cork blocks are easy to cut with x-acto or craft knives and therefore very suitable for "puzzle" color blocks, where each piece of the puzzle is inked separately and assembled prior to giving it a once-through the press. The cork blocks are not easy to carve. If the cork is thin, I glue to a foam-core backing board to give it stiffness and the right height for printing--the same height, ideally, as the key block. If the cork is thick enough as in the tiles shown above, then I usually roll a thin layer of PVA glue all over the back to aid in holding together during carving and printing. I assume a layer of acrylic would work equally well.
The above block kept losing little pieces as I printed. The second block shows a big hunk missing after printing the edition of 46 or so. This print taught me to  not try to cut such thin pieces because they tend to crumble away from being taken apart and put together so many times. Cork is really more suitable for large areas.

Printing Cork

Exciting things happen when printing cork

This picture shows three variations of what happens during printing. When printing, cork acts like a sponge, whether using water or oil inks, and collects ink between the grains. This ink tends to accumulate and then squeeze  out when pressure is applied so it gives very interesting effects. This also means that the cork block has to be completely cleaned off every ten prints or more often, otherwise the grain fills up completely and the grainy effect is gone.
You can also spritz the cork block or the paper (if using water-based inks) with water and get an effect much like watercolor. After a few practice prints, the effect is actually quite consistent and controllable throughout the edition.

Puesta de Luna, Cork Print by Maria Arango
(detail below)

After going to a Nature Printing Society workshop, I really learned that ANYTHING can be printed! Various surfaces give different results and many unusual daily objects can give some awesome prints. Don't forget to have a blast.

Keeping Records Part II

As promised, database details to make you dizzy:

Database vs. Spreadsheet

The advantage of a database over a spreadsheet, as I said last time, is the "relational" feature that links all your data and the eternal flexibility for manipulating data. The software packages that I pointed out last time are really databases that have been fancied up to make data entry and retrieval easy for everyone.

But if you don't want to fork out any bucks, have a little time on your hands and like doing your own thing, a database is really simple to set up. Most of them come with templates that can be tweaked to taste for art record keeping.

The main advantage of doing your own thing is that it suits you perfectly and you can change things over the years as you evolve or devolve or whatever.

What can you do for me?

One example of features you gain by creating a database is the ability to "query" or ask it questions like:
-How many works did I sell to NEW customers on last year's Flagstaff Festival? (should I mail postcards or are my customers mostly tourists coming to the show for the first time?)
-Who has all my "Mountain Sunrise" prints and where have they been exhibited? (provenance)
-How many contacts did I gain on my Museum Show in 2004? How many are still receiving my emails and how many have bought something since then? (is it worth doing the show again?)
-Who of my Arizona customers has not bought anything in the last 5 years? (I can clean up my database that way)

You get the picture. Invaluable information if you are in the business of selling or exhibiting artworks.

Spreadsheet data, if you recall, is flat (see the link to a sample spreadsheet last post), although for just keeping artwork records making up a simple spreadsheet is exactly what I would do.

Guts of a database (or software) 

Database data is based on table-like-spreadsheets BUT the tables are "linked" or related to each other by one of the variables. Here is what my old database looks like:

I have three main tables: WORKS, CONTACTS, and SHOWS

There are other tables in there but they are auto-generated by the BIG 3 for various reports

Notice all those joining lines that go from one table to another, they link together works through the ID field with customers through the ID field. So at any point I can get a full report of where ALL my prints are, everyone of them, sold, given away, shown in a gallery, whatever. Also, when I enter a new customer, I just have a pull-down field with all my works so I don't have to write the print's name. And when I enter that work, the database automatically subtracts one print from my "prints on hand" field. Nifty huh? A lot of tricks like that are possible that make keeping track of everything and everyone related to the art business a snap.

The main way to input and keep data in a database is through tables, although with one click you can create a fancy input form to make the task more bearable:

Here you can see an entire record for a work called 1000 Years including where it was exhibited, how big the frame should be and whether I've taken slides (how OLD is this thing?) and uploaded to my website

The other two main features of a database is the ability to query (ask complex questions) as I mentioned before and the ability to export reports, fancy or not, to other programs like Microsoft Word (to send a mailing), spreadsheet (like an inventory of prints on hand) or your favorite mail program (to send an email to your customers) or to make a print info sheet or web page, pictures and all.

Anyhow, one point of this post is that, whatever method of keeping track of works, sales and contacts one chooses, the important thing is to put in good information so that good information can be reported. Accurate data entry is crucial, whether a ready-made software program, a simple spreadsheet or any other fancy way to keep records.

I happen to like tweaking my database endlessly, I have reports, resumes, lists of galleries, who sold what to whom in what event and so on. I enjoy the brain work of querying, making my database spit out fancy reports and formatted letters and so on. And I have now tailored my database to fit my business model perfectly.

This all sounds complicated when writing it down but really databases are just like the software described in the previous post. The advantage, to me, is that I can change things as I see fit.

Any questions? quiz at 11:00!

Sample Simple Record Keeping

Sample simple...heh heh, couldn't resist!

Just a little while ago, my friends in http://barenforum.org were asking about record keeping for printmakers.
First you have to decide what sort of records you want to keep and make decisions on whether you want to keep everything integrated or just jot down information about each art work. You may want to consider keeping records on sales, gallery submissions and exhibits, works created, collector's demographics and, oh, so much more.

Here are some books to consider:

Indispensable! Constance Smith's Art Office, Second Edition: 80+ Business Forms, Charts, Sample Letters, Legal Documents & Business Plans (Art Office: 80+ Business Forms, Charts, Sample Letters, Legal)

Art Marketing 101 has pretty good info on what may be important down the road Art Marketing 101, Third Edition: A Handbook for the Fine Artist (Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist)

Quite a bit of information about what galleries expect from artists in "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art

Software

If you want to keep integrated records of artwork, collectors, submissions and exhibits (for example) you will need integrated software. There are various out-of-the-box choices on the web, all of them seem adequate enough, these are the ones I have looked at:

ArtWork Archive
http://www.artworkarchive.com/
Seems pretty cool with many features, great feature is online backups, drawback is "revolving" charge which I'm allergic to big time. But all in all a very complete package.

Working Artist
http://www.workingartist.com
I have not downloaded and tried this one but the features are there and the price is right. More features than the previous and really an affordable solution. Another advantage is they have been around for a while and upgrade as needed so you won't be stuck with an obsolete software (I have seen many others come and go).

Art Systems
http://www.artsystems.com/
If you can afford this dawg or if you manage a gallery or a group of artists, go for it. I don't think there is a feature that this doesn't have and I based my own database on their screenshots. I think about forking out this much money but I can always think of how much paper I could buy instead.
Still, all in all, a great software package now with cloud backup and all the bells and whistles.

But what about FREE?

Well, there's the do-it-yourself approach. At first any record keeping will do, but a spreadsheet is eternally malleable and can be exported to databases and practically any software. I started out with a simple spreadsheet based on what items I wanted to keep records for each of my prints. Here is a sample that may look familiar from Baren exchanges:

But I also want to know where my prints are located and other things, so here is a sample spreadsheet that I created in GoogleDocs based on that information:

http://tinyurl.com/sampleprintrecord

As you can see, you may want to add to the print information where you physically keep the prints and any images you have online or stored locally. Any other tidbits of info about each work can be added as you need to by adding a new column.

A simple spreadsheet is a good start for any printmaker, they are easy to use and, as I mentioned, very flexible when upgrading to something better. Not that there would be a need to upgrade. If you get handy with spreadsheets, you can filter records (for example to view only woodcuts, or only woodcuts created in 2005, or whatever). You can also merge the records with a program like MS Word and create print info sheets like the one above.

But a spreadsheet has what's called a "flat" file system. For record keeping and integrating with other spreadsheets, exporting reports such as gallery entries and artist resumes...well you really need a database. Since you're probably sleepy by now (I know I am), next post will outline a simple database, features of a database and how to create one that tells you stuff you may want to know about your art records.

More reading material for you: More books about legal aspects and business aspects of being an artist

I have most of the books that come up in that search but I just saw a new one! I better get it, can't read enough about this stuff.

Papers for Printmaking Part 2

Following are some of the papers I have tried and how they behaved for me.
Generally I look for how papers behave for woodcut prints, but I have grown to love many papers that I use for sketching, watercolors and even painting.

Two more suppliers of awesome papers:
for a huge array of Japanese papers http://japanesepaperplace.com
and to enjoy the feel of handmade papers, learn a boatload and support smaller manufacturer
http://www.twinrocker.com

And more book recommendations, of course, here are three GREAT BOOKS on papermaking, from a historical and craftsmanship perspective.
 

Dard Hunter's  Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft is the book to get for printmakers that want to delve into the history of paper. Really fascinating stuff!

A bit pricey but a Timothy Barrett's great book on Japanese Papermaking with great illustrations and photographs Japanese Papermaking: Traditions, Tools, Techniques

And an out of print book, I confess one of my favorites, about the Craft of Japanese papermaking by Kiyofusa Narita with woodblock illustrations Japanese Paper-making

Maria's sampler of printmaking papers:

Arches 88

This paper is one of the best I have found for all types of printmaking. It is thick and soft and snow white. The surface is very smooth with no grain. Tears or cuts remarkably well. It works well wet or dry, shrinks evenly (so it registers well), and takes much abuse so it is equally suitable for hand or press printing. Definitely use it for black and white oil based prints to achieve a most dramatic effect. It embosses well because of the thickness, but behaves otherwise much like the strong but thin Japanese papers  like Hosho. It works equally well for woodcuts and wood engravings.

Arches Black

Delicious to print on. Not sized, that's why it likes the ink so well. Black paper presents a special challenge because you have to think your print in reverse/reverse. Whatever you cut out will be black.  Arches Black is thick and soft. The surface is a bit more grained on one side, I usually use the back of the paper. It tears and cuts very well. Scuffs easy so be careful when handling. Gives a very crisp impression but you have to remember to use very opaque colors or you will end up with a much darker image than you intended.

Arches Tan

Much like Arches Black. Same behavior, same feel. It gives prints a wonderful "warm" look and acts like a mid-tone. For some reason, the tan likes the ink the best of all the Arches family. By "liking" the ink I mean that the impressions are crisp, the ink lays evenly and layers well.  Print damp or dry. It is a bit too "spongy" for wood engravings, but can be made to work well.

Bangla-Desh Handmade

This wonderful thick and spongy paper I bought at a place called "1,000 Villages" in a small town in Kansas. It is unsized and will stick to the block unless an additive like Daniel Smith Miracle Gel is used. Too wet and it will desintegrate back into pulp. When dry it is cardboard hard. It tears well, cuts better, embosses deliciously and absorbs as much ink as you want to roll out. Gives clear and "stamp" like impressions. Every sheet is different. See the notes on Printing On Hand-Made paper for recommended procedures.

 

BFK Light

This is a very affordable and versatile paper. It comes in white and buff, which are very similar in color. This paper is lightweight and accepts both woodcuts and wood engravings (although somewhat fuzzy on the wood engravings). As all Rives papers, it seems to be thirsty for ink and works well damp or dry. Tears very easily and handles well. An extremely gentle and forgiving paper to work with and warmly toned.
I am told some folk even use this very successfully for moku-hanga, Japanese water-based, prints.

Canson Me Teintes (Red)

This is a paper made for pastel and drawing work. What I like about it is that it comes in a wide variety of bright colors. The "pastel" side is toothy. The reverse is smooth and ideal for printmaking. Canson is thinner than the Arches family, it prints well dry or wet but I recommend dry. It likes the ink despite being made for drawing. Second and third layers of ink will shine unless Set Swell Compound is used on earlier layers. Tears and cuts well but it is fragile when dampened.

Daphne

Daphne hand-made papers from Nepal come in three weights.  Lightweight is feathery, transparent and suitable only for special projects. My Life of a Tree Series was printed on Daphne. It's a bear to work with, tears easily but not where you want it to. Medium weight is suitable for woodcuts. It is sized but not too heavily. Being very strong, it doesn't tear easily, but using a brush and water makes it pull apart easily. Heavy weight is a wonderful paper resembling parchment and can look like leather. It looks a lot like the background of this page. It works better dampened but becomes fragile. It is heavily sized but not consistently from batch to batch. Sometimes fibery inclusions can dent a cherry block so it's not for the faint of heart.

Graphic Chemical Heavyweight

For being so affordable, this paper surprised me in its ability to take ink well, layer well, tear well, dampen well...there is very little that this paper can't do. A sturdy Western paper with a light cream and slight toothy finish, it embosses well when dampened.  It is ink thirsty, so it will take several layers of ink without complaining. A bit rough for engravings, but also surprising in that function. Did I mention affordable?

Hanhemulle

This is really a pastel paper, a bit softer than Canson and also available in a wide array of colors. It is lightweight and accepts ink very well, one side being toothier than the other.  The main advantage is the color range. Dampening makes this paper very fragile as it was meant for dry media. Tears well, use it dry. Inks seal the unsized paper quickly, so the top layers will shine.

Ingres/Fabriano

Another questionable choice by yours truly, but it works so well! This is really a drawing paper, thin and meant for dry media. Lo and behold, it takes the ink so well and comes in such warm unusual colors like "tobacco", "maple", "crimson", and "chocolate," among others. Fibers are shorter than on traditional printmaking papers so they are fragile if dampened but work great dry. This is also a nice affordable choice for the explorer in you.

Kaisuri

This paper is randomly scattered with inserted material. It is a difficult paper to work with. It is thin and unsized and will tear under the pressure of a baren unless backed with a strong backing sheet. Will not work wet, tears poorly and cuts fairly with a very sharp blade. The inserted materials are random and large pieces, sometimes they have already torn the paper fibers. Printing around these intrusions will leave a lighter mark all around them. Why did I use it? It is exciting and lends an individuality to every print. It also lends a distinct quality to an otherwise simpler image if used well.

Kitakata (Kitikata)

This paper is light, translucent, strong and absorbent like many Japanese papers. It truly loves the oil based ink and my fellow Hanga-printmakers tell me it works very well with water based inks. The warmth and underlying texture of this paper is hard to beat for adding a nice warm tone to a print. Only complaint is that it comes in small (16"x20") sheets and it is expensive. It works equally well for woodcuts and wood engravings. In fact it might become one of my favorite wood engraving papers.

Next blog post, more papers!

Papers for Printmaking Part 1

Paper is beautiful and magic. Over the years I have developed an appreciation of paper, not only as an medium for art but as an art itself. Having said that, these notes about paper will not tell you anything about sizing, paper making, fiber composition, weight and traditional size or definitions about paper terms. You can find all that in the first section below, About Paper Sources and Resources.
What I will discuss in these notes, however, are notes on how the paper feels and behaves under the attack of this artist. I say "attack" because often times we artists tend to abuse materials in many ways. As an experimental printmaker and lover of papers, I am guilty of paper use and abuse.

How to Get to Know Paper

Here is what I do to get to know my papers:
Buy paper samplers! For one thing they are so cute, little tiny squares of paper in a neat little book...
For another thing, no matter how much you look at a picture of a paper in a catalog or in the web, you cannot get to know a paper until you...
See the paper. Hold it up to the light, all kinds of light, natural, fluorescent, incandescent; heck take your papers out to the campfire on a still desert night and look at them there. Turn them over and do it again. Notice the fibers, the weave, the patterns of the molds, the hills and valleys, the watermarks, the little chunks of inserted material.

 

Feel the paper. Touch it on both sides, learn what size feels like, feel the difference between papers and the likeness. When papers "behave" the same under your baren or press or charcoal stick, chances are they will feel similarly when touched. Close your eyes when you feel them.

If you can afford it, of course, buy full sheets of paper and actually TRY the paper in your daily business of drawing or printmaking. Learn from the book sources above, all about sizing and uses for papers. Purchase the large (full-sheet) paper samplers, or buy one sheet every week and by the end of the year you will have tried 52 different kinds of paper. Start out by purchasing the papers made for whatever medium you happen to be "arting" in, then move on to...

Experiment! (my favorite word). Learn all the rules first, then break them. Print on pastel paper, draw on watercolor paper, paint on printmaking paper, wet the paper, use it dry, paste it to cloth, prime it with gesso... This is how you get to really know paper, because you will learn how paper "behaves" under different whimsical treatments.

It is this paper "behavior" that I am looking for when I use a paper. I can look up the sizing and recommended uses and light-fastness and weight information in a chart. I can make sure (please make sure) that the paper is actually acid-free and will hold my art dearly for centuries to come. I can listen to recommendations from others, I can look up the most suitable paper for a particular use.

Next blog post I will post about various papers I have tried and how they behaved for me. In the meantime, here are a selected few selected sources and suppliers.

Few Selected Paper Sources and Resources

Sylvie Turner's The Book of Fine Paper is an incredible resource for papermaking, history of paper, types of paper, and it even comes with a mini-sampler of fine papers from around the world. I highly recommend it if it's the only reference book on paper in your personal library.
The Book of Fine Paper: A Worldwide Guide to Contemporary Papers for Art, Design & Decoration

If you must have two books, the next that I recommend is the classic Jules Heller book Papermaking:
Papermaking: How to Make Handmade Paper for Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Relief and Cast Forms, Book Arts, and Mixed Media

Shereen LaPlantz's Cover to Cover is a great source for bookmaking and I liked the book because of its respectful treatment of paper.

Cover To Cover: Creative Techniques For Making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums

Faith Shannon's The Art and Craft of Paper is a beautifully illustrated book on papermaking that will leave you with a great appreciation for the craft.

The Art and Craft of Paper

Graphic Chemical & Ink Company has a great catalog with a paper chart. They are also one of the least expensive sources for Western papers, especially if you like to buy bulk. In fact their catalog will teach you more about tools than any other I know.           http://graphicchemical.com

Daniel Smith Art Supplies http://danielsmith.com publish a catalog that is worth getting even if you never order anything. Periodically they also publish a paper chart that lists a good quantity of papers with all the specifications (sizing, uses, sizes). Their printed catalog has thoughtful explanations of all their papers, with pictures.

McClain's Printmaking Supplies http://imcclains.com has a beautiful catalog that lists a wide variety of Japanese papers and their uses. If you request their paper sampler you also get a description of their papers in a neatly printed sheet.

Hiromi Paper http://hiromipaper.com has an astounding web site dedicated to Japanese papers, their making, history, much more. Do request their printed catalog even if you print out (like I did) their Adobe Acrobat version.

The new and improved Printmaking Studio has moved here!

Time for a website remodel!



The sweet smell of an inky studio...

For a while now I have been managing my website with tons of pages and growing like a bad weed. My Studio Notes section, containing all the knowledge, method, tips and tricks, will be making its way to this blog with new pictures and revised content.

Should take the rest of the year to complete the remodel, I would think. Right now I'm on manic mode and everything seems possible!

As I move away from the website, content should be more searchable and better organized. Meantime, just like before, I welcome contributions from printmakers regarding method of any sort, tiny tips or big processes, as related to woodcut and woodblock as possible.

Happy printing everyone!