100 Acts of Kindness: We made it, the fun starts now!

Following your creation: 100 Acts of Kindness

New group in Facebook due to popular request! Join and follow, I will post here too, no worries.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/puzzlewoodcutprints/

Drawings to be transferred past project (City of the World print)

After transferring to blocks

Chop chop...all the pieces gone!

Project funded, now what?

Within the next couple of weeks, some administration takes place through Kickstarter. All the pledges are collected and any bumps and glitches hopefully resolved quickly. We have quite a few non-US participants which delights me to no end, and those payments take a little longer. After two weeks, I will have a final count of artists so I can start chopping the big blocks into that many puzzle pieces.

Meanwhile, back in the studio...

The precious cherry plywood blocks are cut and I am refining the drawing, will print on paper and then transfer to the big blocks. By "transfer" I mean redraw with charcoal stick first, then commit with Sharpie. Photos  very soon as I make progress.

Ways to follow all the fun

I like to post the work in progress in various places to accommodate most if not all. So here are the places you will see photos, videos and a bit of my ramblings:
This Blog: https://1000woodcuts.blogspot.com or http://1000woodcuts.com (redirects to the blog)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1000woodcuts
And of course, right here on Kickstarter I will continue to post updates as I have something new and wonderful to tell you. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1000woodcuts/100-acts-of-human-kindness
That's it for now, I'm getting to work! I am very grateful to all participants and supporters for joining me in the puzzle madness.


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Done! Tips for engraving and printmaking with Corian blocks

Corian

Corian is actually the name of a synthetic resin by Dupont that is used for kitchen counter-tops and other fixtures. Another use for Corian is as cutting boards. So once upon a time, I thought to use it as an engraving surface although I was not surely the first.

Corian scraps are easily acquired through EBay and other online outlets, as well as any kitchen/bathroom counter manufacturer or kitchen remodeler in your area. If lucky, a kitchen depot place will let you rummage through their discards and you can get this marvel substance for free. Even when purchased online it is not very expensive, especially when compared with traditional end-grain wood engraving blocks, and especially for larger blocks.

Seeds are sown...
engraving on Corian
Also example of heavily textured
Corian block

Cutting and Working Corian

Amazingly, Corian is very easy to cut with a proper saw blade and will easily cut even by hand with a diamond or carbide blade. I prefer carbide blades on my jigsaw although for many cuts a circular saw or even table saw may be appropriate. The cuts are clean without chipping with a sharp blade and some patience, let the blade do the work rather than pushing it.

Crossing Paths, a large engraving on Corian
Detail

Preparing Corian blocks

Little is needed to get Corian ready to engrave. I like to give the surface a careful look because any tiny scratch will show on delicate prints. The surface can almost always use a bit of degreasing, like etching plates, because they come with a slightly waxy feel so that they will repel substances in kitchen use. 

I usually degrease with kitchen detergent and a soft plastic bristle brush. Then it will accept a drawing or transfer. Cleaning the blocks is very easy, I clean by printing and they give up the ink so easily that very little else is needed. I usually wipe with a dry shop towel and sometimes give it a last cleaning with alcohol.

Transfer or drawing

I have successfully transferred inkjet drawings onto the surface with various methods, my favorite is "Studio Paper" from McClain's (imcclains.com). Unfortunately, most Corian scraps are colored to resemble granite or other surfaces and sometimes heavily so. The upshot is that a generous going-over with magic marker is almost always necessary. The drawing with marker will eventually wear off after a few proofings and cleanings so be aware of that.

Advantage of drawing with marker is that the blocks don't need hardly any preparation at all. Just reverse your reference drawing and copy onto block.

Detail! oh my...

Datura, on end-grain lemon wood block

The main advantage of Corian is the amazing detail that is possible. I engrave mostly with standard wood engraving tools and only need to hone them slightly during work. Perhaps the biggest advantage of Corian is that it will accept limitless rotary tool marks without chipping, breaking down or disintegrating as sometimes wood and Resingrave are prone to do.

The tiniest details are possible so Corian has become my favorite surface for smaller works. A vast landscape on a tiny block has a wonderful miniature masterpiece feel to it. Don't forget to get good magnifying equipment and good light. I use a combination magnifier/lamp which makes working detail very easy. 

Printing is much easier than with wood as there is no absorbance of ink into the block. Very little ink is needed and spread very well but in a thin layer. When Corian meets paper nearly all the ink gets transferred with not so much pressure so printing smaller works by hand is fast work.

The latest, still drying on the rack
Not too far to walk, size is 10 x 15 inches
block slightly smaller

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Ghost Town, Red Barn from the North

YouTube video of carving

This was fun! Not the video making, that is tedious and boring but I appreciate every YouTube video I see so much more after making a few of these slide shows. Carving was fun; always enjoyable to see the image "appear" as my knives take out the wood.
All done sweeping the wood curls too!

Views from North and East

Death Valley view

Endless road to Death Valley

On to the West, view from Death Valley road. First I have to "be there" if only in spirit. As I recall, this was my longest walk because the Westward road lost sight of the Barn almost immediately, so I had to travel the highway. Shortly, up a hill, the funky Welcome to Nevada sign and a perfect window to view the Barn. Point of curiosity: the signs have now been replaced with a more "modern" look so we are recording history.
Again, I mix man-made with nature and I may just enhance the current drawing with a few road-side flowers which are the highlight of the Death Valley roads.

Welcome to our state!

Can you spot the diminutive Red Barn?
 How about the entire ghost town in the background?!

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Two New Works

Still of the Night

This is a pretty standard "wood" engraving, carved on Resingrave from McClain's Printmaking Supply http://www.imcclains.com/. Wood engravings in black and white are solely dependent on light in order to achieve a successful image. My own approach is to sketch with pencil first, then a thin permanent marker (Sharpie). Once I have all the shapes blocked in black marker, I proceed with the engraving. 

I use standard burins, gravers and such and on occasion take up a rotary tool with a very thin bit in order to achieve some random marks. Nearly all the disciplined line work done with a standard engraving tool, nearly all the squiggly stuff done with rotary tool.

I don't tend to proof when doing woodcuts but do use proofing when engraving. I also "ink" the block as I engrave with a thick marker and a very light touch to get an idea where the light and dark are going. I feel the light is very vibrant and always in motion and I think this engraving reflects that (ironically, despite the name: Still of the Night!).

The engraving depicts Omen, a stray cat who frequented our outside feeders for about 6 months. I learned her name, when, ironically again, Omen was struck down by a vehicle days after I finished the engraving.

Still of the Night
wood engraving, 3 x 6 inches

Old Cabin

About 3 years ago we purchased an old cabin built in 1972 that had been sitting unwanted for over 20 years. More than an old cabin, it has become a refuge, an ongoing project, a learning experience, a getaway, a delightful never ending occupation and ever present peaceful and quiet place. More irony, we said: "let's not get something that's a lot of work!"

The print is leading toward my new body of work as will be seen in a future post. This "guide" print is done with two cherry blocks. The key block carries all the information and the single color block is printed in two "rainbow" rolls, as shown in the ink slab picture. In this manner I can get all the color in one pass, in typical efficient-Maria-fashion.

I used hand-made banana bark paper, which was hand-torn rather than cut and printed damp. This poses a slight potential registration problem, so I run my fingernail along the registration guides to score the paper. The fibers of the paper have "memory" and retain the slight score, even as the paper was redampened for over printing the key block. Here is the process in images:

Print Title: Old Cabin
Paper Dimension: 7.5 x 10 inches
Image Dimension: 7 x 9 inches
Block: Cherrywood
Pigment or Ink: Charbonnel Aqua Wash
Paper: Banana bark handmade
Edition: 60

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Ink can trick...with duct tape, of course!

Keeping ink fresh

Always a bummer to start out your printing day by having to carefully remove the anti-skin paper from your ink can only to find skin on your ink anyway. For one thing, those flimsy waxed papers aren't big enough, ever, for the can, ever, ever. So ink skins along the edges.

fresh ink, sniff sniff....aaaahhh

And for another thing, the ink seems to skin anyway right under the paper and the top layer sticks to the bottom of the anti-skin paper. Either way ink is lost every time.

Then I proceed to remove the tiny bits of dried up ink from the sides of the can. Takes some time to get the darned clean glob of ink nicely spread on my slab.

the dog, always oblivious to my genius

Two solutions:

 I started using a disc of foamboard, cut precisely to the inside diameter of the can. I press the disc firmly against the ink and leave a threaded piece of string to easily lift the foamboard disc. Works okay and I can scrape the underside of the foamboard disc with my ink knife so as not to waste a precious drop. Since I frame my own works, scraps of foamboard are a-plenty.

But now I use that marvel of material that should be a staple in everyone's home, backpack, purse, vehicle, bicycle...yes, friends, now you can use DUCT TAPE to prevent your ink from skinning in the can. Easier to cut than foamboard and with the advantage that you can let it "ride" up the sides of the can to prevent ink from drying there. Here is a video on my YouTube Channel and still pictures at the bottom.

Still pictures follow

double layer of duct tape, sticky side to sticky side

mark the size of the can with the top

cut along the edges, leave two "ears" for picking up

pick up by ears

awesome, no skin on my ink!

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Lemon tree, very pretty...for wood engraving!

Lemonwood for Engraving

Ah, I bet most of you don't know that song?

Lemon tree, very pretty
and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon
is impossible to eat

And I bet you din't know lemon wood is perfect for wood engraving? Wood engraving requires very tight grained wood, very smoothly finished and it is engraved, rather than carved, with hard-tiped tools that also engrave metal.
I just received a perfect batch of tiny blocks from Paul Bendall in the UK, who is a block maker of Lemonwood engraving blocks a former block maker to T N Lawrence and sons London.
Paul's Ebay shop: http://stores.ebay.com/Dab-hand-print

Tiny engraving lemonwood blocks, just in from the UK

Printing a wood engraving is much like printing a woodcut except it demands less ink, more pressure and a smoother paper. I have also found them to be "pickier" about everything during the inking process.

My personal wood engraving "arsenal"
patiently waiting their next project,
neatly arranged on a magnetic tool holder

Traditionally, wood engravings are smaller and more detailed than woodcuts and fine lines carved parallel to each other can very much mimic "shading" as in a pen & ink drawing. I have engraved end-grain maple (the most common), boxwood, end-grain walnut, end-grain cherry, Corian and Resingrave, the latter two being synthetic resin products.

A picture is worth a thousand fine lines...this was engraved on Corian (the counter-top stuff) which allows for infinite detail.

following the light
entrance to the Valley of Fire, my fav NV state park

Tempe Festival of the Arts!

Still a ways off, December 2-4, 2016 normal hours finally! 10am - 5:30pm daily.

Got my booth, PERFECT location! #1355 on Mill Avenue, between 6th and 7th

Here is the link:

http://www.tempefestivalofthearts.com/

Last time I was in Tempe

Stay in touch!

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1000woodcuts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts/videos

Nothing to see here...spring cleaning!

Upcoming

Don't miss this year's Utah Arts Festival! massive event coming up on June 23-26

Utah Arts Festival

Washington/Library Square

Salt Lake City, Utah

http://uaf.org/

I will be in a corner booth on the grass again, under the shade of a beautiful big tree I hope. Funny how I'm looking forward to it even though, as I recall, the hours are long (12:00 to 11:00PM daily) and the weather is hot. Fortunately the beer is cold and the food is just amazing! 

Training? or just spring cleaning?

A bit of both I guess. I have been gardening, rearranging the earth (gardening), and finishing some long due house projects. 

Aside from plotting my latest artworks (a few smaller "bread and butter" works for Utah and a few balloon-themed small color works for Albuquerque in October), I've been spring cleaning. Really I should say 3-year cleaning. I just filled up a 23 cubic yard container with godknowswhat. Stuff, mostly. Some stuff in boxes I hadn't opened in so many years I didn't even bother to break the tape...DUMP! Some stuff that I just can't believe I was keeping. Some stuff too big to fit in a standard trash can. Feels good, I'm in great shape and our house is so much lighter now, ha!

Enjoy the rest of spring, summer's coming! Festivals around the corner:

June 23-26

Utah Arts Festival

Washington/Library Square

Salt Lake City, Utah

July 29-31

BAM ARTSfair

Bellevue Washington

Bellevue Square, downtown by the Museum

September 30 - Oct 2

& October 7-9

Rio Grande Balloon Fiesta Show

EXPO New Mexico Fairgrounds

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Stay in touch!

1000woodcuts Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/1000woodcuts 
Maria's Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/maria.arango.diener 
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1000woodcuts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts/videos

Finished print for Barenforum.org exchange, onward!

Angry Skies

Here it is the finished print for the Barenforum.org exchange and a little slide show on how it was made, step by step. There are a few other slide shows and also videos on my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/1000woodcuts

Print Title: Angry Skies
Paper Dimension: 7.5x10 inches
Image Dimension: 7x9 inches
Block: Cherry wood plank key block, cherry plywood color blocks
Pigment or Ink: Charbonnel Aqua Wash oil based
Paper: Magnani Pearl
Edition: 55
Comments: Focusing on the beauty of the mundane this year, we have had a blustery January with frequent winds, clouds, rain...energy! On my daily walk, I see the winter desert and the cloudy days bring out the hidden colors popping from under the drab overall view.

Slide Show

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A little print for a Barenforum.org exchange

Exchanging Prints

One of the wonderful things about being a printmaker is that there is a long tradition of exchanging prints with other artists. My collection of prints from fellow artists is now in the thousands! For the pleasure of getting someone else's artwork, we send some of our own. Beautiful.

Barenforum.org is a woodblock/woodcut printmaking loosely organized bunch of folk who have exchanged prints over the years. This particular exchange calls for a 10 x 7.5 inch print, no theme, 27 participants. Let's get to work.

Angry Skies

My inspiration this year is in the mundane. I walk nearly every day up, down and around a local park with pup in tow (or viceversa). This winter has been particularly blustery and many days the skies seem to show a lot of pent up energy, waiting to unload. Cold wind buffets my face as I snap a few bad reference pictures. Then on to the studio to capture the feeling.

The picture captions tell the rest of the tale so far.

Reference photo

Carving the main block

Key block (main block) is done!

A proof on working paper

Proof "Angry Skies"

Transfer key block to color blocks with mylar

Color blocks ready to be carved

Vegetation block in rainbow roll (split roll)
mustard yellow to dark reddish

Registration jig so paper always in the same place

Pulling  a print on good paper

The split (rainbow) roll close up

Day's work, 65 prints roughly, tomorrow another color!

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