Linocuts on a die-cut machine!

I belong to a fabulous Facebook group called Linocut Friends: a very talented and generous group of people, always encouraging newbies and sharing new tips and tricks. Well, recently it was discovered by one of our members, that a little die-cut machine called the XcutXpress works very well as a small tabletop press!  In the following (rather lengthy) step-by-step, I share my very positive experience with it! (links at the end)

For years, I've been enthralled with pysanky, the art of wax-resist egg dyeing used by Ukrainians on their Easter eggs. Some examples have a lovely simplicity, while others are exquisitely ornate. I even bought a pysanky kit years ago, but was quite intimidated by it. I recently decided to do my own humble little version of pysanky on this reduction linocut of an Easter egg, using repeated motifs, etc.

It took quite a few sketches to get to this first stage on tracing paper...I was going for natural elements (sky to earth) and trying to create some interesting patterns.

I used these wonderful mounted lino blocks from McClain's. The lino cuts like butter and you can order it mounted—the fabulous thing about this mounting is that they set the lino in a bit from the edge. so you can grab it while inking and printing without touching inky edges, etc.!
I used these wonderful mounted lino blocks from McClain's. The lino cuts like butter and you can order it mounted—the fabulous thing about this mounting is that they set the lino in a bit from the edge. so you can grab it while inking and printing without touching inky edges!

Because I wanted that repetitive pattern to be almost abstract in its shapes, (and being fairly proficient in Adobe Illustrator from my days as a graphic designer), I then "drew" it in Illustrator. This is also a great way to explore color choices, line thicknesses etc. And, especially when you're planning a reduction print, it really helps to plan the whole process in Illustrator or Photoshop, where you can separate out layers, etc. I wanted a really accurate transfer to the lino block, so instead of using tracing paper, I printed it on my laser printer and placed it face down on the lino and ironed the back with a warm iron. It took a few tries but it did work! And the toner residue didn't create any problems with inking later.

(And before we go further, I want to mention that I rather like the occasional stray mark here and there on a linocut print. I am not striving for perfection here. Good thing, huh?)

Some of these are be out of chronological order, as I want to show the printer set-up at this point. I won't go into elaborate detail about the printer itself, as others have done that much more thoroughly, but I will share a few initial points of interest:

The prices are already climbing. I got the last one on Home Shopping Network a couple of weeks ago at $99.99 plus tax and shipping. They're more than that now, but still WAY below the price of a tabletop etching press.

It may look like a plastic handbag in the photos, when it's folded up, but it's actually quite sturdy and heavy.

You're limited to prints that are 8.5"wide.

Adjusting the pressure knob on top is everything. Play with different settings and papers before you do any "real" printing. This is a quick shot I took of my initial "play" session when I unboxed it last week:

To keep the block in place, and to keep the rollers from having to go up and down over the block, I made a frame out of balsa pieces from the art supply store, cut to the desired lengths and affixed to the bases with foam tape.  (I used the shallower "cutting pad" of the 2 bases that come with the machine, so that the overall height would fit through the press.)

Jumping a bit forward, this photo shows the last layer set-up (I had  a few prints on longer paper, so I added a balsa block above the lino.) This also shows my new Ternes-Burton pins: I don't know why I EVER tried to register any other way. Period.

So, back to the first layer: I cut out everything that would remain white (the paper color), and printed the yellow layer. 

I used Caligo Safewash Relief inks. Yes, they dry slowly, but nicer ink makes a huge difference, and it really takes a very thin layer of ink to get full coverage. I own the 3 process colors, (which are a bit transparent) and their opaque white. If mixing colors isn't your thing, they have a lovely selection. Nicer gouges (I received these Pfeil gouges for Christmas) make a huge difference too. Pricey, yes, but I figure they more than pay for themselves: I didn't have one throwaway print in the bunch!

The tabs from the Ternes-Burton system make it easy to hang the prints to dry, using string and paper clips. I waited 3 days between layers on this project.

Next,  I carved away everything that would remain as yellow, and printed the blue-green. I never get tired of lifting that paper and seeing the result!

I didn't take a photo (sorry!) of my "sandwich" as I ran it thru the press. I would attach the paper's tabs to the pins, lift it up, slide the block in, lower the paper and lay the felt on top.

Time to carve the last layer (an almost-black blue-green). 

Because it was pretty detailed, I needed to use tracing paper and a graphite stick to check my work as I went.

And here they are! Not a bad one in the bunch....I mean, edition, of 14.

* * * * * 

Paper: I sampled a number of different papers on this project; in a future post, I will share my thoughts on their performance.

* * * * * 

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments—I know that this was a very quick overview of this process; here are a few very helpful links:

Watch videos by Colin Blanchard: the "pioneer" in linocut printing on an Xcut:

    https://youtu.be/oRmAgpzslnU

    https://youtu.be/pbgT_Xjyoz4

The machine:

    https://www.amazon.com/docrafts-Xcut-Xpress-Die-Cutting-Machine/dp/B00GFM3NII

The carving tools (I have Set C):

   http://www.pfeiltools.com/en/products/linoleum-an-block-cutters/set-of-6-linoleum-and-block-cutters.html

The lino block I used:

    http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/blocks/linocut.html

The ink I used:

    http://www.imcclains.com/catalog/ink/Caligointro.html

Ternes-Burton registration pins and tabs

    https://www.ternesburton.com/

Armchair eagle-watching

"Sauces Canyon - 2016", linocut, 6" x 6"

I recently realized that I'd never written a post about this linocut that I did last year. It's based upon an image that I grabbed from the webcam footage of a nesting bald eagle out in California's Channel Islands National Park. My son is a wildlife biologist and works with the Institute for Wildlife Studies' bald eagle project out on Santa Cruz Island; this print was his birthday present. 

It's particularly timely that I started writing this post now: thanks to new-and-improved webcams, we can see that this season's nest building is getting underway! I hope you'll take a minute to check out the footage; seeing these natural wonders up close is something that not many people are able to do, but we can share in the experience thanks to today's technology!

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/channel-islands-national-park-sauces-bald-eagle

Here's the screen shot I grabbed while watching the live video...amazing, isn't she?

Then, I did a drawing, simplifying the image. (Oops, forgot to save that!) In a reduction linocut, you don't use separate blocks for each color, you carve away parts of a single block between each layer. At the end, you're left with just the block for the last color; there's no going back to print another edition in the future. 

To start, I carved away the parts I wanted to stay white (the paper color) before printing the first of 5 layers - this blue-green that you see in the upper right of the final piece. 

Then, while those dried, I carved away the area stays THAT color and printed this medium green...

and so on.  (Sorry for the bad lighting...)

I'm still relatively new to block printing, so things didn't line up perfectly on all the prints, and "real" linocut artists would frown at my somewhat splotchy coverage, but I think it adds to the rustic, outdoorsy feel that's appropriate here. I made a little "stamp" to add the yellow beak, so actually, it's a 6-color print.

In the end, all I'm left with is this carved-up block:

and this! (The best of only 8 that were worth keeping.)

I can't wait to see what happens in the nests this year!

Sunflower Seeds in Snazzy Striped Shells...And Ai WeiWei

14" x 14", Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore Vellum Bristol

I was preparing to plant some Mammoth sunflower seeds, but became distracted admiring their snazzy striped shells. Next thing I knew, I was drawing, not planting. 

While researching sunflower seeds for some fun facts to include here–lest anyone think me odd for drawing a few sunflower seeds–I ran across the phenomenal installation at the Tate in London by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in 2010. He and his artisans made and hand-painted millions of ceramic sunflower seeds. I can't even begin to explain it well; you must check it out here. (Suddenly, I felt a bit less odd for drawing nine of them.). 

Let's hope that the squirrels and birds allow these seeds to grow into big, cheerful sunflower faces in my summer garden!

Inspiration in the produce aisle: Cherimoya

         

8 x 10 , Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore vellum bristol (click to enlarge)

The cherimoya. The custard apple. 

Or, as described by Mark Twain: "...the most delicious fruit known to men...".  

A woman saw me eyeing these in the produce department of my grocery store (which has been carrying an amazing selection of tropical and exotic fruits). She asked if I was familiar with them, and we struck up a conversation. She told me of their wonderful aromatic, creamy texture inside, adding that they are a favorite in her homeland of Chile. That description—along with the fact that they reminded me of artichokes and pinecones—was good enough for me. I had my next "model".

While they look like overlapping scales, the little surfaces of the cherimoya just join together along their perimeters, with no overlap at all.

As usual, I was too involved in my drawing to scan WIP pics, so I just shot them at my drawing board with my phone, explaining the uneven lighting:

At times, I felt I'd overdone the drawing of the outside. Now, I think that I was just having too much fun with it! But I did try to show restraint on the interior drawing. The dramatic contrast between the seeds and the flesh was so beautiful; it needed no help from me. And, of course, I forgot to take pics along the way. Oops.

Finally, I have to confess that I never tasted it. I know, I know....but it got brown inside rather quickly from sitting out and I wasn't sure it was at its best. I do plan on getting another to sample. Have you eaten cherimoya? What do you think?

Round Things, No. 1

I thought it'd be fun to do a series of big drawings of small round objects, specifically small round objects.  Here's the first.

And a sneak peek at No. 2:

(Forgive the shadowy photos; I'm just shooting these on my drawing board.)

It's persimmon season...

Fuyu Persimmons, 8" x 10"Prismacolor colored pencil on Stonehenge paper

Persimmons are starting to appear at the market! These tomato-shaped Fuyu persimmons are available now, which means the bigger, cone-shaped Hachiyas will be here soon. I found the leaves, or sepals, quite interesting because they appear in arrangements of four, which seems a bit unusual in the fruit world. I've written before about the star shapes and multiples of five that are found in so many fruits and vegetables, but these are definitely a symmetrical, cross-shaped arrangement of four. 

When I draw shiny fruits and vegetables, it's easy for me to overwork the burnishing, so I deliberately held back a bit on these. I wanted to capture some of the frosty "bloom" that appears on the skins, which was quite a challenge; it'd have been easier to have polished them up before I drew them!

Here are some WIP shots; I hope to have some Hachiya persimmons as models before too long!

A pomegranate's progress

I think that perhaps I should have stopped soon after I scanned this one (above), as the final (below) looks a bit overworked to me.

And since I may not get around to drawing a companion cross-section view, I decided to add a shadow this time, and call it a day:

Papayas & Pencils

Prismacolor colored pencil on Stonehenge paper

It takes a lot of pencils to draw a papaya—

and these were just for the outside.

As you know, I love comparing the exterior of a fruit or vegetable to its interior, which is often wildly different. Looking at its humble yellow skin, you'd never know it is concealing a cache of beautiful, black caviar-like seeds.

 Apologies for the quality of these last WIP shots...I took them at my desk with my phone instead of scanning.

This next one is a great example of the "ugly phase" that a lot of my drawings seem to go through—where I'm just about to toss the whole darn thing in the trash. Then, somehow, things finally start to come together. Whew.