The Block

When someone first showed me how to use a web browser I thought, “Wow, now I can have a visual reference for just about anything at my finger tips.” That was about 10 years ago and though I have collected and lot of interesting photos from the web, I have rarely used them in my art making. I’ve concluded that the reason is that it is extremely uncomfortable to draw from a computer screen. I printed a couple low-res web images out on my photo printer and drew from them to see if it would be any easier. It definitely is. This is pretty exciting for me - the promise of infinite reference material via the WWW is revived.

These sketches are the first steps of series I have been wanting to do on the topic of fisticuffs.

I was starting to lose enthusiasm for this thing but now I’m very excited. The parts are starting to flow together more.  It is starting to look like gravity is pulling on the flesh in a somewhat natural way. Very exciting, but I know I could still blow it.

I always intend to do a woodcut Christmas card each year, but usually the season comes and goes before I get to it. Well not this year. I used the occasion as an opportunity to try a couple little things I had been wanting to try anyway.

I finally went out to the garage to mix up some ink and print. I was starting to hem and haw over various possibilities: printing flats behind the main block, cutting another simple background block, etc. After a few wasted piles of ink, I finally arrived a nice dark brown. It keeps it simple and warm and takes away that black on white starkness. As it worked it out, I think it’s cool to have this singular object floating on the page rather than sitting in a defined rectangular print area. It took me 4 cds (about 3 hours?) to mix and print.
When it comes to mixing ink, I always procrastinate. I enjoy it, but it always seems to take so long. Especially last night, it took me a while to get moving efficiently because I haven’t been working out there in my inking and printing space lately. Typically, I draw and cut blocks in my dining room or office/studio room, but then I go out to the garage to do the messy/smelly stuff. If I go for a while without working out there I fall out of all my little routines and rhythms for paper prep, ink mixing, printing and clean up. When you have limited time to work on stuff in a day, it can be frustrating to spend all that time on the less glamorous parts of the process. It would be nice to be able to just draw, cut and print. Maybe when I get rich and famous Ill hire assistants to tear paper, mix ink and clean up. Until then, I need to work out there regularly to maintain those routines so my time out there is well spent. Plus I should probably put a little more thought into the layout of my workspace. I’m sure that would speed things up as well. I want to streamline the technical things as much as possible so that I don’t lose momentum on the creative things.
 
Here’s the latest on my first ever basswood carving. I have it marked up for the next level of refinement. The process is starting to slow down now. I need to be careful not to go too deep anywhere. I also need to start making some final decisions about proportions in certain areas. The head/face could really break this piece if I’m not careful. I’m starting to think about what I want to do with the surface. I bought another tool, a wide Flexicut gouge similar to the v-tool I bought before. I recommend these tools to anyone cutting wood on this scale. I also bought another block of basswood.

I’m still going full tilt on this carving. Here is the latest. I have a couple days off for thanksgiving so hopefully I’ll have a chance to get to some other stuff as well.

I’m gripped by a desire to keep cutting. Last night, I was just going to make a few little cuts before moving on to other work. I looked up and suddenly it was 1:30 a.m. and the floor was covered in little curls of wood. This is a good thing.

When I went to the woodworking store the the other day I got distracted by all the cool wood carving tools and books they had. I have always wanted to try to carve something in the round. I ended up buying a block of basswood as an impulse item in addition to my new tool. Why not, the wood was only $4. So yesterday I was supposed to be printing up a storm but instead I got sucked into gouging and hacking away at this chunk of wood. It really is quite addictive and shares a lot in common with cutting a wood block for print in terms of the rhythm and mindset that you end up in. Here is state 0 and state 1. Ill post as it progresses, but first I need to refocus on the motorcycle print.

As for the question of “What should I do do with the background of this print?” I think the answer is not to come in after the block is cut and contrive a background, but to plan better when I start the next one. At most, I’ll print a flat behind the main image. I’ve been looking at a lot of imagery lately with this problem in mind and now Im ready to start trying some of this stuff. Hopefully Ill have motorcycle prints to post this week.

Every now and then I like to do a self portrait to examine and document where I’m at in that point in my life. I was overdue so I whipped up this block. Now the question is: do I want to just print it with black ink on white paper or is there something else I can do to take it a little bit farther? Hopefully Ill be figuring that out later today. I have a couple other blocks I have cut and not printed because of the same question. I guess it’s time to break that log jam. So this is me on my m.c. waiting to be printed.

Yesterday, I went to Borders to see if they had a good Rembrandt book of drawings and etchings so I could cop some of his tricks. They didn’t, bit they did have a lot of books on graffiti art. I don’t see a lot of great graffiti on buildings here in Charlotte, NC, so I always enjoy watching trains go by with all of their cool out-of-town graffiti. Anyway, I got a lot of great ideas for things to try from this book in particular: Grafitti World.

It is a winner. I had been using an old c and v gouge from the set I bought in college. Every time I started a new block, I would think, man this v-gouge is dull. I tried to sharpen it, but to no avail. Finally, yesterday, I went to a local woodworking store and bought me this new one… I cut with it last night and then I woke up and started cutting this morning. This thing is great!

The Block is the personal art blog of Daniel Allegrucci. The focus is on woodcuts and prints in general, but any art is fair game. This blog is a place for exploring and sharing my artmaking process as well as the results of that process. Hope you enjoy it.

I should thank my friend Ashley Lathe for leading by suggestion and example. Check out his frequently updated blog, The Picture Mill.