I have been busy working on 3 woodcuts lately. Here are proofs of the key blocks for 2 of them. These will both be 2-color prints. I was hoping to have my press by now, but it looks like these will be done the old-fashioned way – lots of re-inking and rubbing with a plastic baren!

SWORDS:
Though it looks like something out of an 80’s Schwarzenegger sci-fi/action movie, these things are real. Apparently you can mount a number of different types of weapons. Disturbing, but interesting.

Police Tower:
I saw this mobile police tower pop up in a couple of places around town last spring. I believe they were using it to keep an eye on crowds when the NCAA basketball tournament was in town. You just tow it to your destination, get in, raise the baskets and voila, instant force multiplier. You don’t even need to have a person in it. With the tinted glass, it’s a portable panopticon. Notice the wind meter on top – one strong gust could be problematic. The company offers several models and upgrades including an armored model for more hostile environs.

My process, at present:

• Get an idea
• Do a few studies
• Pick a size to work with and cut a block from 1/2″ birch plywood
• Draw key image on the block using charcoal or soft pencil
• Cut key block
• Proof key block
• Envision the print in color, do color studies
• Proof and transfer key image to another block
• Mix oil based ink according to studies or other references. Oil based relief ink
• Proceed with all colors, except black, from that single block – reduction style. All printing is done with a small plastic disk baren from Japan.
• Decide what info to remove/cut away from key block
• Print key block over the colors
• Done

I always hate to finish a print and not feel like it is a little better than the last one. That was the case here. The first image is the second attempt at color mixing and printing. I’m glad I took the time to reexamine the colors and the overall approach. I’m much more satisfied with the redo. I guess that is what they call learning the hard way. I’m trying to move toward a richer image with a little more nuance, if not more detail.

Here are the results of the previously mentioned print.

In addition to the stamp patterning, I’ve made an effort to have the non-image area remain completely clean. Sometimes I like to allow some atmospheric cut wood texture to print, but sometimes it just looks messy. I have started cutting blocks out with a jig saw to address this issue. I first got the idea by seeing pictures of Bill Fick printing his mangled floating heads at http://evilprints.com/. Then I saw the couple from Tugboat Printshop do a demo on youtube. At that point, it finally sank in and I started to cut my blocks out too. A band saw would be better than a jig saw, but I’m not sure I can justify getting a bandsaw for that single purpose.

The other thing that is helping me print cleaner these days is remembering to spray laquer my blocks before inking so I can simply wipe away and stray ink with a paper towel. Not exactly rocket science, but it wasn’t obvious to me.

In one block I’m currently working on, there is a shirt that has a butterfly pattern on it. I decided to cut a little stamp from an eraser. I used the stamp to create the shirt pattern on the block. To cut the eraser I used an exacto knife and my main v-gouge. For ink I used a little hobby store stamp pad. The cut butterflies are all somewhat uniform, but with slight variations from the cutting. I think it will be pretty cool!