Copper plates next to be printed

Sometimes you love an image and don't even know how to put it into words to explain what it is all about.  I still have not come up with a title to describe what this set of copper plates are all about.  One maybe idea is "What Are People Thinking".  As I work with the image in the studio and add lots of ink and color perhaps the image will tell more of a story.

Last week the amazing prints arrived in the mail from the project "City of the World"
112 artists from all over the world took part in this gorgeous print project.

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International Print Day in May 2012

Today May 5 is International Print Day 2012.  The above group of printmakers from the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective got together to celebrate and make 2 collaborative prints.  Everyone brought in  a couple of small plates and we collaged them all together with lots of laughs and ink. We started to work at 11am in the morning in the Print Shop at the Nepean Creative Arts Centre.

Yes we were very serious printmakers who really got into our work.

Everyone added their personal touches to the collaborative art work.

One printmaker brought in some very interesting shaped and textured bones!

 

This is our morning print.  Then we took a half hour lunch break.

This is our afternoon print.  We started at 11am in the morning and finished at 3pm on the most gorgeous sunny Saturday we have had in a long time.  A big Thank You to everyone for coming to the Print Studio on a very sunny warm Saturday!

It was lots of fun!

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Just Imagine - more finished prints

More prints drying in the Print Studio.  I now have to get downstairs to my home studio to put something on the backs of some more copper plates.  I had a lot of fun with this set of copper plates.

 This morning I had a wonderful email: Hi Debra, Just to say that you have been mentioned in The Flaneur list of blogs to read in May! http://flaneur.me.uk/04/the-art-blog-list/ Thanks, The Flaneur
It is an interesting group of blogs so please check it out.

And last night was a fantastic evening with the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective! The Dragon Exchange and Potluck was great.  I came home with a wonderful bunch of Dragon Prints.

I hope the link I put in for the Dragon Exchange works; it is a link to the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective Facebook page album of photos with photos of the exchange.  Like us and check it out.

Don't forget International Print Day May 5 2012
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Just Hatched

This is a small 5x7 inch copper plate I did in January.  I have printed 10 so far and I think I would like to do more.  I like this little playful image.  The plate was painted on with black Golden Acrylic Stop-out, Screen Filler, Litho Crayon and what you cannot see is a roll of Water Based Black Graphic Chemical Ink.  I forgot to take a photo after that step.  The plate was etched for 2 hours in the Edinburgh Etch.

The one roll of ink over the image is what gives the nice rich aquatint in the back ground of the image.

Another dragon  print: "Dragon's world"

I have reworked the plate ( http://aprintmakersblog.blogspot.ca/2012/02/little-success.html )  a bit with some screen filler in the planet/sun/moon part of the image.  I like the it better now.    

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Just Imagine - reworked & working on

I had a lot of fun working on this print today.  I have to let ink dry before I can put the finishing touches on it.  Last week I went into the studio to work on one print only and ended up working on the two prints I thought were finished.  They were just to plain!

 I forgot my camera last week, so I had to wait till this week to show you. 

The prints were just to ordinary for the idea.  Lots more ink helped add more playfulness.
My husband made a lovely comment today "I like what you're doing; it is like you are painting with your plates."   

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Just Imagine

If you look closely you will see some rabbits.  It feels like it has been an extra- long week; so a long weekend sounds good right now.  I did get a second printing done on three of the four prints I am working on right now.  The above image and the next one I think I will leave plain-ish (not a lot of extra ink).

The third print I want to put one more color on the plates, but I had to much wet ink to do it today.  Maybe when I get back to the studio next week I will change my mind. 

I love playing with dragons, kids and yes rabbits just in time for Easter.
This is blog 92 for the "One With Copper" project and at this point I do not think I will finish by the 100th blog.

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Kite Flight - It's A Celebration

I finished this on Tuesday and when I got back to the Print Studio and looked at the print - I laughed and said to my husband "It looks like a celebration".  So out of the three "Kite Flight" prints; this one will have the added title "Kite Flight - It’s a Celebration"

 Moving on today I put the first color on this set of copper plates. I am slowly working on the backside of the etched copper plates.  This year I am going to finish "One With Copper".

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Kite Flight

Finally back to work seriously on the "One With Copper" project.  I have a set of back side copper plates etched and ready to print.  But I have to stop and play with my large copper triangle plates first.  Now that I can work and print on a large piece of paper; I can't resist doing some big kite prints.

"Kite Flight" is just having fun with my copper plates and some mono-print.  The images are printed on 30x22 inch sheets of paper. Our press at the Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective Print Studio can print a larger sheet.  I just have to buy bigger paper.

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Aluminum Etching - Roof Top Dreams

Wonderful day in the studio, I etched two copper etchings, worked on a design for a polyester lithography plate and printed a few of this fun aluminum etching.

I love to edition playing with possibilities.  The prints above are my favorites out of the five I printed. The plate is 21 x 5.5 inches. Below is a photo before it was etched.

Happy Soon to be Spring Hope/Dreams

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A little Success

A little success in my experimenting with Graphic Chemical W/S 1459.  Yes, it does work as a hard ground, however it dries on your roller really fast.  So just because I had some in my studio I tried adding 2 parts Graphic Chemical W/S 1459 and 1 part Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid.  The Golden medium is a slow drying acrylic medium.  It works great when you heat set your plates with a hair dryer.  But if you leave it overnight to dry (with 4 or 5 rolls of ink) and the plate feels bone dry.  It does not hold up in the etching bath.  One layer works great as an aquatint left over night.
Small sample plates set with heat with a good 4 or 5 rolls of ink does hold up in the etching bath

The above plate has 1 roll on it and was in the Edinburgh etch for two hours. The one roll on the plate was not heat set, and was left to dry overnight.

My sample plates with the golden added to the Graphic Chemical W/S 1459 worked really well when heat set.  I would love to hear from anyone else working with Graphic Chemical W/S 1459 as a hard ground. 

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First Day Printing in the Print Studio

Today was my first day printing in the "Ottawa/Gatineau Printmakers Connective Print Studio".   It was grand being able to play on a large sheet of paper.  It felt really good.

The Print Studio is in Bells Corners in the Nepean Creative Arts Centre.  There are 21 artists sharing the studio and we are all working in non-toxic printmaking.

 It is so good working on a large sheet of paper again. 

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It Works, It Works!

OK, I was so excited last night when I took this out of the etching bath.  A good year ago I was told that Graphic Chemical W/B Block Print Black 1659 was dicontinued because the company could not get an ingredient to make it. They replaced it, however it aparently did not work as a hard ground anymore.  Good ordinary lesson in life again - check things out for yourself. 

Personally I have lots of ink left for my selfish use, but I really felt bad for others just starting to experiment with non-toxic etching.  I really love rolling on the ink for a hard ground.

So, I tried the sample tube that was sent to me  (Graphic Chemical W/B Block Print Black 1459).

And this is what happened.

In the evening I rolled ink on the plate and with marker I tryed to document what I had done.  I also scratched into the wet ink. I did hair dry the plate a bit, but it was late and I decided to just leave it over night to dry for sure.  Next day I had to go out, but before going I scratched into the ink again.  It was very dry to the touch.  In the evening I put the plate in the Edinburgh Etch for 2 hours.

 After rinsing with water, the ink was a good scrub to get off with soap and water. A little cheat tip, use Mr Clean.

The etched plate looks great for a first test plate!

I love this roll on Hard Ground.  It is such a wonderful printmaking medium and very cost friendly.  A can lasts for a long time (years) in a Print Studio.  I would love to hear from other Printmakers about the new Graphic Chemical W/B Block Print Black 1459 being used as a Hard Ground.

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Year of the Dragon

Happy New Year!  I took my flattened prints from between the boards today.  I am so glad I did this print in December before the family Christmas rush.  Printmakers around the world are getting together to show off their Dragons at Proof  Studio Gallery in Toronto. The deadline for the Ottawa Printmakers is this coming January 14.

I used ImagOn to make my plates, so the printmaking medium is Intaglio Type.  I first drew my Dragon and then played with it on the computer and printed a transparency of the drawing.  I created 6 different designs narrowed it down to two and this one won. I am calling my Dragon print; "Dragon Play".  I have 20 prints in this color and before the Ottawa Printmakers exchange & potluck evening; I hope to get 20 more done in another color.  I love Dragons and hope lots of printmakers want to trade with me.

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The Lookout on the Rooftop

A Very Merry Christmas Everyone!  I love this time of year, even if it is crazy busy.  And this year I left an important project to the last minute.  Below is my contribution to an amazing project City of the World puzzle print. Please check out the wonderful art on the  "MCPP Puzzle Prints Blog"

I am so happy this is in the mail before the new year. In the new year I want to do the image in copper.

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Blog Blast For Peace 2011

Let There Be Peace On Earth

Today is a special day for blogger's world wide.  I love taking part in Mimi's Blog Blast for Peace.

This year I did not do anything grand or special for the event.  Hopefully I am saving a great idea for next year.  Today I would like to share a special video from a few years ago. 

   The wonderful morning on the beach for Blog Blast For Peace

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It is such a great feeling loving and liking everyone!  So, ?Why do so many people not want to feel good?

Pray for Peace

The Ottawa Printmakers Anniversary Show

Exciting News!  The Ottawa-Gatineau Printmakers are having their first anniversary show. 


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