Introducing Mr. "Bloom"... and a Giveaway!

My latest linocut is of a slightly apprehensive broccoli guy encountering a bee. It comes in two different color schemes. I call the print "Bloom." Personally I think of him as "Mr. Bloom," But I don't want to be too gender-specific with a plant in case some people perceive him as a "she" or an "it." Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Anyway, back in 2012 after I successfully launched my Kickstarter campaign to produce The Golden Moth Illumination Deck, I had promised to create 96 small original artworks for backers who chose it in their reward levels. Here are some examples of artwork I created. You can see another vegetable-ish creature in the bottom right corner that looks like an asparagus!

I kept the paintings simple. Most started out with me just putting blobs of watercolor onto several papers at once, and then I decided what each blob should become. I kept some of my favorites, including this broccoli guy. Recently I decided to make him into a linocut, because I hadn't done any personal printmaking work in awhile.

He looked silly to me because he was so serious-looking. I added the bee to give him more of a relationship with the outside world.

For this print, I created a stencil for the green/pink portion of the print and rolled the ink with a brayer directly onto the paper. I made the stencil by taking a piece of computer paper and varnishing it on both sides so it was waterproof and I could re-use it. I chose computer paper because I thought that if I rolled the brayer of ink over something thicker like cardstock, the ink might not lay down close enough inside the edges of the stencil. 

I took this picture after I had already cleaned the stencil, so you can't see the mess of ink on the stencil itself. Also, the border part was printing weird, so I just blocked it out with tape and didn't use it at all. I cut out little right-angle triangles on the corners of the stencil so I could see through to my printing paper underneath and it would line up correctly.

It took me a couple proofing sessions to figure out the greenish-blue I wanted for the linocut. Then I took it to the etching press and printed the linocut on top of the stencilled part.

Ta-da! I also added the yellow to the bee with colored pencil.

If you like Mr. (or Ms.) Bloom and want him/her to be part of your world, please enter my giveaway!

"BLOOM" GIVEAWAY RULES:

I'm giving away one version of this print (either pink or green, winner decides) to one randomly-selected person who enters the giveaway. You must do the following THREE things to enter the giveaway:

1. Please visit my online shop, Sprout Head, and leave a comment on this post telling me both what your favorite item/s are in the shop and why, AND what you'd like to see more of (either something similar to what you see already or an entirely new product that you want me to make).

IMPORTANT: You must either adjust your settings to receive e-mails about replies to your comments, or send me your e-mail address - or else I can't contact you if you win! You may e-mail me at: good_old_fashioned_smell ( at ) hotmail (dot) com. You may also private message me on my Sprout Head Facebook page. In fact, head on over there anyway because you also need to do the following:

2. "Like" my Facebook page! If you want to be the first to get notifications on the Sprout Head page, also make sure that after you "like" my page, click on "liked" and scroll the drop-down menu to click on "Get notifications." Otherwise, you may not always see updates from my page on your news feed.

3. Share this giveaway with other people on Facebook by posting it on your page and/or sharing it on your friends' timelines. Here's the link: http://aijungkim.blogspot.com/2014/05/introducing-mr-bloom-and-giveaway.html

OPTIONAL: Your name gets thrown in the hat for each additional OPTIONAL thing that you do. Make sure to let me know in your comment if you do the following things:

- Follow my blog - you can find options to do so on the right-hand side of the blog - Subscribe to my E-Newsletter here (I only send out updates 1-2 times a month)
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway
- Blog about the giveaway on your blog.
- Pin an image of "Bloom" on an appropriate board on your Pinterest page. You may pin from this blog post, or from the Etsy listings here: pink and green versions.

REMEMBER, you must do only the FIRST THREE of these things to have your name entered once into the giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSES ON MONDAY, MAY 26th AT MIDNIGHT EST.

* P.S. Don't forget to contact me with your e-mail address or I cannot contact you if you win! *

Good luck!

Linocut Surgery and Other Procedures

As a printmaker, I constantly have to make decisions about my artwork in terms of concept, composition, color, and technical printing issues. Sometimes the solutions to the challenges presented are simple, and some a little more involved. Here are some examples of ways I had to figure things out using my latest prints as an example.

#1: Figuring out color and masking out part of an image.

I made my editions "Ecdysis I" and "Ecdysis II" using a new technique for making images and choosing colors. I got the idea from the artist Mariann Johansen-Ellis. She has lots of informative printmaking videos on her website, including the technique of Lino Mix and Match. I started out making a few different background patterns that I printed in many different colors, sometimes printing more than one on top of each other.

Then I created my carving of a snake, and printed it over the background patterns. Because of this experimental approach, I decided I would print two different editions using the different background patterns because I really liked two in particular (pictured below: the two prints on the left.)

 But, I decided I didn't like the way the carving texture looked around the snake (see below). It was distracting, in my opinion. I decided to mask out the texture using a piece of newsprint.

I took a piece of newsprint that I had already printed the snake on, and used it as a guide for cutting out the areas I wanted to mask. 

 I inked up the plate as usual and placed it on the etching press.

Then I flipped the newsprint over and placed it on top of the areas I didn't want to print (the blue lines on the newsprint are from another test proof I had made on that side of the paper).

 After I had printed onto my final paper, I removed the newsprint mask so I could re-ink the plate and repeat the process for the next print. You can see how the paper caught the ink below.

The finished prints!

Lesson Learned: Sometimes you can find your way to the best colors by experimenting instead of planning it out ahead of time. And my newsprint mask was a pretty simple solution and I will use it again.

#2: How to perform linocut surgery.

Sometimes when I am carving a print, I am just not happy with something I've carved. Such situations are tricky, because it is hard to "fix" something you've already carved away. But here is a solution that is much like "linocut surgery." Warning - I do not recommend this unless you are patient and have a very steady hand.

So here is my plate. Just as I was almost finished with carving, I realized that the thumb on the left hand is much too small in comparison to the other fingers. I was annoyed with myself because this was something I should have caught during the drawing phase, not when I was in the middle of carving. Oh well, these things happen.

I put a piece of tracing paper over the area and drew in the new thumb. Then I cut it out and placed it over the plate.

Okay, so I ended up having to make several thumbs because I couldn't get it exactly right. But I'll spare you the details and tell you what I would do next time: First, using a razor blade, cut out the area you want to re-carve. Make sure it is in an area that will more easily blend in with the rest of the carving.

Use the cut-out piece as a template for your new piece. Trace it onto another piece of linoleum. I find it helpful to carve around the outline leaving some extra leeway (it is always easier to carve away if it is too big), then use scissors to cut it out. Then I place the piece over the cut-out area in my linoleum plate and check it. If it's too big in areas, I cut it down bit by bit with a razor. This stage is important, because you want it to fit in the missing area as snugly as possible.

Here is the new piece that I fit into the plate. It is black because after several attempts, I used a scrap piece of linoleum that was already inked on the surface. Then I placed my tracing paper drawing over the thumb and transferred the details (the thumbnail and creases) using yellow transfer paper. I then carved the new thumb.

The finished carving! I haven't printed this one yet. I also need to carve a second plate because it will be a two-color print. In the past when I've printed linocuts that have had surgery, I have to be more attentive when inking and printing. Sometimes the new piece will pop up a little higher than the rest of the plate, or print a little lower. I hope that this one goes well!

Lesson Learned: Linocut surgery can be tricky, but worth it if you are patient and have a steady hand! Best to make sure you are happy with your drawing before transferring it to your plate, to avoid such complicated procedures.


Challenge #3 - What do you do when you're not totally happy with your final print?

Here is a version of my print "Terrarium." It might be hard to see, but this print has a "salty" look (the ink coverage is thinner, making more of the white paper underneath show through), and the color of the soil is an orangeish-brown. Also, there are horizontal lines over the green-striped background. Whenever I print an edition, I proof, or test, my prints by mixing up different colors and printing on different papers. But sometimes I think I like something prematurely. Making a linocut is different than making a painting because I create the image before knowing exactly what color it will be, or before knowing what my imagined color will look like exactly on the paper. When I experiment in the printing studio, it can sometimes be a shock to see the image in color. It can take awhile to adjust to what I imagined the print would look like. But I choose a final color scheme and then I become so engrossed in the printing process and getting each print to look similar that I don't question the visual choices I've made.

In this print, I wanted a sort of vintage look to the color scheme and printing. But after I had printed about 40 prints and brought them home, I showed my boyfriend the final print and some of the proof variations I had made. There was a proof that used a more vibrant reddish-brown ink and was printed with a thicker layer of ink than the edition I had just printed. He said he liked it better. This agonized me immensely, because I actually liked it better too. The other prints just looked flat and faded in comparison. After a day or two of worrying that I was being too picky or perfectionistic, I decided I would reprint the entire edition because I didn't think the print did my image justice. So I did it. It wasn't that bad. And since I was going to reprint it anyway, I decided to remove some of the brown horizontal lines from the green-striped background so it would look a little cleaner. Here is a print from the new edition:

Lesson learned: Proof at least one day in advance of editioning, so I can come back to the studio with fresh eyes and be more confident about the choices I've made the day before - or decide I want to change them.

So there you have it, the way one printmaker finds solutions to some of those fun little printmaking challenges. You may decide to do things differently - the way you solve art "problems" is what makes you  unique as an artist!

Art Workshop Schedule for Winter-Spring 2013

Now you can keep up to date on all my course offerings by clicking on the Art Classes tab at the top of my blog!
 
Here is the list of art workshops and classes I'm offering this Winter-Spring 2013 season at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School. Click on the name of the workshop to be directed to the course page and/or a link to online registration.

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

1812 West Main Street, Richmond, VA 23220

(804) 353-0094

You may register for classes online or by phone.

VMFA Studio School

2911-15 Grove Avenue (across from VMFA)

at the corner of Sheppard Street, Richmond, VA 23220

(804) 367-0816

For Spring classes, mail-in registration begins Jan 2 and phone-in registration begins Jan 22.
Note that Fall students are given the opportunity to register early. Find detailed registration info here.

Gelatin Printmaking Postcard Workshop

Beginners

Saturday, January 26
12 – 4 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Create one-of-a-kind postcards using gelatin slabs as your printing surface. Experiment in a no-mistakes atmosphere, working with hand-cut stencils and found objects such as lace, string, and leaves to create colorful patterns and texture. Then make a simple book structure to store your prints. Have fun with this loose, surprising approach to printmaking. All materials will be provided.

Linocuts – Exploring Color and Pattern

All Levels

6 Wednesdays
January 30 – March 6
6:30 – 9 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Discover the fun of printing in color using a spontaneous approach. Carve a few background patterns to print in different colors and combinations, and then print a strong final image on top to bring it all together. Learn the basics of design, carving, printing, and paper selection. All tools and materials will be provided for the first class, but you may need to bring your own papers for subsequent classes.

Dream Book Workshop

All levels

2 Saturdays

February 16 & 23

10 – 4 pm each day

at the VMFA Studio School

Image Coming Soon!

Experiment with printmaking, bookbinding, and the written word in a fun, no-pressure atmosphere. Using dreams as inspiration and with guidance from the instructor, students make monotypes, collages, and found poetry using words cut from old books.

Paper Bead Jewelry Workshop

Beginners

Saturday, March 2

10 – 4 pm

at the VMFA Studio School

This workshop teaches you to create fun and funky jewelry from decorative and recycled papers, such as magazines, newspapers, and wallpaper. Simply cut paper into strips and roll it into beads or experiment with some simple techniques for origami jewelry. Using yarn, thread, beads, and vintage buttons, students assemble their creations into necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Tools and materials for simple beading provided. If you want to get fancy, bring your own findings, accent beads, and wire.

Printmaking Lab – Independent Projects

Intermediate

4 Thursdays
April 4 – 25
6:30 – 9 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

If you have prior experience with printmaking methods produced on the etching press, such as linocut, collagraph and monotype, this is your opportunity to carve out some work time, receive artistic and technical input, and experiment with new ideas. Demonstrations will be provided according to the needs of students. Some materials and tools provided.

Zine Sampler: Creative Self-Publishing

Beginners 

2 Saturdays
April 20 & 27
12 – 4 pm, each day

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Creativity + everyday materials + photocopier = ZINE! A zine is like a magazine, but its content is only limited by your imagination. We’ll experiment with several exercises – some silly, some serious – merging art and writing to jog the mind and fill the pages. We’ll discuss how to generate content, design pages, and produce and distribute zines. You’ll leave with a copy of a collaborative zine and ideas for starting your next one!

How I Made "April Mouse"

Most of you know that I'm a printmaker, but I'm sure that some of you don't know how exactly a print is made. It's not actually that mysterious, but it does require some trial and error and it helps if you can learn to "think backwards." And for some reason, I really enjoy that. Some printmakers are very process-oriented, and some like to try things out and see what happens. Either way, it's a surprise what happens. You can plan and plan, but never truly know what your print will look like until it's finished. That can be frustrating, but also part of the fun.

I was asked by The Visual Arts Center of Richmond to contribute a 2-color print for a 2013 Calendar that will be handletterpressed by printer and teacher Paul Morris and other generous volunteers. Sales of the calendar will go towards buying new rollers for VisArts' platen press, which was donated by the Valentine History Museum and rescued from a life of storage. This collaborative, community project is being created by some local art-stars, including Diego Sanchez, Dennis Winston, Aimee Joyaux, Mary Holland, and others. The calendar date grid was typset by hand, and the images were created by artists using linocut, woodblock, lead typesetting decorations, and hand-drawn artwork converted into magnesium plates. The calendar will debut at VisArt's 48th Annual Craft + Design Show on November 17th  and people will be able to take pre-orders until the limited edition of about 300 calendars is released to the public in December.

I will now show you the process of creating the April calendar page. I call it "April Mouse."

First, I think about the month of April and what it means to me. I wanted to incorporate Dogwood blossoms, but decide it doesn't really work with my composition because I want to include a mouse in there. So I research on the internet about an early-blooming plant and the Bleeding Heart is my choice. I search on the internet and print out some reference photos of mice and bleeding hearts, then sketch ideas until I come up with a composition I like.

Here is the finished composition. I include all the most important shapes, but leave out a few details that I will carve in later. Notice that I also draw a house-key in there. It makes me think of a story - maybe someone lost their key in winter and the leaves get raked in spring so it can be discovered again? But only the mouse notices it now :)

Then I trace the image onto tracing paper.

Here is my linoleum block. I like to paint the surface with India Ink (I use Rapidraw Black India ink by Rapidograph). The reason for this is that when I carve my image, it makes it easier to see which areas will not print and remain white - the carved areas - and which will print in color - the areas that remain black.

Using a yellow carbon paper (yellow because I want it to show up against the black ink), I trace the image onto my linoleum block. But first I flip the tracing paper so that I'm drawing the reverse image. When the final block is printed, it will reverse again and the image will appear in the same position as the original drawing - see what I mean about "thinking backwards?"

Then I begin carving - see the section with the key and grass. Some printmakers like to draw out their image exactly as it will appear, but I truly enjoy starting out with a black field and just my line drawing to guide me. I have done many linocuts, so for me this is the most fun part and I get to "discover" how I will carve it. I also sometimes do tests on scrap lino to test whether I like the marks I make.

And the first plate is carved!

Such a sweet mouse.

Then I proof my image. The print will be in two colors, brown and pink. The first plate is to be printed in brown. I set up a little make-shift print studio in my bedroom because these prints are just to help me check that I like my carving and to figure out where to place the next color. I roll up some brown ink on a cardboard slab covered with saran wrap (plexiglass would be better, but I had this on hand).

Using my brayer, I roll a nice even coat of brown and then transfer it onto my block.

Then I place a piece of scrap paper over the block and rub the surface with a baren. This transfers the ink onto the paper.

Here is the proof print. It's not perfect, but I don't need it to be for my purposes. Notice how the image is reversed?

I let the print dry and then I go in with a pink colored pencil and color in the area I want to be pink.

I take a piece of tracing paper and trace just the areas that will be pink.

Then I repeat the process of transferring the drawing onto a 2nd plate using carbon paper. I carve my plate so just the areas to be printed in pink will remain.

At this stage, I decide to proof the pink print.

Here is the pink proof!

I take a brown print and print the pink plate over it so I can check my registration. Registration is how the plates align together. I have to carve away a little bit more of my pink plate so that the colors will register better, but in general I was careful enough with my other steps that I was fairly spot-on (yes!)

Here are a couple of proofs of the pink and brown together. They look pretty crappy because I was trying to work fast and just test things out. I didn't wait long enough for my inks to dry, so more of the pink showed through than I would want for the final print. But the proofs are good enough for me to think that they will print fine. I decide I liked the darkness of the brown color in the top print, and the pink color in the bottom print. These are the proofs I will give to Paul Morris when he mixes up the colors for the printing of the actual calendar pages.

And before I am ready to give the plates and proofs to Paul, I decide I will carve a bit more texture into the bricks. I don't bother proofing that step since I'm guessing that they will still look pretty good once printed.

I usually print the plates myself on an etching press, but for the Calendar project it was going to Paul Morris to be printed on his vertical press at Benj. Franklin Printing Company. His printer is much faster! When Paul was ready to print my pages, I biked over there to watch him and okay the final print.

Here's the studio! Lots of machines.

Here is my pink block locked into the press. The ink appears red on the plate, but will print pink on paper.

Here is a close-up. I also carved some little ornaments to go in the calendar grid area, which you can see on the right.

Paul printing! The machine is fast and looks a bit scary, honestly. But Paul really knows what he's doing.

And the pink is printed! We talk about how light I want the pink, and Paul is much obliged to get the color exactly the way I want.

Paul lets me look at a Pantone color guide to figure out the color brown I want. I look at the handprinted proofs I gave him before and settle on a shade of brown.

The next week I go in and help Paul finalize the brown color so he can finish printing it. And here is the final image!

 Voila, April Mouse!

So as you can see, creating a print from start to finish can require a lot of planning. But I think it's worth it in the end :) I hope that seeing this has helped demystify printmaking a little bit. Let me know if you have any questions! And I will post more updates about this calendar project as it comes nearer to completion.