Leftovers III and TRex Skull Prints

I finally printed a tiny block for the Leftovers III print exchange! The size limitation was no larger than 5" x 7" and I have been wanting to reprint an old Resingrave block I made a while ago. The block is only 2" x 3". So in the spirit of using scraps (aka Leftovers) of paper, I tore down those skinny scraps you get when breaking down a full sheet of printmaking paper. I never had a good use for those, so this was perfect! I remember back in the print studio in school, most people just trashed those strips, so it's nice to put them to use instead of wasting them. Although it was a strange mix of papers... mostly random Japanese rice papers and a little Stonehenge.

Here's how they came out:

Hopefully whoever receives them won't mind the goofy dimensions!

While I still had a wet block, I went ahead and made a more formal edition of prints as well. I printed these on a natural Stonehenge paper. 

I loved using that Resingrave block. I have messed with a lot of the composite (non-linoleum) block surfaces, but so many of them break down or pull weird. I could use a Dremel on it for textural effects and still retain nice edges where I wanted them. Those blocks cost double what the normal ones do, but it's worth it for the quality. Plus, they ink amazingly! 

I decided to name it "Omnia Mors Aequat" as a sort of reference to the original print I used this block for, which has a "frame" linocut that this block fits into, and has a space in the bottom of the image for letterpress. The letterpress part quotes an old Memento Mori medieval poem which says, "Omnia mors perimit et nulli miseretur."

Anywho... the edition prints are available in the Shop if ya want one!

Chinese New Year Dragon Block Prints

I had another print exchange come up in January and I just hadn't had a chance to get the images up! So here are the blocks and final prints! (If you want one, they're available for sale in my shop... ^_^)

I like the gray version the best, I think... I'm also fond of the crimson on green, but it's difficult to tell the darker color is red based because of the way the ink dried.

^ I love how the lines transferred in these proofs!

    

^ The main block before cutting!

    

^ This is the one that went into the exchange. I named it "Yang" in honor of the Chinese lore. I hand drew the cloud outlines on these, but I'm going to finish cutting out the cloud block and do some more runs! Maybe even some reduction style ones with the clouds too. Those will have to be the *deluxe* dragons. :)

Calacas Prints are in!

These are a few of my favorites from the exchange. Carlos Barberena did an amazing job on the exchange and exhibitions! I hope he does more like this. It was fantastic seeing everyone's interpretation of Hispanic culture and the calaca imagery. : )

Cascade Print Exchange 2012

Hey guys! It's time again for the next Cascade Print Exchange. This is an annual print exchange hosted by Oregon State. : )

There's only 150 spots available, so if you want to get in it, then you need to RSVP now. The exchange is for 5" x 7" prints (any method, no theme) and entries are due January 31, 2012! Entry is FREE, so I definitely encourage participation on this one.

For all of the details and info, go to this link:

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/cascadeprint/cascade-print-vi-galleries

They also have a nice collection of images from last year's exchange too. 

Save the Date!

In a few weeks I will be participating in a local holiday art festival. There will be tons of booths for the local artists and we will be selling our wares and schmoozing. I will be selling prints, Christmas cards, and some original paintings/illustrations as well!

Here's the event info:

McDonough Arts presents

HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

Sunday, November 13
12 PM – 5 PM
Artist Market & Festival
McDonough Square

Las Calacas Print Exchange

I'm super excited about this Dia de los Muertos themed print exchange!!! Check out these pages to see some of the work going into it!

https://www.facebook.com/calacapress
http://calacapress.blogspot.com/

Oregon Ink Spot Exchange Prints

The 2011 Oregon Ink Spot Print Exchange results are in! w00t! I got some very nice relief prints and some random fun ones. Check them out! These are my top 8 favorites of the 15 I received.

Color layer for owl reduction print!

Here's the first layer for the owl reduction print I'm currently working on.

It's almost a rainbow roll; instead of doing it the normally blended way, I made up three colors and freely rolled them individually on the block in specific areas to achieve a more mixed and splotchy affect. I was hoping it would look a little autumnal. The detailed final layer with the outline and dark areas with be printed in a deep brownish-black. I will probably do some prints of just the detail layer as well, just for kicks!

Leftovers print exchange results are in!

It's about time for print exchange prints to roll in. So far, I've received prints from the Leftovers exchange, and they are fabulous.

The presentation was totally worth the entry. It came neatly put together with a super cute napkin and receipt.

Love it! The prints I got are really awesome too. Here's a sample:

Here's a link to the Leftovers blog if you're interested in learning more:
http://leftoversanyone.blogspot.com/