"Campfire Kabuki", intaglio, woodcut relief with chine colle' 5.5x7", plate size 4x5" on Somerset velvet buff, ed.20

A study for a piece in color and b&w.

I've been waiting on my vine black to be delivered so I can complete a couple of editions. Meanwhile, I have been working with a study in Photoshop. The b&w will definitely be executed with various intaglio techniques, and the color will likely be a reduction color woodcut.

Ribcage woodcut

Printed all of the woodcuts today that will accompany the upcoming print. Image size is 1" x 1.5", definitely the smallest thing I have ever worked with. It is printed on kitakata and will be chine colle'd onto the intaglio plate when I print it on Somerset Velvet Creme.

I usually prefer a cool black mixture of vine black, graphite and cadmium blue when I print, but I'm thinking of using a viridium green instead of the cadmium blue. May be a nice contrast against the cardinal red of the ribcage.

Back to work

After a hiatus spent pursuing a secondary certification in history, I'm back in the studio with a lot of ideas to try out.

Here is the first of many that will involve various intaglio techniques along with woodblock relief and reduction.

 The printed image area is 1"w x 1.5"h. It will be printed separately and chine colled onto the intaglio plate when it is printed.

A rough proof of the finished print. Now to work on the plate tone with some aquatinting.

 I use flat black spray paint in lieu of rosin to execute aquatinting.

I use copper sulfate as my etching medium. It's cheaper than nitric or ferric chloride, and is safer as the only fumes that are released as a by-product during the etching process is hydrogen.

And now scrape and polish the plate to control the plate tones. Using drypoint and engraving I coax the features of the figure that I want to standout.

This is about ready for a final proof on good paper with all the elements. Stay tuned.