Still Alive, Still Here

Yep, I'm still here, just in case you were wondering.  Always doodling, searching for ideas.  I always tend to slow down during the end of the year.  I am, however, feeling the urge to get back to work on more artwork.

My studio is still a mess.  It's a slow process.  I have been boxing things up, freecycling a lot of things I'm never going to use, and just throwing stuff out.  There is no room for clutter in a studio space this small.

Hopefully in the next two weeks or so I will be back to work.

Another Skull-a-Day Post!

Although I just posted this a few weeks ago, I wanted to repost it because it just made it onto the Skull-a-Day website!

It being Halloween and all, I encourage you to check it out!

Button, Button

I have just realized what the most labor-intensive aspect of printmaking is. It's not carving the block, not the actual printing, oh no.  It's coloring, individually coloring each and every one of the prints.

So that is why I have posted any prints in over a week.  I have been watercoloring the Hermetic Bicycle prints.

So, yes, I am still alive...
But that's not why I posted today.  I wanted to tell you what I have been doing this morning.

Awhile back, my dear friend Tish pointed me in the direction of the magic PayPal button.  She told me with this magic button I could sell my prints and other things directly through my blog.  That was, what, two months ago?  Here nor there....

Anyway, so I have gone back to a few older posts and added the button.  Any print I post in the future will have the PayPal button so that if anyone is so inclined they can purchase prints directly.  I mean that's what happens through the Artfire and Etsy stores anyway.

If you see anything on the blog you like that doesn't have the button, please let me know.  I'm sure we can make some arrangements...

What I've Been Doing All Afternoon

Today was printing day.  This is the full print run of Hermetic Bicycle, an edition of 50.  I am now printing all my prints on Stonehenge paper.  This decision was arrived at with little trial and error.  I bought a couple different kinds of "printmaking" paper and found them unsatisfactory in one way or the other.  Stonehenge takes watercolor pretty well, takes an awesome print even without use of a press, and is reasonably priced for an acid-free paper.

Now I just have to color them...

Cello

I have, for many years, been a fan of the cello.  No matter what genre of music, if there is a cello, I at the very least appreciate it.  A long time ago, another life and another town, I considered teaching myself how to play.  I had visions of myself going down to Cathedral Square park in Milwaukee (where I lived at the time) and playing there while passersby tossed money in my open cello case.

I purchased a student model cello.  I plinked and plucked and tried to make some notes.  I was deteremined that I would practice every day. 

But I never got to it.  I never acquired the discipline to play every day.  And there were other things going on in my life that were impediments.

But I don't regret not having learned.  I no longer have the time or energy for regret.

This hand-pulled linocut print measures 6 x 9, is handcolored with watercolor.  Total print size is 9 x 12.  It is available for purchase at my Etsy Shop or you can click the button below.

Skull and Books bookplate

I always wanted a skull for a bookend...

Here's another bookplate design.  Once again, I colored it in Photoshop.  The dimensions are 5" x 3".

Bookhead bookplate

Here is another bookplate design idea.  I colored it in Photoshop.  The the dimensions are 3" x 5". 

The idea was originally used in a book I made, the design was executed in tooled copper foil.  Unfortunately if I did have a picture of it at one time, it was victim of the computer crash of 2008.  And no I didn't have a back up.  You'll just have to trust me on this...

Bookplates.  There are a lot of people who have no idea what they are or their purpose.  Simply put, they are pride of ownership in a book, something that says, "this is my book."  They are labels that you put in the front cover of your books.  Yes, they used to be more common.  So were books, but now there are audiobooks and Kindle.  There is even a society of those who collect and design bookplates.  If you get a chance, check out their website.

And keep reading books even if you don't collect them.

Pan is not the Devil you think he is...

Another linocut print in the non-existent Mythology series.  I'm going to call it a series yet, because every time I do I jinx it.  Does anyone remember me talking once about doing an alphabet series?  Thought so...

I used to draw Pan all the time when I was in junior high and high school.  I liked doing it because of the inevitable religious discussions that would erupt. They:   "Look he's drawing the DEVIL!!!!"  Me:  No, it's Pan,  he's different.  He's from Greek and Roman mythology."  They:  "well, he looks like the DEVIL!"  Me:  "well he's not."

And so on and so forth.  Eventually I would be informed that I was going to hell.  And I would say "Don't count on me to save you a seat!"

Ah, life gowing up in the Bible belt.

This is not the Devil.  The Devil does not play the Pan Pipes.  Everyone knows he plays the accordian....


The print is 8 x 10 with the actual image 4 x 6.  It is now available at my Etsy shop

Or you can buy it here directly

The Hand that Pours the Coffee

This is merely an artist proof that I decided to color in Photoshop.  There is still work to be done.  It's almost there, but not quite.  I like using Photoshop in some cases because it gives me a chance to play around with the colors.

I used unmounted linoleum for this one, mounted on a piece of plexiglass.  The print measures 3" x 8".  I like using the unmounted linoleum because I can do odd sizes.  The downside of this is that someday in the not-too-distant future I'm going to have to invest in a matcutter AND learn how to use it. 

As I have mentioned before, I am carving blocks faster than I can print them. Printing and coloring could be reserved when I don't have any ideas for prints.  I'm not trying to jinx myself here so I won't say anything else about inspiration.  I think you know what I mean...

This print is now available at my Artfire shop or you can buy it directly from me.

An Apple a Day

I did this without any major pre-planning.  I have gotten into the habit of always bringing a blank linoleum block with me to work even if I don't have any tangible ideas for them.  Sometimes I just start doodling and there it is. 

So yes, there it is.

I'm very happy how this one turned out.  The colors scanned in nicely this time.  The print measures 6 x 4 (total dimension 10 x 8).  I will have this one available on Artfire in the next day or so.