Fool and Magus Color Proofs

In a previous post regarding my master's project I mentioned I was proofing the new Graphic Chemical Water Soluble inks. I love the way they handle and the color transparencies are gorgeous! I will be muting the blue and the yellow in parts of the fool using rainbow rolls and I will be amping up the blue in the Magus' tablecloth and the red in the curtain. Other than that I'm pleased with the colors

Above and below are some notes I made for my project journal. These are changes I want to make to the actual blocks. The touches of beige, brown and silver in the blocks was brushed in using stencil brushes. I think I will cut some acetate stencils just so I have a little more control on where the ink goes when I ponce it.

Above and below you can compare how the pigment dispersions handled versus the Graphic Chemical Inks. Details and lines are crisper and the cut marks are finer with the Graphic Chem inks. The Graphic Chem colors are richer and the blacks are deeper then the garish pigments.

Here we have a picture of the Empress carving in progress. Her garden has been giving me a sore elbow and numb palms so I'm going to work on the Emperor for a while. In between I will test making relief marks in wood with a woodburning tool and test print. If I like the line quality of the woodburning tool I will use it to finish the Empress' garden.

ITALY

OK so I have this crazy new idea. I would like to do some study in Italy. I figured I could just afford to do so if I sold most of my current artworks at a 25% discount. So I'm making this offer...

If you want to help an itinerant American artist get some exposure to great European works and architecture you can do so by buying my art! You can see most of it within my website: http://www.imp-s.com. If you send me an email message with the word ITALY in the subject line and the name of the work(s) you want in the message I will go into my absolutearts.com porfolio (http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/p/pharecamp) or my Etsy Shop (http://www.PhareCamp.etsy.com) and reduce the price just for you. If want a work in the website that's not listed in my portfolio or my etsy shop I will create a listing in Etsy just for you...

May be, just may be this crazy idea will work and I will be able to go to Italy with my college study abroad group. If not I will at least be able to start an Italy savings account and go by myself at a later date...

Ciao, Patti P-C

The Chariot

I've reached a somewhat finished point with the chariot design. I'm still not quite pleased with it; I feel like I've left something out, can't quite put my finger on it...oh well, I'm sure if I leave it alone and work on printing and carving that when I come back to the chariot whats wrong will jump right out at me. I may or may not leave the gold square on his breast...

I do realize that I need some shadows to ground the bike and the doggies, that will be hand drawn on the block, as well as warming up the highlights. Since the light source is from behind the skeleton will be mostly blue violet with peachy warm highlights just on the edges of shoulders, elbows etc. It's in my head don't need to put it in my digital sketches. I suppose I could print it out and watercolor the details...

If any of you viewers are Tarot readers please comment on what it needs for improvement. I may or may not use your advice but I will definitely appreciate it; if anything I'll grow from it!

I'll also appreciate artistic comments on improving the aesthetics and technique.

I'm proofing the fool and the magus in color with the new Graphic Chemical Water Soluble Block Printing Inks. I love them! At first I was concerned as the Lemon Yellow was really loose. I added just a touch of extender to it as the extender is super stiff, well then I couldn't get the brayer charged! So I added a drop of vehicle and it was back to the loose stuff. "Oh well" I thought and just rolled it on the block and printed it. It printed great! The pigment laid down thinly, smoothly and coverage was even. I would have never used oil based so loose on the block but it works with GC's WS. I've got just the lemon and the peacock printed so far. I'll post pics later when I've finished.

Update on the Masters

It's been a while since I blogged on about my Master's Project so here goes...as always you can see an image full size by clicking on it; use your browser's back button to return to the blog.

Color proofs of the Fool and the Magus were done. After discussion with my adviser it was decided I should stick to western techniques, using water based relief inks.

My adviser suggested Graphic Chemicals inks and a few days later my friend Rachel asked me if I wanted some Graphic Chemical water based relief inks she didn't plan to use again...

I don't care for the garishness of the pure pigment dispersions in these two proofs and I plan on eliminating some of the cut marks. For instance most of the red marks in the sky behind the Magus' curtain.

I completed the Priestess Keyline block and proofed it.

I'm mostly pleased with this keyline and will work on the color plates after I've reached my semester goal for designs and keylines. I do want to clean up the gap between the numbers at the top and give just a little more definition to the letters at the bottom; though I do like the way it weaves into the image.

As usual, I was so gungho at the beginning of the semester to get started on this work again that I wasn't paying attention and carved nearly the entire Empress plate before I realized that she wasn't backward...

I've re-carved the keyline and am about to the same place I was when I discovered my error. Eventually I will finish carving the 1st one and varnish it as a bas relief work, and a reminder to "pay attention stupid!"

I completed design of the Lovers card and have the basic composition for the Chariot. I still want to go into it and eliminate the cacti, replacing them with skyscrapers and I want to replace the rottweiler on the left with a great Pyrenees. I also want to include some symbolism on the gas tank and an amulet on the rider's chest. Oh and of course I need to put in a number VII and the name of the card.

I have my composition for Strength in mind and have begun the research on the Hermit. Someday soon I will start posting my research on the cards. I should have started out doing so...

IF: "And I Can See Russia From My House!"

This is a recent aquatint etching I did. I thought it perfectly fit this week's Illustration Friday theme of "Vacant." As well at this week's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) activities and next week's elections...

Some appropriate toonage:

"Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant"