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Illustration Friday: Burning

This weeks illustration challenge for Illustration Friday is Burning. I think the above artwork is a fine illustration of the theme! This work was one of 4 woodcut images printed atop digital printouts that were then tipped into editioned books. The accompanying book text for this image is ""How About a Little Fire Scarecrow!" ~Wicked Witch of the West"

First I created a collage of digital imagery

Then I created a woodblock printing plate

Then I blurred the digital collage in photoshop to give it a watercolor painting effect. I printed the digital collage on fine mulberry paper from my canon printer. I then hand printed the woodblock plate on top of the digital printouts. I did an edition of 10 for hardbound books sewn by my late mentor Carol Wagner. I also did an edition of 4 printed on masa paper that were sewn into soft bound books by me. The other three images I created have been printed on 8.5x11" 100% cotton rag in editions of 25 for framing. This one is ready for me to print the edition suitable for framing.

See my blogs about this project at:
http://phare-camp.blogspot.com/2006/10/bookarts-midterm.html
http://phare-camp.blogspot.com/2006/10/autmn-follies-first-five-spreads.html
http://phare-camp.blogspot.com/2006/10/autmn-follies.html

Fun Printmaking Day at a Friends

Fun Day of Playing at a Friends Press

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Last Wednesday I had a fun day hanging out with fellow printmaker and friend Carrie Markel in her studio. She has a large press that she inherited from another friend, peer and Matrix member Char Sylvesri. The press was built by a shipmaker...remind me the next time to take my camera and shoot it.... I did the drawing above several months ago while in the throws of a fever. I didn't bring it with me but since the composition is uncomplicated I was able to work from memory in the following monoprints.

This was the first monoprint that I made. Unfortunately the paper slipped as I was registering. No biggy, I simply worked from the residual pigment to repaint the plexiglass printing plate and make following two...

This is the second one done using the residual pigment image as a matrix for this and the following print. I painted the background then used a q-tip and the tip of the paintbrush handle to remove paint for the skeleton and her reflection.

I really like the second image but felt that a little yellowing of the bones would help the skeleton pop from the violet background. As could be predicted the use of complimentary yellow theory was right on...

The images are approximately 15x22" on Rives BFK, one sheet of white and two sheets of brown. The medium is createx monoprint base mixed with createx pigment dispersions. Some of the line work was done by dipping Aquarell Watercolor Stix into the monoprint base then drawing onto the plate. The signature watermark does not appear on the original prints.