A Spring Hydrangea

I love green flowers.  It's crazy how much I love green flowers.  I fell in love with the Lime Light Hydrangea when it first came out.  I'm feeling kind of guilty because I bought one and I'm betting the effect was achieved by genetic modification.  Still, I love its strong showing every year.  I love its burst of flowers every year.  They come in as a beautiful spring green and then burst open in a show of pale green flowers that bleach out to a flock of white petals.  Later in the year, they stain pink.  I was inspired to do sketches and take pictures of last year's specimen.  The flower in this painting does not exist.  Technical drawing bores the holy hell out of me.  I sketch and use photo references to get a gist but then move on to create textures and patterns of my own.  I'll walk you through my process:

I start with a rough sketch.  I've made notes at the bottom for myself.   The Lime Light Hydrangea sends out shoots each spring which turn into branches for the foliage each year.  At the end of each branch is a flower.  This is the reason why you prune Hydrangeas in the fall.  Prune them in the spring and you prune off all the potential flower buds.  

I sketched a specimen and used my photos to create the branch/skeleton structure.  The notes read: Main Stem = tri (3 secondary stems extend from the main branch as it grows) Secondary = bi (the secondary stem then sends out two stems away from itself as it grows) tertiary = alternating (the subsequent tertiary stems then branch out in an alternating pattern to grow flower buds).  This complexity boils down to the simple pattern of Fibonacci numbers.  Nature follows this pattern again and again.

Here is where the fun begins.  In following the Fibonacci pattern and allowing it to break every once and again, you can accurately create a realistic composition.  This is what I thought about while I drew in stems and flowers.  Watching my drawing grow, and spire, and divide ever upwards, I couldn't help but think about galaxies and the big bang.  As our universe sprouted and grew ever outwards, we continue to expand and develop, branching and rising.

After my sketch was complete, It was time to begin the painting process.  This was a great excuse to employ my favorite color: Yellow Green!!!!  I began by washing over the entire composition with a yellow green that was heavy on the yellow.  I used primarily a mixture of Sennelier watercolors.  I used Phthalo Green Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, and Sap Green.

I scanned the first image but as the paper distorted, I abandoned it for my camera.  The next layer was to be a slightly greener wash of yellow green to make the flowers begin to contrast and bring a little depth.

I wanted to begin mapping out the areas of shadow and it was about here that I stopped documenting and just spent time painting.  It is only so often you can interrupt your flow of work for documentation before it becomes detrimental to your process.

I love the shades of green that are featured in this piece but the piece would not have had a rich feel to it  if I had just stayed within that range of color.  Variety truly is the spice of life.  I created shadows from my light green pallet by mixing in a little Walnut Ink from local ink and paint makers Belly of the Flea. I was surprised as how accommodating and easy to work with the ink was.  It was best friends with my Sennelier paints and I liked the results.

I employed Ultramarine Deep and Walnut Ink to create the initial wash for the dark background that you can see on the right of the image above.  I think the color on the right was 3 washes of paint.  I mixed Walnut Ink and Payne's Gray to make the final color of the dark background.  The shade on the left represents 2 washes of the Walnut and Payne's Gray mix.  It was nice and thick compared with the thin washes that were done previously.  The end result is a deep velvety black that carries depth not normally found in a prefabricated black.  It's a shame my photographs and scans don't really show that. 

This was a fun piece to work on and an exercise in anticipation for spring!

Journal Memory Book

I'm going to be teaching a book class at Creative Framing & The Art Box in Crozet, VA.  We'll be doing a photo album of sorts I call a Journal Memory Book.  Ten 4 x 6 inch photographs will be mounted inside the book with a translucent interleaving.  The interleaving will hold a written account and hovers above the mounted photographs.  The result is a sleek and stylish presentation that still retains the title of handmade.  The added bonus is the handwritten accounts that accompany the photographs.  It will be an object to treasure for years to come and benefit future generations who will wonder,"Who are these people" and "What is that place?" and "What are they doing?"

I chose octopus paper for my book.  I don't know why I love those squiggly wigglies so much!  Ah, cephalopod love!  My photographs are from my undergraduate years at the Corcoran College of Art and design.  Art school is a colorful experience so the bright paper seemed appropriate.  My school's colors are also chartreuse and wine, so my inner papers and binding ribbon are a nod to that.

The writing floats above my photos and my book opens nicely.  There are no ring binders to contend with or screw posts to fiddle around.

It is also designed to rest flat and not bow under the thickness of the added photos.  It has room so that the photographic emulsion is not constantly mashed against the translucent interleaving.

It's even pretty when it's hanging out on the table!

Though the book has a horizontal orientation, I have put vertical oriented photographs in it as well.

Check out Creative Framing & The Art Box Crozet for more information on the class!

Invoking the Auspicious

There is no better sigil of affirmation that the Red Velvet Ant.  She's not really an ant at all but the female of a species of wasp.  They are large and can reach up to an inch and a half long.  Beautifully cloaked in scarlet and black they scurry along in the brush looking for food and nesting areas.  They are also called Cow Killers because they inflict such a crippling sting.  They are not usually aggressive, preferring to scurry away but dislike being handled.  Red Velvet Ants are useful in that they are parasitic to ground wasps and bees.  They naturally keep Yellow Jackets and ground Hornets in check. I value them for their appearance is a portent of good things to come.

Thus, I was inspired to do a study of one of my favorite insects.

I wanted to try out some new paper that I got made by St. Armand.  I love the natural color and rough texture.  I started out with a rough sketch.

Next, I added a background of twigs, pebbles, and pine needles for her to scurry over.

When Daniel Smith came out with Watercolor Ground I laughed and called it a cheap trick.  Well, crow is delicious at this point in my life because I ended up using some.  I filled in the areas that were to be red.  (I'm a cheap trick, so sue me.)

I skipped getting a shot of the pen and ink in process.  I used Higgins Calligraphy waterproof black ink with a crow quill and calligraphy nib to render the black.  I have my friend Amanda Smith to thank for the use of her ruling pen.  I have to get myself one of those.  They are fun!  I do have to say that the Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground and the Higgins waterproof ink did not like each other.  The watercolor ground would open the ink back up and create gray backwashes.  When I drew over the watercolor ground, the ink would bleed into it.  I got it to cooperate in the long run by erring on the side of subtlety.

Lastly, the moment of true occurred when I broke out my watercolors.  At first the watercolor ground was irritating because I wasn't used to how it reached.  After I got used to it's drying time and characteristics, things became easier.  I noted that color was much easier to wick and staining was nonexistent with this product.  I had to create and push around several layers in order to get what I wanted.  After I was satisfied with the underpainting, I applied hairlike texture with a tiny rigger.  Now she looks like she could skitter off the paper.

A visit from a dragon delayed

In the quiet of the first day of 2013, a small dragon snuffled its way onto my desk whispered that I had forgotten all about him.  I totally denied that accusation and tried to explain that my knives were dull, I have been really busy, and I need to be working on the upcoming pieces I'm going to display in the spring.  Little 2012 dragon was hearing none of that.  So, I got out my protesting knives and got to work on freeing him a little more.

I completed one side and called it quits because I REALLY should sharpen my knives before I cause more damage that is necessary.  BUT, at least one side is done and that is half the battle before I can print and fulfill my 2012 obligation.  

The year of the dragon was a good but rigorous year.  I asked for prosperity and the dragon said, "You sure you can handle that?"  I said I could and holy hell it was a ride.  I got into graphic design classes and learned many things that I had lacked before.  I received an apprenticeship grant for the state of Virginia.  I got a new job.  I made new friends.  I completed woodblock illustrations for what I consider my first "book."  It all came at once and thus my New Years card for the 2012 exchange was put on the back burner.  As the snake slithers in I'm going to spend a little time with my dragon and hopefully soon he'll be one his way to everyone in the mail!

In other news, speaking of abused tools, I'm finally replacing my watercolor brushes.  I have had some of these since grade school.  (OMG!) They've served me well and so I will be donating the old ones to an elementary school for craft projects.  I've been needing a good wash brush for a while and fell in love with the new line of Snap! brushes at the Art Box.  They're economical but surprisingly have a good in-hand weight and the synthetic bristles are smooth and responsive.

Poor old camel hair wash brush has been rode hard and put up wet.  To be sure, there will be more paintings in my future!

Moon Fall Out

And for my next trick, I will apparate!  (All the Harry Potter fan girls go squee!!)  I have been riding the year of the dragon hard this year and the month of September felt like the breaking point but we hung on tight and now we will show you in a few posts what I have been up to.

It is evident by now that I believe "Diligence is the Source of Empowerment" and thus I have been enormously diligent.  I have been taking graphic design classes to bring myself up to speed on all the volumes of graphic design knowledge I lack.  At the same time, I was just awarded an apprenticeship with VABC's shop heavy, Garrett Queen.  That has been SO much fun.  

All this AND I completed work on the VABC's group project, "Atlas of Vanishing Knowledge".  That felt like an incredible undertaking for a number of reasons and by the time it was over I felt as if I might need an undertaker.

So, this first post will cover the making of "Moon Gaze", a chapter of moku hanga and letterpress work by Bonnie Bernstein and I about moon gazing haiku's as they would apply to the Appalachian Mountain Range.  The project was not without its usual hair pulling but I think the results were very rewarding.

Bonnie provided the haikus and I worked with the layout we were given to come up with illustrations.  We wanted the project the read along with the cycles of the moon.  Because the paper we were working with was thin, I had to design to make the moons match up as close as possible to minimize bleed through.  I would have loved to have had the prints tipped into the book form but that would have created undo bulk so it wasn't an option.

The initial planning was done largely on the internet.  She emailed me her haikus.  I sketched out some ideas.  We hemmed and hawed and tightened up ideas about three or four times before we decided on the final arrangement.

Next, I got to chipping and holy cow was it an undertaking.  The blocks came out beautifully but the turn around was tight and I spent every spare moment carving and sharpening.  I've gotten worlds better at sharpening but it still takes time.  I delighted in taking this shot of all the blocks carved together.  It's one of my favorite things to see the ruby and tan blocks all finished before proofing.

After that, I held my breath prayed to the print devils that my kentos were right because it was time to pull proofs for the color blocks.  Notice that I also print up the kentos to site my registration on the next block.

My nose went straight to the grinding wheel after that . . . or rather my knives, because I had a second round of carving to do!  I had a deadline to meet.  I had to have surgery to see if a lymph node was cancerous or not.  Yeehaw!  It wasn't!  But, after a day of rest I propped myself up to begin printing.  I was SO tired from all of it but the beauty of the prints coming off were rewarding.  My kentos were lining up and I think Titivillus was finally taking pity on me.  Bonnie's letterpress work was on point as well.

We got everything done and now they are in the process of being bound.  I'll post an update of what the whole book looks like after I get my mitts on one.  *Whew!*  That was back breaking!  Ah, but this is just the beginning!  Surely, you didn't think I would carve 6 blocks (24 plates) for just one run, did you?  We are planning a reprint with some extra treats (bokashi, gilding maybe?).  In the meantime, please enjoy this image of all the key blocks carved before they got proofed in all their ruby glory:

Color Blocking a Curl Snout

Full steam ahead!  The Art Box is sort of like my Home Depot.  All I have to say is "Yeah, I'm thinking about doing some colors like     (blank)    ." and Amanda Johnson or another associate will say, "Oh.  Well, have you ever considered       (blank)      ?  They work really well for that." and suddenly I have no excuses for putting off advancement on a project.  I bought some Sennelier watercolors from them and really love the saturation of rich color.  I think they will translate well with this project.  You can't really go wrong with Sennelier anyway but I've never tried Cobalt Green or Phthalo Green Light.  They are exactly the shades I was looking for though.  I'm a little gun shy now around Cobalts and Cadmiums.  I am wary of heavy metals but I really love the colors that come from those categories.  I promised myself that I'd be very careful this time.

As you can see from the test proof above, I've tried them out on a piece of Masa and they color reads very nicely.  I colored the proof in yellow and red to act as a map for when I have to carve the color blocks.  I don't want to risk using the colors I am going to print with as they are too similar and I want to have a good contrast to go by.

Kentos are carved.  Now it is time for the grunt work!  I was asked yesterday if I had trouble with tennis elbow due to the carving.  I have actually had trouble as of late but I think it is due to being out of shape and sleeping on one side.  I had a fair amount of popping and cracking when I initially started carving but once I flex and stretch things clear up.  Old age is whispering in my ear.

Proofing the Curl Snout

I had such grand intentions.  Tuesday I remembered to put some paper down to soak before I went to work so I could pull some proofs of my Chinese New Year Dragon.  Wednesday morning was literally a goat rodeo as we gathered Odin up to get neutered.  I had intended on packing up my supplies to go to the Virginia Artist Book Center and pull some proofs of the block.  I had such grand intentions.  I barely drug myself to the meeting at VABC but was glad I went.  So many exciting ideas and concepts were discussed.  I'm glad I didn't skip it.  Fast forward to Thursday and when I went upstairs to check my email my foot bumped against my paper humidor and I had one of those Oh, yeah. That's right. I was supposed to do that wasn't I. moments.  A flare of procrastination drifted over my mind but it was swiftly dispatched by the kraken mentioned in my last post.  I tossed my brush into my water basin and set to work. 

I've been trying to use up my bokuju.  It's great stuff but I have a whole other bottle to use after this one is gone so I might as well use it now.  It really has a richer color to it than regular sumi.  

Looks like a good impression so far.  It's hard to ink up a freshly carved block sometimes because it looks so pristine.  The kento needs to print up as well for accurate registration.  You can see the triangle and the trapezoid in the right hand side of the paper.

I stalled on using this piece of wood but I've been hanging onto it for years.  Kraken to the rescue!  Slather the nori on and ask questions later.

I really like this method because I don't have to deal with xeroxes or smelly chemicals for transfer.  There's no extra tools or supplies besides paper and nori that you already are using for printing.  Plus, it's like working from the original because it really is a copy of the block and registration.

I'm saving space by carving two colors and their registrations on one block.

I have an idea also for the concept of an "onion dragon" so I went ahead and made another two potential blocks.  Why not?  The resources are there.

Afterwards, we got all cleaned up . . . as clean as nori stained wood can get anyway.  I love my little dragon's expression.  I love his little curled snout.  It's like he's thinking "That was a good swim!"