Mixed Ink Color Experiment

For a small run of prints, I like this process of printing and painting.  Between the carving of the block, the inking, printing and hand-painting of the image, it maintains the creative process enough to keep me happy, but I don't think I will last long with the repeatative process unless there is somethink very different about each final product.

Dandelion print, in process - Mixed Daniel Smith green ink, and FW acrylic inks on 300 series Strathmore paper. 

In the early days of printing, this process was still quicker for most people than hand drawing and painting each individual image.  It allowed a master craftsmen, in a studio filled with apprentices (or with even one apprentice,) to create the initial image, and move on to create the next original image, while someone else could even carve to block or plate, ink it, check with the "master" with the proof, then ink x-number of copies.  If color was needed, the original artist did not really have to touch the work at all, but could also  apprentice-it-out.

Dandelion print - Mixed Daniel Smith green ink, and FW acrylic inks on 300 series Strathmore paper. 

The part of printmaking that is ironic to me (if that is the right descriptor,) is that a block print printmaker can hand print 100 images of the exact same think and each one is considered an original.  If I take an original painting to a printmaking studio and have them print multiple copies, only the first painting is considered the original.  If I want to enter a piece of art into a show, only the original painting can be entered in the painting to print scenario, but print number 86 can be entered in the block print method.........hmmmmmm.