Does THIS Count As Mixed Media?

The thing that makes the bee work for me is the carving of the individual hairs on the body and legs of the bee.  I have always admired the ability of relief printers to define these fine details without compromising the overall impact of the image.  I used to think that this craftsmanship was easiest to accomplish on a harder-than-nails linoleum block or a hardwood carving and not on any of the more modern softcut products.  I now think it is much more about defining the minute details that give an image character and/or definition and then planning the cutting process to create that effect.

I have also always thought the ultimate detail work would be accomplished in the plate etching process.  When I think back to the plates I have etched and printed, I don't think it is the scraffeto process that makes the end result possible, but the planful overlapping and alignment that creates the depth and dimension I am looking for.

This bee has more intensity by combining both the Inktense Pencils and the FW inks AND then layering them.  Even the wings in this image have multiple layers of color.  One of the layers is actually an pearlescent FW ink.  I was surprised that the ink that was the next layer on the pearly wings took the glisten and shine away.....it's all a learning curve! 

Bee Variations - continued

It's fun to continue exploring color options with multiple bee prints.  The Derwent Inktense pencils are not intense enough on this paper.   A mixed media paper may tolerate more layers of Inktense product and water to build intensity.  Next is FW acrylic ink: also possible to layer but it works differently than the pencils.  When the FW inks dry, they seem to partially absorb into the paper weave, but a portion also sits on the top of the paper.  With each added layer, there is less absorption into the paper fibers and more layering on top of the previous layers. 

Bee trial - Relief print using Daniel Smith relief ink, Inktense Pencils activated with water, and FW acrylic inks.

I decided to mix Inktense Pencils and FW inks for the next printing and see if this combination would work or if ther would be too much intensity contrast.  I do like the color of the flower AND the subtle shading of the background.  I think both work to create depth and dimension.  Because there is so much red in this orange, I think part of the depth is also created because the flower and background colors are complimentary.   I still find the show-through gelly printing pattern on the wings the most appealing of all of the runs thusfar.

Bee trial - Relief print using Daniel Smith relief ink, Inktense pencils activated with water, and FW acrylic inks.

I decided to make the background color a little darker, but add some color to the wings to create more depth.  The grayish-blue cast of on the wings works better than the plain wings, but still not as well as the gelly-print wings.  This is a time when I think it would highly advantageous to have multiple plates specifically designed to add different colors and be sure that the alignment is "right on!" 

From the Hive

One of the advantages of relief printing is the opportunity to use the same base image and try a variety of color with each printing.  I left the first bee prints black, but wanted to experiment with bright, acrylic inks.

Bee - first pull with color.  Daniel Smith black relief ink and Derwent Inktense pencils activated with water.

I tried pale colors with Inktense pencils for the first pull and liked the dimension it gave to the bee and the flower.  I wasn't happy with the wings, however.  I actually like the textured effect of the gelly print showing through the layered relief print on the example in yesterday's post.  Time for try 2 with more intense colors.

Bee - second pull with color.  Daniel Smith black relief ink and Derwent Inktense pencils activated with water.

Additional color to the wings gives them an extra dimension.  I also added more color to the body and legs of the bee.  This rendering better captures the essence of the bee, but I think it still needs more color. 

Opportunity Knocks - Buzzes??

One of the first prints I pulled of the bee was actually a layered printing that began with a monoprint on a gelly plate.  The honeycomb pattern in the background is the first print layer from the gelly plate.

First Pull - "Bee" - Gelly plate and relief print in two layers.  Acrylic paint, and black Daniel Smith relief ink.

I really like the texture this image creates.  It is created primarily with the gelly print and not the relief print.  As you can see in the carved block below, the main texture of the body of the bee is actually created with the individual hairs across the body.

Relief carving - Bee.  Speedball softcut, inked with Daniel Smith black relief ink. 

All the BUZZ!

Taking a macro look at things around us, like insects, can lead to the creation of some interesting images.  This year, unlike last year, we have an abundance of bees.  It's amazing how many different varieties have visited both the apple tree and the daisies, however the honey bees have dominated the group of visitors.  I am always surprised how close you can actually get to them without alarming them - well - they don't appear to be alarmed (could be a case of ignorance is bliss.)

I decided to try carving the more detailed version of these bees,  and then experiment with a variety of printing and color-enhancement options.  Below is the basic bee printed with Ranger black ink.

Visiting Bee - Relief print - black Ranger ink on Strathmore 400 series print paper.

As I work with this new Strathmore print paper, I am liking it better and better.  The 300 series paper provides a reasonable surface to pull proof prints, but it is the 400 series that has the body and texture that I like.  Both the 300 and the 400 provide adequate absorption to add acrylic ink, but I am not particularly happy with either when adding gouache or water color paints.

Choosing the most appropriate paper for the end result continues to be an exploration.  While the print papers are good for printing one color of ink, I have not made multiple plates or block for a multiple plate trial.  I have not found the print papers to be the best for adding non-ink materials.  Bristol paper is smooth and accepting of blocks loaded with ink, they too do not handle water-based additions; in fact, this paper frequently buckles and ripples with the addition of much liquid.  Watercolor paper does a better job of accepting water-based paints (although this varies by brand,) the texture of the papers usually do not provide a good printing surface unless the paper is soaked in water prior to printing.....then it also buckles unless dried between layers of felt and paper.  I think my favorite paper for printing/painting combo process continues to be the Strathmore 500 series mixed media.  It is smooth enough to accept the inked block and make good contact and stable enough to accept wated-based colors without significant distortion.  I look forward to a day when I am equipped to try multiple block color-separation printing with ink.....

Combining for a New Look

Multiple block can be combined by carefully selecting the part of each block to be printed and the part of each block to be eliminated.  In the image below, the part of the butterfly and milkweed block to be used is the butterfly.  The part to be eliminated is everything that is part of the plant.

The new plant to be included in the image is the fall dandelion.  The parts that have been omitted on the dandelion block include many of the dry, fly-away seeds with their umbrella wind-catchers. The part that has been omitted on the Monarch block include everything "milkweed."  The trick is to eliminate the portions without damaging the block, so that it is possible to return to both of the original prints.  If either or both of the blocks were permanently altered, it would not be possible to return to the original image; the plate would be gone.   "Striking" the plate was actually the final step in the printing process to reserved a limited edition printing.  Once the "strike" has occurred, the prints run from the original complete the "run."

The new, combined image is the butterfly landing on the dry dandelion.  With careful alignment and planning, the image looks like a unique, original block that has been printed.

Monarch on Fall Dandelion Relief Combination - Black ranger ink on 300 series tan Strathmore paper. 

Monarchy Variations

Both relief printing and monoprinting allow for the opportunity to experiment with variations to the original image.  The images yesterday used a combination of printing blocks to slightly alter the image.  While the butterfly remained the same, the flower being landed upon was different in each and included a milkweed blossom, a dry dandelion, and a small daisy.  The image that included the butterfly and the blossom of the milkweed was one block; the other two required part of the image on the original block to be covered and another block to align in it's place. 

Variations can be also created with the printing ink, the substrate printed on (paper, cloth, wood, metal, etc.) or the combination of mixing medias in a collage-type fashion.  The first image below is most of the original block with the hand-drawn addition of the stem and plant leaves.  In this printing, the color is added by hand after the black has been printed.  Printing and adding color in this way allow the artist to change every image, but tremendously adds to the time required to complete multiple copies.  To print this image using only the relief printing process would require four printing plates, with different surfaces raised to capture each different color of ink to be transferred to the substrate.  Additional plates may be required if the substrate is not white.  An essential key in a printing using a multiple plate process is the alignment of each plate.  This is usually accomplished using a registration system, such as buttons and tabs. 

Monarch on Milkweed Relief Print - Ranger black ink on gessoed tan 300 series Strathmore paper.  Stem and leaves added with .8 black Micron pen. Color added with FW acrylic inks.

 An entirely different effect can be created by changing the substrate and the additions to the ink drawing.  The butterfly below was printed on a printed, multi-colored paper.  The butterfly was then cut out and glued to a second printing of the butterfly and milkweed on the tan Strathmore paper; what looks like one printing is actually two.  What makes the image work is the the careful alignment of the edges of the butterfly to make the edges disappear.  The leaves on the plant were added by hand after the two printed images were combined.  This butterfly no longer looks like the traditional Monarch or Viceroy, but becomes a brand new species through creative use of paper. 

Butterfly on Milkweed Relief Print and Collage - Ranger black ink on tan 300 series Strathmore paper and on multicolored patterned paper.  Colorful butterfly has been trimmed and glued to the tan paper image.  Stem and leaves added with .8 black Micron pen.