This week's prints

So, monday before last, I printed a portrait of Captain Mossbeard, the pirate, which was drypoint on plastic. (sorry about the crappy quality, I am so analog it isn't funny. I'm learning.)

Then we made prints on the inside of tetra paks! Not my best artistic effort, and they don't stand up to many prints, but it was fun. (And cheap!)

Then, last monday, we prepared plates for etching. Beveling, degreasing, warming, covering with asphalt, smoking, then the tranfer of the sketch using white oil pastel (you can see the traces of the white lines on the copper plate) and *then* exposing the copper, by scraping the asphalt coating with a sharpish tool.... *whew* can't wait to see what it looks like printed...

(and yes, i'm too daft to figure out how to turn it right side up at the moment.)

Towel Day

Tomorrow, Sunday May 25 will be towel day. Douglas Adams died too young, but at least he accomplished a lot before he did. Happy towel day!

Reproduction, Printmaking, Renovation, Vomit.

Life is very complicated lately. Middlekid had her birthday yesterday (yay Middlekid!). Unfortunately, Thirdling had a case of the galloping barfies. So I'm trying to run a birthday party between barfs, it's raining on and off, and when we've managed to survive all that, we still have to take the car to the garage.

Now, I am on the phone and in the garden arranging a gazillion appointments for estimates to have the eaves painted/balcony railing replaced/wintergarden built/windows replaced. And tonite I have my class (which makes me really glad that Thirdling is not throwing up any more. at least I don't have to worry about her tonight. )

But what I really want to know is, when will I get my period? It's a week overdue. I used to be so regular. I know I am not pregnant; I know why it is late- it's because I am getting old. But when will it come? Am I still fertile? Do I want another baby? Does other half want another baby? I am feeling lost and tired today. It's all wearing me out.

We are going to do soft-ground etching tonight, so I am off to find a subject.

The Prints

Finally, after some twiddling and reinstallation from my better half, I seem to be able to load pictures from my phone to my computer!

So, here is my first attempt. This was mostly an excercise to learn how to use the press; it is not an intaglio print. I made it by inking the plate with gold ink, the star was torn paper, place over the plate. I also used thread, and scraped a few marks and letters in, though the word 'shine' did not comeout very readable.

This is my first intaglio. Made my scratching marks into the copper plate, inking, and printing. Check out the anatomically incorrect frog...

A Lost Button

Yesterday was upsetting. I started to write that it was a bad day, but considering what I accomplished, I guess I can't really say that either. I trimmed the hedge around our runty (but charming) little pool, tried to clear out some of the bamboo, the ivy growing up the house, the bush that leaves a deposit of last years flowers in the kitchen every time I open the window. Then I gathered up all the clippings, swept out the pool, and hooked up the high-pressure cleaner. I got a lot done, my arm is sore all the way up to my ear.

But this baby thing. Lately there have been so many cases. People throw their babies out windows, hit them, hurt them, leave them to starve, put them in freezers. I cannot understand this. These people got their babies and I didn't. My youngest daughter's kindergarten teacher just had a baby. She brought it in to the class for everyone to meet. I was thinking it's no big deal, I'll go and wish her well, because I *do* wish her well. But I couldn't do it. I clipped, raked, cleaned, and when I couldn't stand it any more, I went in and looked at the photographs of my dead baby and asked the question I have tried so hard to stop asking myself. Why was I not allowed to keep him? Why?

I feel like Toad. The whole world is covered with babies but not one of them is mine. I will never find my button and neither will any of my Frogs, but at least I have plenty of Frogs. *sigh.*

My Very First Print!

Well, my printmaking instructor has turned out to be quite normal. I love just being in the print studio- the smells, the machines, the lithograph stones, the copper plates. I am finding printmaking very complicated, and it is definitely a labor of love. So many things need to be adjusted, prepared, cleaned. I will post my first print, as soon as I can. It's a monoprint, really, just to get to know the machine, not intaglio, but I'm kinda proud of it :)