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.)

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...

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 :)