Printmaking VI

Sat. both the power and water were shut off in Tyler, so it made working a little difficult. But i still spent a good 5hrs there even after cleaning up a small chemical spill. I continued carving where i wanted corrections and adjustments. And then got a few prints done (maybe 10 or so) 

As I have shown over the past few weeks is my process of creating the images and craving them out. Next is the actual printing process.  Starting with the carved block, i make sure i brush off any stray wood chips to keep them from mixing with ink. 

Next step is to prepare the ink. If you look in the upper left corner of the image below you can see a black section on the counter. That is the ink rolled out with a large roller (like a rolling pin but rubber) By inking up the roller i can spread the ink evenly across the block that I'm printing. 

Next step is to place the block on the printing press and lay a sheet of paper on top. Two pieces of felt are placed on top and the block and paper are run through the press.  

The Printing press is fairly large as you can see in the photo, my block is about 30"x18" and i still have about 5 inches on either side if i eventually choose to go larger. The printing press is actually a table top on rollers that get pulled between two large metal rollers that apply the pressure to the block. As you spin the crank the whole thing runs between the rollers and comes out on the other side.  

Above you can see a brand new print being pulled off the block. 

When the finished print and the original block are compared you can see the reversal of the image. A very important thing to keep in mind when working with a multiple section image like i am. 

Less than two weeks to go.