Sunday, May 28, 2017

Considering calligraphy...

Well my head is really moving at the moment and after trialling the first of the letterpress and sorting what seems like a gazillion things; I started to wonder if I could do some complementary calligraphic works.

I started on BFK Rives paper and set out a 10cm x 10cm square. A friend had given me a sheet of this remarkable stencil sheeting - which is low-residue sticky and re-useable.

Not sure if anybody else has trouble sometimes masking off areas on printmaking paper - and having the fibres lift with the tape - but this stuff is amazing (so far - only one or two tests, but both worked really well).

My square


And the stencil stuff.


I dipped some balsa in watered down ink and made square lettering marks - I was aiming for something rigid, slightly illegible and squared off. Lots of lovely wet ink in these pics.



Whilst it dried I decided to make some more peace postcards as well, using a mix of writing styles.





The next day it was nice and dry and the paper had uncockled itself after getting wet with ink.


Quite a nice square resulted and the stencils lifted up like they had never even been there - brilliant! Altho that ragged right edge is a worry again...


The details are nice too.  Not sure if this is going to be a go-er or not - more pondering to do.

12 comments:

  1. Just wanted to let you know that it works for me,Fiona, but of course I can only see it on a picture, not for real. It seems to have a lovely structure and feel to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks smooch Annick - your views are really valued. Go well.

      Delete
  2. I really like this writing style. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anna - it is quite soothing to do, altho a little bit hard to read at times...go well.

      Delete
  3. I like the texture of the ink as a contrast to the etched images. The cropped photo you have posted last seems to solve the problem of a ragged edge contrasting with a more solid one. Not sure if it would be posible to replicate purely as a hand crafted image though

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jac - I think the inkiness sits well with the etching; and the more I look, the less worried I am but the ragged edge...

      Delete
  4. Balsa wood and ink is one of my favourite mark making combinations. There's something so satisfying about pressing that edge onto paper and yours are such a gorgeous colour. As for the tape, I use Scotch Removable tape, on a roll just like usual sellotape and works like a dream on printmaking paper. I am sure it must be available in your neck of the woods but I'll send you a roll to try if not.I think it might be thinner than the stencil sheet and might therefore eliminate that ragged edge?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really like balsa and ink as well Lesley - they seem so easily available and not like real tools at all. I am sure I have tried that tape; but perhaps we have a different recipe for it here? I'd love to see a photo of the roll you are using and see if it looks like ours...thanks and go well

      Delete
  5. Lovely. And BFK is such a wonderful paper. I use it sometimes for watercolor as it absorbs the color so beautifully and I can get subtle detail. I can imagine that masking is a bit hard on it, though, glad you found a solution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh it is such lovely paper Valerianna! It is almost my go-to paper for most things. And yes, masking can be problematic, but I am feeling pretty good about these new stencils - they simply glide off, almost no sense of peeling...go well!

      Delete
  6. To be honest, for me I like the ragged edge. There are spaces to let your eye go out of the layers.
    Also, I might consider a dot in the centre (maybe not smackdab centre) of the O and the D near the top. The blank spots seem to stop you in your tracks as you look around to discover the words making up the layers.

    But then I am not a printmaker!
    Sandy in the UK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a nice way of looking at it Sandy - leaving the spaces for the eye without almost jarring with a firm edge. I agree that the O in particular make you stare at it, rather than try to decipher things - it stands out bit, as does the D you refer to. I think lettering layouts are always tricky - you want the flow without the white gaps staring at you...thanks again and go well.

      Delete

I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.