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.
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.
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.
ReplyDeleteThanks smooch Annick - your views are really valued. Go well.
DeleteI really like this writing style. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna - it is quite soothing to do, altho a little bit hard to read at times...go well.
DeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteThanks Jac - I think the inkiness sits well with the etching; and the more I look, the less worried I am but the ragged edge...
DeleteBalsa 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?
ReplyDeleteI 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
DeleteLovely. 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.
ReplyDeleteOh 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!
DeleteTo be honest, for me I like the ragged edge. There are spaces to let your eye go out of the layers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 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
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