King Lear Illuminated

I decided to use gold leaf to make the lightning in my drypoint print of King Lear.I had to experiment a bit with this. When I added gold leaf to the Leonardo prints, Read More (this link takes you to my new blog Impressions, on my De Walden Press website. It will open in a new window.) 

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

April 23 is William Shakespeare's birthday, and to celebrate this I'm joining the 'Blog for Shakespeare's Birthday Project'. I'm posting today about my latest project "Storming Shakespeare". This will be my sixth Shakespeare-related book. The series began in 1998 read more.
(this link takes you to my new blog on my updated website, and opens in a new window)

Drypoint Dragon for the Chinese New Year

           Stand by for a slew of them, as 2012 is the Chinese year of the Dragon, and more exactly, the year of the Water Dragon. My dragon is actually a Wyvern, an English dragon which has two legs instead of four, plus a forked tongue and tail. The word 'wyvern' is derived from French and Latin, meaning worm.
          I love the immediacy of drypoint, it's more like drawing than any other printmaking process that I know of, and because each print is made by inking and wiping by hand, each varies a little from its fellows. I used a variety of techniques to create background colour in these prints, so it is a Varied Edition. Each print will be numbered and signed, with the letters VE before the number.
          Happy New Year everyone!

Pochoir and Parrots.

I'm a subscriber to David Bull's Japanese woodblock series, 'The Mystique of the Japanese Print'. Dave produces a new print for this series every month, each illustrating a different technique or style. It has been a fascinating journey, some I have loved more than others, but I have learned lots by being able to hold the prints and examine them close up. The latest arrived a week or so ago, and is called Parrot and Acorns,shown below:

Dave had this to say about it:

…..”It is clearly ‘modern’ in appearance, even somewhat abstract in the way the elements are depicted. Yet it actually dates from sometime in the late 1700! ...Just how is it that such ‘old’ work can look so new?….the story of the huge influence of Japanese prints on the artists of the west has been told many times. The basic design elements of this print - wide areas of flat colour, plenty of empty space, perfect balance of the parts of the design - were all standard practice for Japanese artists, but were ‘hidden’ from the rest of the world for many years..."

     I was surprised to see just how much the style of Japanese woodblock had influenced the work of Saude, Barbier et al in the early 1900s, which had in turn influenced my own work. The two images below are from the miniature book Qualicum Blue and are about a quarter the size of the Parrot shown above.
Woodblock and pochoir have many similarities in the way they are made. For both, the complete image is first drawn

or painted, and colour separations worked out. For woodblock, multiple blocks are carved, one or more for each colour. For pochoir stencils are cut, one or more for each colour. In woodblock sometimes the block is reprinted, selectively inking up with a slightly different colour for shading, (see parrot's head and wings) or maybe using a different block, and in pochoir the stencils can be re-used to apply shading, or a new stencil is made (see jay's feathers, leaves and wings of butterfly). With pochoir it is not possible to achieve the stand-alone 'white line' Dave has used here for the leaves - at least, I should say I haven't found a way.

     Both methods build up the image with flat layers of colour, which can be quite subtle. The Pochoir artists of the early 1900s used a similar colour palette to Japanese woodblock. Woodblock is perhaps more versatile, there are certainly things you can do with woodblock that you can't with a stencil. Both methods allow the artist to create coloured prints, and require a degree of muscle and skill. 

To see more pochoir images, the Smithsonian has a great online gallery, with lots more info on pochoir. Dave Bull's woodblock site is brimming with interesting and beautiful pics. A great contemporary pochoir artist is Walter Bachinski.

Wayzgoose Musings

I drove towards Nanaimo harbour in lashing rain, which thankfully eased by the time I boarded the single-engine Otter float plane, and by the time we splashed down in Vancouver harbour, the sun was peeping through. The day was newly-washed and fragrant as I turned in to the entrance of the Vancouver Public Library, a strikingly beautiful piece of architecture that reminds me of the coliseum in Rome.
It was a real treat to be able to talk to printers and book artists without concern for manning my own table, and to spend as long as I wanted just looking at beautiful books. I realised how much collaboration goes on between printer and binder, and printer and illustrator. There is also the connection between papermakers and paper decorators and the book artists who use the papers: one could not exist without the other. The phrase ‘on the shoulders of giants’ came to mind, the debt we all owe to those who have gone before, as well as those whose contribution is in the moment.

You can see the Alcuin Society photo stream of this event on Flickr   http://www.flickr.com/photos/alcuinsociety/   Enjoy! And thank you to all those self-less Alcuin Society volunteers who made it possible.

Vancouver Wayzgoose update.

Regretfully I have withdrawn from participating in the Wayzgoose this year, as I have very few books left to show, and my work on the next book is coming along so v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y. My disappointment is someone else's good fortune as I hear my table was eagerly snapped up by another. Every cloud has a silver lining, even if it is your cloud and someone else's lining!
However, there are lots of interesting presses, book artists and demonstrations, and it is always a very stimulating event. Check out the Emily Carr table and the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild table, and see how paper is made and marbled.
As far as I know it is the only event of its kind in this part of Canada, and as it only takes place every two years, it is a mecca for bibliophiles and artists of all stripes. The organisers, the Alcuin Society, are to be congratulated.  The society is entirely run by  volunteers, and has single-handedly mark out a little territory for those interested in books and the book arts.  Go to the Alice Mackay room at the Vancouver Central Library on West Georgia, between 10 am and 4 pm and prepare to be enthralled.

De Walden Press site updated: Bluewave Printmakers Fall Schedule

Well finally I've managed to re-build my website, De Walden Press, and have put up a page for 'Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine'. I know, I know, it's taken me ages, Pharoah could have been half way through building a pyramid in the time it has taken me. Anyway, you're welcome to visit the site, and tell me what you think. 

Anne Jones of Bluewave Printmakers in Nanaimo, BC, has posted her fall schedule for printmaking workshops. I really enjoyed the day I spent with her, and will be using some of the techniques I learned in my new book. Pharoah will probably have time to build the rest of the pyramid by the time that is ready for publication.