Printmaking

I've always been interested in printmaking, and in making prints as a supplement to my other artwork. I find woodblock prints to have a pleasing aesthetic, especially when done with detail. Detailed woodblock prints used to be common, but are rare in this day and age. I set out to create several detailed prints with some insight into old techniques.

These prints were created from thick solid cherry boards that were carefully surfaced and prepared with a coating of thin linseed oil. This tip taken from the JJ Lankes Woodcut manual, would serve to seal and stabilize the wood, and make it hold a tighter more detailed edge. All carving was done with fine Japanese carving tools.

Once the print was complete it was handed it off to some skilled printmakers in order to create proofs. I didn't have easy access to a press, and detailed woodcuts are not as well suited to hand printing techniques.

To my dismay, the prints I received lacked much of the detail I had spent weeks carving into the block. The printers explained that the block was no longer flat, it had warped just enough that it presented an uneven surface in the press. I had not noticed this at all as it was very subtle.

The printers had tried to compensate by experimenting with as many variables as they could. They tried different kinds of paper, tried wetting the paper, and changed the amount of ink applied. The results were either an inadequate coverage of ink, or too much, resulting in the lack of detail.

The woodblock printer must constantly battle the unstable nature of the material. The situation is even more difficult toady given that the types of high-quality wood stock necessary for detailed woodblocks are no longer in good supply. Given this experience, I will most likely not continue creating woodblock prints.

Rob Fury

Rob Fury

Oil on Canvas 20.25" x 24"

This picture is available. Contact me.

Bridge, Central Park

Bridge, Central Park

Oil on Board 8" x 10"

This picture is available. Contact me.

Gingkos

Winter, Gingko Grove

Oil on Canvas 16" x 24"

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Better Stretchers

As a conscientious artist, I devote a considerable amount of time to studying all aspects of the craft. This includes trying to find ways to improve techniques that already work further. In this case, I wanted to improve the process of making stretchers.

I make most of my stretchers, and up until recently, I used the fairly common technique of glueing quarter round or base shoe stock to solid wood planks. It's simple, can be done cheaply, and does not require any special tools.

Drawbacks include stretchers that are on the thick side, making framing more difficult, and a bond between the two pieces that is weaker than an otherwise solid piece would be. The process of glueing up all of the individual pieces can be very time consuming if one plans on making a lot of stretchers.

I thought that I might improve on my stretchers by profiling a solid piece. I would need to have access to a router, table saw, and the appropriate bit to cut a rounded edge on the canvas. For the wood, I used the same quarter-sawn douglas fir that I've relied on in the past. 

To create the rounded edge, the solid wood plank is passed along a router equipped with a beading bit. I would recommend using a router table to make this cut.

Here is a cross-section of the board after the bead has been routed. This is where our canvas will wrap around the edge. A bit of a gap was cut by the tool between the inner edge of the bead and the rest of the board. This will give us space to trim off the remainder with a table saw.

The bead needs to sit proud of the rest of the stretcher, holding the canvas above it. A vertical pass on the table saw will remove the flat shelf left over and the stretcher will be complete.

The complete profile closely mirrors that of many commercially-available stretchers and takes far less time to make than the older method I was using.

Taina

Taina

Charcoal on Paper 28" x 20"

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Storm, Sawmill Run

Storm, Sawmill Run

Oil on Canvas 13" x 26"

This painting is available. Contact me.