As a painter, trying my hand at printmaking was a little frustrating. Ink on paper is gorgeous even when I make mistakes, but there was something about every print that drove me nuts. So what is it that’s so frustrating about printmaking? I was talking to Nikki about this. She had a good idea: traditional printing has a finite process. You go through the steps in the proper order, then once it goes through the press, you’re done. It’s complete. Painting isn’t like that. With paint just because you go through steps 1-5 doesn’t mean you’re done. If something’s not working you go back to step 2. With paint you can fix and change and fix and change and fix some more. Nikki says she doesn’t like painting because you do all the steps but then you still have to go back to step 2 if something isn’t working. She likes knowing that or better or worse, she follows the steps and she’s done.
Richard Diebenkorn, Irregular Grid, Drypoint and hard-ground etching
Then I realized I could paint on my prints. I know, I know, no one in the history of art has ever thought of this before (that’s sarcasm) but I really did forget that this was a respectable possibility. Once I pulled out the gouache, things got better.
Nope.
Yes! I like this. The line work, the open space, and the dark leaf is counter balanced by the thickly textured yellow acryla gouache flower.
So I get to have my ink and eat it too. I mean, I can print and paint, and print again. I can do whatever I please dammit, because I’m an artist. I forget that sometimes.
Ever think about printmaking? You could give it a try next week. I highly recommend it. …And if there’s something that isn’t working quite right, there’s probably a way you can change it to suit you better, because you’re an artist, and that’s what you do, dammit.
Printmaking classes start next week!
MONDAY: beginning January 14
BEGINNING PRINTMAKING / Nikki Barber
$ 395. 8 Weeks. 10:00am – 2:00pm
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TUESDAY: beginning January 15 DRYPOINT WITH MONOTYPE / Nikki Barber
$ 395. 8 Weeks. 10:00am – 2:00pm
People posted hundreds of drawings for our 30 day January challenge, in which artists are invited to respond to a daily prompt posted on our V. Notes blog. Unlike other drawing challenges, these prompts are wildly varied, open to non-typical materials around us, and are designed to feed a broad spectrum of creative skills at …
[image_with_animation image_url=”8290″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] On Friday I posted work by Lawrence Carroll. His work reminded me of another artist, a favorite of mine. It reminded me of a Catalonian artist Antoni Tapies, prolific at the time Carroll was born. In addition to what was posted on Friday, here are a few more paintings …
Nativity scenes may not be historically accurate, but we love them; the scenes featuring Mary and Joseph, three wise men, shephards, donkeys, and farmyard friends gathering round the open stable with the baby Jesus. This “modern” version of the Nativity that we have today was started by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. “St. Francis …
Art Walk 2nd Friday, Jan 13 6-9pm Art Activity: Japanese Calligraphy Special Guest Star: Kiki MacInnis, Intro to Ink Instructor JOIN US! We have art, and we have beer
What I hate about printmaking
As a painter, trying my hand at printmaking was a little frustrating. Ink on paper is gorgeous even when I make mistakes, but there was something about every print that drove me nuts. So what is it that’s so frustrating about printmaking? I was talking to Nikki about this. She had a good idea: traditional printing has a finite process. You go through the steps in the proper order, then once it goes through the press, you’re done. It’s complete. Painting isn’t like that. With paint just because you go through steps 1-5 doesn’t mean you’re done. If something’s not working you go back to step 2. With paint you can fix and change and fix and change and fix some more. Nikki says she doesn’t like painting because you do all the steps but then you still have to go back to step 2 if something isn’t working. She likes knowing that or better or worse, she follows the steps and she’s done.
Richard Diebenkorn, Irregular Grid, Drypoint and hard-ground etching
Then I realized I could paint on my prints. I know, I know, no one in the history of art has ever thought of this before (that’s sarcasm) but I really did forget that this was a respectable possibility. Once I pulled out the gouache, things got better.
Nope.
Yes! I like this. The line work, the open space, and the dark leaf is counter balanced by the thickly textured yellow acryla gouache flower.
So I get to have my ink and eat it too. I mean, I can print and paint, and print again. I can do whatever I please dammit, because I’m an artist. I forget that sometimes.
Ever think about printmaking? You could give it a try next week. I highly recommend it. …And if there’s something that isn’t working quite right, there’s probably a way you can change it to suit you better, because you’re an artist, and that’s what you do, dammit.
Printmaking classes start next week!
DRYPOINT WITH MONOTYPE / Nikki Barber
$ 395. 8 Weeks. 10:00am – 2:00pm
$ 215. 4 Weeks. 6:00 – 10:00pm
$ 215. 4 Weeks. 6:00 – 10:00pm
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[image_with_animation image_url=”8290″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] On Friday I posted work by Lawrence Carroll. His work reminded me of another artist, a favorite of mine. It reminded me of a Catalonian artist Antoni Tapies, prolific at the time Carroll was born. In addition to what was posted on Friday, here are a few more paintings …
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Nativity scenes may not be historically accurate, but we love them; the scenes featuring Mary and Joseph, three wise men, shephards, donkeys, and farmyard friends gathering round the open stable with the baby Jesus. This “modern” version of the Nativity that we have today was started by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. “St. Francis …
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Art Walk 2nd Friday, Jan 13 6-9pm Art Activity: Japanese Calligraphy Special Guest Star: Kiki MacInnis, Intro to Ink Instructor JOIN US! We have art, and we have beer