Done


Ain't they purdy? Official edition size is 17, 15 of which are off to the Oregon State University print exchange.

I was going to do another color on top of this, but realized I was out of time if I didn't want to deliver them to the show sticky greasy wet and smudgy with color all squashed in there regardless. As it was, they're not perfect, largely because I neglected to follow my rule (always always always center mark your image and always always always print to the mark do not second guess).

Nearly had a heart attack on Thursday when I opened the stone to print the black outline part, an image that had been printing sweetly all winter in test after test, proof after proof, and it wouldn't take ink, except in blotches around the thumb part. Still don't know what it may have been -- temperature of the slab, contamination of the rollers, asphaltum layer "unstickied" somehow, or what, but eventually babied it into health by a combination of controlled dry-rolls to get sticky ink back into the image (then holding my breath while washing the residue away with my tears).

Also at one point took up all the ink from the slab, washed and dried and scrubbed the slab and rollers to make sure there wasn't baby oil or that soy stuff on anything. Also mixed in a little old purple ink (from the back of the shelf circa 1979) that is nearly black and sticks to everything in sight, and a lot of stuff not in sight. Maybe that did it.

Let me tell you, I was scared, with dreams of having to go nuclear and counteretch the drawing or whatever. When I got home, my shoulders were so stiff from tension, it's only just now (that I've delivered it all to the post office) beginning to pass.

I have no idea why I do this shit except apparently I enjoy it because I am twisted and demented.
- posted by Cynthia @ 4:03 PM | | | Link |