Monday, May 4, 2009

Oops. Or, getting too clever for one's own good.

I am (I was) trying to control the number of color passes I use for the tiny cow linocut I started this weekend, so yesterday I had the brilliant idea to do a gradated ink-up for the second pass. Perfect! This cow has gray in the face that gets darker towards the end of the nose. Sure, it's only a 3" square block, but I figured I could do at least a little gradual value change....

Ink-up went splendidly, so I happily pulled the second pass on all the prints.

Last night I realized I had done the entire ink-up upside down. Was supposed to go light to dark from top to bottom. NOT dark to light, as I did it.

Poo. And other assorted exclamations of displeasure.

My options were: 1) Ignore it and carry on; 2) Change nothing on the plate, re-ink, and overprint in the right direction; 3) Noodle around a little on the plate and print a new color; 4) Start over or 5) bag it and do something else.

In the end there were really only two options, as this is a portrait of a particular cow from a particular time and place AND I've learned there's good motivation for finishing it this week. Rather than start over, I went with option #2, figuring I might actually learn something. Which I did. (I learned it's best not to imagine oneself as clever until one has successfully accomplished cleverness.)

I'm sure it seems like a lot of angst over a 3" square chunk of lino, but if one can't obsess about prints....well....

On the left: incorrect subspecies "raccoon cow." On the right, genetically modified "closer to the real thing cow."

PS: I probably don't have to tell you that I was NOT wearing pajamas at the time of the disaster.

8 comments:

  1. never print again without wearing pjs ;)

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  2. I'm considering filling a significant portion of my closet with "loungewear." Something I might at least be able to answer the door in, as well as print.

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  3. "I learned it's best not to imagine oneself as clever until one has successfully accomplished cleverness."

    That got a laugh, too true!
    I got a wonderful piece of wisdom from my upholstry teacher. He was showing us how to fix a screw up when you'd cut the material too short.. I asked him how he learned that. His reply was "You learn that after midnight."

    I love your work.

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  4. An excellent maxim to live by AND the first record of a new bovine subspecies - good work!

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  5. Perhaps you should consider copyrighting this wonderful bit of wisdom:

    "I learned it's best not to imagine oneself as clever until one has successfully accomplished cleverness."

    Lindy :-D

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  6. This being our "winter" season, stores are displaying some rather lovely lounging pants.One pair even has a cow print!

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  7. The racow is beautiful. I await the rastacow with bated breath. Maybe the gothcow. And yes, the holycow.

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  8. I'm sorry. I can't think of a pithy answer to any of this... you all make me giggle too much for this hour of the morning. Thank you.

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Linocut in Progress: The Third Act

Time to wrap up this linocut ! And we are wrapping at warp speed (see what I did there?)... because there are deadlines. Exhibition deadline...