Grrrrr

So, PSU is having a senior art show that I am putting some work in. Today I went to the print studio to print the pieces and had zero success. I am trying to print five blocks on one piece of paper, which isn't that hard, it just needs a few simple tricks and a little know-how. Anyway, it took me about two hours to figure out the layout, tear down the paper, round the corners (which is something I had to teach myself to do today), ink the five blocks, and prep the press. It's been a little bit since I printed a lino block, so I didn't have the pressure set right, which yielded a muddled gray instead of the nice brown/black I mixed. This made me a tad grumpy. I was really hoping to be in and out of the studio in time for dinner with my family, but this print was just not worth a damn. It did show me though that I was on the right track and that it had the potential to be a good piece.

I decided to try one more time, the template was already there, I just had to transfer it to the next piece of paper and tear it down instead of doing all the measurements first. I re-inked all the blocks, set up the press (this time relying on the pressure setting listed on the wall for the intro class), and ran it through. I could feel the press jumping off the blocks, a sign that the pressure was to tight, and knew that they had slipped. My suspicions were confirmed moments later when I lifted the felts off the bed and saw the print. The ink was the nice, earthy black I had been looking for, but the detail on three of the five blocks was smooshed to one side. completely effed.

I had only thought to buy two of the $8.00 pieces of paper, not expecting two failures, and was feeling tired, defeated, and hungry. I cleaned up, and went home. I will be getting up early to run to the art store, buy more paper, and head to the studio and hope for the best.

Song of the Day: Happiness Is..., Yungchen Lhamo