New Run of "Caffe" Prints

You may not know this, but as well as being a writer I also make block prints. I got into this art form about four years ago, randomly. It was something I had wanted to get into for years and one day, for whatever reason, I just found myself in the art shop picking out paints and blocks and chisels. I've done about 10 different prints over the past four years, but undoubtedly one of the "fan favorites" has been the "Caffe" print, which is of my Bialetti coffee pot. 

I made about 20 of these prints a few years ago and sent them around to family and friends. Recently, enough people have come to me asking for one (or for another one) that I have decided to make a second run of the prints. 

What does this involve? So, I work with linoleum mounted on wood block, water-soluble print-making ink, and paper. Thus far I have only worked with 5x7 inch block (like the one pictured above) or smaller pieces of Speedy-Cut block. Basically, you come up with a design, transfer it to the block, cut the block, smear the block with ink, and put a piece of paper on top of it. When you peel the paper away, ba-boom...you've got yourself a block print. Sounds easy, right? It is...and it isn't. 

Once you actually have the block designed and cut, like I did for the Caffe print, it's just a matter of doing the actual printing. Like every step in the process, it presents its own challenges and can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, depending on the results you're looking to get. There are inherent limitations to what you can do with 5x7 lino block and water-soluble ink, but you can get pretty precise. Part of the beauty of this art form (in my opinion) is actually the imprecision of and the fact that every print ends up being a little bit different. 

"Caffe" is a three-color print (actually, four colors if you count the white of the paper), so making these prints is a multi-step process and there are many chances for something to go wrong. For example, last week, I used masking tape so that I could make a clean line of white-space at the bottom of the paper. What I didn't realize was that this particular masking tape ruins the print paper when you try to pull it off. That was last Saturday.

A print, in process

Today, with higher hopes, I have tried some different methods to make a clean line, only find that it's next to impossible without some kind of blocking material. So I've had to go back and straighten the lines with some paint on a cotton swab. Meanwhile, I discovered that using cheaper paper actually enables you to make the clean line I wanted, using the masking tape.

Why do I tell you all this? Just to illustrate that, while this might seem pretty easy, there are actually many facets to it. Next I have to make sure the black and red paint layers go on properly, which will take some time. I anticipate out of about 10 attempts, I will end up with five prints I am satisfied enough with in order to give to people. Such is the life of an amateur print maker.



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