The Apothecary Grows!

Here is my next concept rendering for the apothecary mezzotint series....

I think this one will be a little ambitious, but I already have the plate rocked, so I get to start soon! That said, because the studio is shut for the summer it won't actually come to life until the fall.  I'm hoping that this one will be joined by another in a larger 2-plate print.

First Proof

After about 60 hours of work burnishing work (on top of another 10 to prep the plate) I have finally arrived at my first proof of my current mezzotint.  Because this image is quite detailed it takes quite a while to reach this point.  It's far from done, but all of the basic elements are well starting to take form and from this point on this start moving much quicker between proofing. 

I also nailed down appropriate ink for this plate which was based on my last mezzotint.  I used 70% Charbonel #55981 black and 30% Transparent base.  I also used the better of the 3 presses we have access to in our studio... something that i think will work to my advantage as I go forward with this print.

From here i will start to soften the overall shading and start to bring in more refined texture. I'll also have to create the floor element which has yet to be developed.  With about 30 more hours this print should be good to go to edition!!!

More from the Apothecary

On the heels of Sacha's last post I thought I'd put up the progress on my latest mezzotint plate.  It's a HUGE challenge for me, and will take a lot more time than the last mezzotint I did. So far there has been about 35 hours that have already gone into this plate and I have yet to pull a proof. Hopefully in the next couple days I'll get a proof and can put it up then.

June 7th through 13th

I have started the under-painting. I use acrylic paints and always use the same colours - burnt umber, burnt sienna and mars black. Under-painting can serve a multitude of purposes. Chiefly known through glazing techniques, it provides a framework for the image to rest on so that the painter can experiment. I rely on the under-painting to be a map of the image so I can fuss around with non forgiving oil paints and colour mixing.

It also gives me a chance to explore the lightest lights and darkest darks of the piece and to make decisions about line and form.

Note- this image is a detail.

Canis Mykiss

Well after a hell of a print session last week the dust settled and I was left with the Canis Mykiss.

I had number of struggles along the way which all stemmed from one large problem off the bat.... I changed presses.  In theory one press should be the same as the other, but also in theory it shouldn't. In this case the press that I had been proofing on before going to my final prints was much different and because of this it was a battle of adjusting inks, press blankets, pressure, and then ultimately realizing my folly.  Sadly, because of the nature of mezzotint and it's limited number of prints I was only able to get about half of what I had originally planned for this edition.  That said, this particular print is only the beginning of a large body of work that I'm starting to dip into, and it functions as a great point to learn and take the next print to the next level!

May 31st through June 6th

To project my image, it has to be dark. Summer evenings seem never to part with the light. Now that is normally a lovely thing, but when you are exhausted from your work day and thinking only of getting to bed, waiting for dusk to take its last bow tests even a glaciers patience.

The below shot is a detail of the work so far. My apologies for the awful quality, it is hard to get a meaningful image when the pencil lines are so faint.

I am so excited to have my first steps of the piece complete!

The Apothecary is Growing

Just as I have finished the plate for the Trouthound mezzotint (soon to be proper named according to it's genus), I have also finished the next addition to the apothecary.  I have yet to formally give this guy a name, but it will soon have one! In the mean time, have a look...

May 23rd through 30th