Another How To...

How to ink an intaglio plate!


1. Squirt some ink onto your plate




2. Using a small squared piece of mat board or illustration board, spread the ink over the entire plate, remembering that there will be some plate tone when printed.


3. Use an ink-soiled tarlitan (cheese cloth) to lightly rub the excess ink off of the plate. I use circular motions. Don't overwipe, but if you do, just go back in with the mat board and add ink.


4. Use a cleaner tarlitan to continue to wipe the excess ink, again being careful not to overwipe.



5. Use a piece of paper from the phone book to finish off your wipe, getting the last of the extra ink and don't forget to get around the edges where ink likes to stick to the plate.

And tada! You are armed with a print-ready plate! All you need is your prepped printing paper and a press. Make sure you follow instructions with your paper so you know how long to soak it before printing. I find it best to soak before inking to give it extra time while still being productive. Happy Printing!

Sculpture Skills

The other day my Intro Sculpture teacher told me I had skills... and I would like to agree. Here is a photo of my sculpture in progress which I actually just finished! I'll have final photos up soon!

From Plate to Print

I took photos of one of my plates, and the resulting print, just to compare the difference.

A How To...

Here is an exercise that my teacher gave me to come up with ideas and think fast on my feet.

Take a word, an idea, something you did, something you've seen, just about anything and start writing on a sheet of paper anything and everything that comes to mind. Don't ever let your pencil stop moving, even if you aren't writing words, write scribbles, do little drawings, anything. After 3 minutes or more depending on how much you want to pick from, put your pencil/pen down.

With this process a small idea can turn into a series of ideas, thoughts, potential information for a project! This process gave me a great idea for a print based on my trip to Israel during winter break of 2008. Hopefully this little trick can give you some potential concepts for the future!

Future Plans

As of a few days ago, I decided to be a 2D and 3D concentration within Fine Art. I will take a foundry class next year, which consists of pouring hot metal. I hope to also take mold making and perhaps another metal working class as well. In terms of my 2D studies, I plan to pursue graphic novel classes, along with an advanced printmaking studio.

Life Drawing Gummy Bear Picnic

One day during life drawing, my classmates noticed that my oil pastels were creating a human gummy bear, so I asked myself, "why aren't there any gummy bears in the mix?" And so I introduced gummy bears, including a fictional blue one!

More Photos

An escalator ride in D.C. during the inauguration.

Self Reflection

Here is a lithographic print I did reflecting on a person's crucial self examination and the minimal amounts of self esteem in today's youth.

Litho Stone

Here is one of my lithography stones, which resulted in the "Firecrotch" print.

Exploding/Imploding

My classmates jokingly named this lithographic print of an exploding/imploding/unzipping planet as "Firecrotch" and they have remembered it, as one of them told me today. So I introduce to you... "Firecrotch!"

Colonisis

These are photos of one of my sculptures, a reliquary for a miniature colon. This is far from something very typical, but has a personal meaning. The woman on top is a fictional goddess I created named "Colonisis."

A Visit to the Pendleton!

The Pendleton Art Center holds Final Fridays during the last Friday of the month. During these Final Fridays, artists open their studios to an audience varying from potential buyers to art students trying to learn more about the industry, which is such the reason for my visit. I spoke with three artists that were kind enough to sit with me and share their stories.

Joanne Honschopp, Donna Talerico, and Joe Pearce were the artists that opened their studios for me and a friend to ask questions, and I strongly encourage all aspiring artists to talk to them. These three are all painters, and Mr. Pearce has also done drawing and experimented with forms of sculpture.

Candyland

My next intaglio print will be a Candyland version of the life of an undergrad student. Here is a quick snapshot of my sketching so far!

A Very Merry Unbirthday

With Tim Burton's rendition of Alice in Wonderland hitting theaters soon, I decided to share with you my personal opinion on what I have seen so far. I am looking forward to seeing this film and it's fantastic attention to scenery and vibrant colors. At first glance everything from the Mad Hatter to the Cheshire Cat is a superb interpretation of the original 1951 movie with even more attention to madness! Hopefully the full feature will not disappoint.

Click here for the preview!

Some Photography

The streets of DC on inauguration day 2009

A First Time For Everything

As an aspiring artist, I've never given much thought to blogging as a form of marketing. So as a student at the University of Cincinnati, it has been assigned to me to utilize this new media. I am a Fine Art major and have decided to focus on 2D, such as drawing, painting, and printmaking. However, I also have a background in Digital Photography and Graphic Design from my years as a Digital Design major. I hope you enjoy my blog. I will be posting samples of my work to share as well.

My works in the current quarter are largely in the mediums of intaglio printmaking and welding. Those are two of my favorite subjects and through those I have created the work that I am most fond of. I fully intend on keeping my focus on metal work and printmaking through the last year of my undergraduate career. For now, I will continue with printmaking in an advanced studio next quarter. I'll be sure to continue showing my work and sharing my experiences as an art student.