Here’s the final product. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. There is a small allotment of these prints that will be available in my new web store today, Monday February 13th at 12 noon EST, along with the two Umphrey’s editions from the past weekend.
Some exciting editions are in the works right now including a ST. Patty’s edition and another for a very well known artist in the jamband world. Stay tuned……….
So I was able to put down the first three colors over the weekend. I apologize for the lack of photos from pass #2, I didnt have my phone on me. #4 will go down tonight and I hope to have this edition wrapped up by the end of the week. Just added two more decent sized editions to my schedule that are due in 2 weeks! That plus the enhanced prints on my to-do list, I see some long nights ahead of me….
First off, last night’s beverage of choice – Newcastle Brown Ale, yum!
Finished off the Marco sketch, and I have to say Im quite pleased. It’s subtle for still having 7 colors to it, but I think it will translate well to ink. It’s already gone through the approval process and the next step is the plate…
The Marco color sketch is coming along nicely, I should definitely be able to wrap it up by the end of the day.
Here’s another enhanced Rapture set that was completed last week. Loving the continuations on these, and how can you not dig mini gas masks??
Hello and happy 2012 from Masthay Studios! I’m starting the year off with an edition for the one and only Marco Benevento and his Feb 11th show in Yorkville, IL. The show is being presented by Rogue Barrister Records who asked that the theme tie in their “Barrister” roots, hence The Judge. Having alot of fun with this one, not only is justice blind in my twisted little world, it’s faceless…. Here’s some shots of the sketch in process:
Planning on 7 colors in a small edition of somewhere around 75 prints. This one is going to be all about textures which should be interesting to translate into linoleum. Stay tuned for more!
4 sketches, 8 colors, 32 plates, 150+ prints per panel, 600+ sheets of paper and 5000+ passes through the press. I give you – The MSG Rapture
Final key plates were run last night, I’m always amazed at how the black ink makes everything else absolutely pop. As with most of my work, photos simple do not so these prints justice, the colors are some of the most vibrant I’ve ever used and if you’re a fan of thick glossy ink, these prints are a must. Nothing left to do but trim, sign and number. I am hoping to have all orders filled and shipped by early next week.
Once everything is sorted out I may have a very very limited number of AP sets available. If you are interested please send me an email at aj@masthaystudios.com and I will add your name to my contact list. If I have a set for you I’ll let you know. I’ll also mention that the plates for the quadtychs are available, if interested contact me at the above email for details.
I previously mentioned another little project based on the upcoming shows. Well, it’s going to happen and I hope to have information for you very very shorlty. All I’ll say for now is that this may not just be a quadtych…. What’s the appropriate term for six panels??? Stay tuned!
Can’t believe these are almost done, just one color to go – black. Finished up the purple/maroon color last night, took much longer than I had anticipated due to the ink not drying. I use an ink additive called tuway drier which speeds up the drying time of the oil based inks, it would take days for each color to dry if I didn’t, but sometimes it doesn’t work as planned. As the layers of ink build up on the paper, they seal off the fibers of the paper, which in turn doesnt allow the paper to suck up any of the solvents from the ink. Once this happens the inks begin to have that high gloss finish (which Im quite fond of) but it also means that drying times get longer. Just like the opacity, different colored inks also have different drying times, this purple/maroon for instance took forever to dry… but I think the results are well worth it, I really love this color.
You can see how the layering is starting to hide some of the “ugliness” caused by the secondary plates. Once the final black key plate goes down, you’d never know that there were any discrepancies between the two plates. So this is it, carve four more plates, run four more passes, and we’re done. Well, done with the printing that is… still have to trim, sign and number once they are completely dry. Here’s the pics!
Things are moving right along on the Rapture edition. I’ve moved on from the secondary plates and have gone back to the original plates that the first three colors went down on. Next up, bubble gum pink! I know what you’re saying to yourself, “But AJ, I thought you said you have to go from the lightest color to the darkest. Isn’t pink lighter than the red its going on top of?” Very good Grasshopper, you are correct, however color isnt the only factor to consider when layering inks – you must also think about opacity…
Different colored inks have very different levels of opacity and you can also add a wonderful product called tint base to change the opacity. For example, take the two blue layers that just went down. They are both the exact same ink – a dark blue. What changed between them? The amount of tint base that was added. The first was primarily tint base with a little dab of blue creating a very light color allowing much of the white of
the paper to come through. The second was primarily blue ink with just a touch of tint base, resulting in the dark blue you see.
So what does this have to do with pink? Well, the pink is primarily white ink – and white ink is extremely opaque. Because of this opacity you can actually lay down much lighter colors on dark so long as the white content covers the previous ink. Here’s some photos…
On a side note, Black Friday/Cyber Monday has come and gone – hope no one got trampled or pepper sprayed! I’d be remiss if I didnt mention my holiday sale is still open for business on my website www.masthaystudios.com. I’m blowing out past editions, both official and non-official, at rock bottom prices. Many pieces are up to 50% off original prices and some are as little as $5! Perfect gifts for that art or music lover, or the perfect excuse to beef up your own poster collection…. just sayin….
Only two colors to go on the edition, things will be coming together very quickly now. In fact so quickly that I think I may have time to pull together one more little surprise before heading down to NYC. Stay tuned for more info!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Sorry for the lack of content over the past few days, I’ve managed to drag myself out of the triptophan stupor (okay – the multiple bottles of wine didnt help either) and get back to the prints.
Since my last update 3 more colors have gone down, red, light blue and dark blue. A little video of me inking up the Vandercook for the red pass can be seen here. Here’s a photo of the finished red pass.
As you can see, so far everything is lining up quite nicely, registration is nice and clean and the image is coming together as it should since all three colors are on the same plate. It’s time to switch over to the secondary plates though, its at this point in an edition that things can get a little “messy”. I mentioned earlier that the blues need to be printed on their own plates to keep the colors true. In doing so, there is some overlapping with the previous colors that can skew the image. Fear not! It’s all part of the master plan, and subsequent colors when we go back to the master plates will cover up any “ugliness” that occurs. Okay, enough talk, here’s the photos…
Things are moving right along on the MSG sets. I was able to lay down both the yellow and orange passes on all four panels over the weekend. The studio is full of that wonderful aroma of drying ink… life is good.
A little about my particular brand of printing. My prints are what are considered Reduction Block Prints, also called “Suicide” prints, due to the fact that I recarve the same plate multiple times for multiple colors. It’s a great way to ensure registration on the plates, but the plates also self destruct in the process meaning that there can never be a true second edition of the prints. The basic idea is you start by carving out the portion of the image you want to remain virgin paper, in this case white, and print your lightest color, in this case yellow. All prints are then run through the press with that plate laying down yellow ink, I then go back to that same plate and carve away whatever areas need to remain yellow and lay down the next color, orange. By planning your colors carefully and using color families you can layer your inks without any consequences of color mixing. Since there are 8 colors planned for this edition, each and every print will have been run through the press 8 separate times.
You’ll also notice that any areas in the sketches that are blue have been carved away. That’s because the two blue inks will be carved on completely separate secondary plates. If I were to try to layer the blue on top of the yellow/orange/red I’d end up with a big mess on my hands, or just green buildings…. not the desired result.
