EXTRA TEXTURE.

ITS PRINT GEEK OUT TIME.  Brace for a lot of technical mumbo jumbo about carving.

So I'm still very much in the depths of slogging it out on this new big block-the central panel from "Electric Baloneyland".  Im working on areas in the mid to lower sections of the image.  These areas are absolutely filled to the brim with medium grey values, which amounts to millions of little diamond shaped cross hatchings.  Cross hatching in woodcuts can be extremely difficult.  Thank god i have benchmarks in this regard.  Of course Albrecht Durer is the main inspiration for me.  However artists such as Hendrick Goltzius, Altdorfer, and of course Hans Burgkmair all were excellent at carving the cross hatching technique.  

TEXTURE

In my images i use texture to create value.  This is an especially important approach when working in a large format.  The reason for using texture to create value on a large scale is optimal for reasons of read-ability on the part of the audience.  By its nature a woodblock print's lines are rough, and the accumulation of single hatch and limited directional line can tend to create an overall effect of busy-ness and chaos, resulting in a slightly hard to read image.  This is especially true when working on a large scale.  When i first started doing block prints back in 1995, my images were drawn and carved using a simple system of single hatched lines.  These prints were around 2 feet by three feet.  Not exactly small, but nowhere near the scale i work on today.  It occurred to me that if i were to work bigger and just use simple directional line, things in the image might look really flat and not at all volumetric.  This effect would also look too busy in terms of marks.  So, I sought to use cross hatching, stippling, contour and cross contour lines to create texture which results in reading as gray scale shading.  As I noted earlier, woodcut lines are rough.  The accumulation of all those rough lines, when carved accurately, can have a uniquely fluid effect.  By its nature, the woodcut is an expressive medium.  The wood fights you.  God did not make trees for me to carve out hillbillies having sex in out houses with dogs and pirates.  The fact that the wood resists the carving is the fundamental reason why the German Expressionists favored woodcuts as a tool for their expression.  Woodcuts are an inherently expressive medium and for artists like Kollowitz and Kirchner it was a perfect fit for their emotionally charged imagery.  Basically, no matter how much of a vituoso the cutter of the block may be, the difficulty of carving always enhances the graphic emotion of the resulting image.  Just look at Durer's Apocalypse series, carved by HIM when he was in bios mid to late 20's.  (Yes, he carved those blocks kids, no matter what cracker jack art historians may try to tell you- and I have it on good authority!)  The Apocalypse series is just as expressive as anything in German Expressionist woodcuts.  There both two entirely different approaches to image making but the common factor is that they are woodcuts, hence the heightened expressiveness in both.

DRAWING

I draw my images without thinking about how in the hell I'm gonna carve them.  I trick myself into pretending that the drawing on the block is nothing more than a pen and ink drawing.  I use cross-hatching, single hatching, contour and cross contour lines to describe form.  Basicall, all the stuff they make you do in any beginning drawing class.  I lay out the composition and values first in a very loose gestural drawing on the block.  I then go on top of that loose drawing with sharpies, microns, and markers working towards a finished pen & ink drawing.  The textures that i use to describe shadow and make things look more dimensional are varied depending on the closeness of relative lines, and the overall accumulation of that spacial difference.  This varies greatly depending on the size of my image.  Smaller blocks that i draw on often have more simple & less complicated cross hatching.  The larger the image gets, the more texture you need to keep the image less flat looking.

CARVING
I draw and carve my blocks upright.  Its a great way to see the image as a whole and you are able to step back and assess the image compostionally as a whole.  I use Japanese wood gouges, working mostly in a "black-line" approach. (carving out the black lines).  I basically use the same approach to carving as my heroes, Durer and Hans Baldung.  The tools are different......but the effects are the same.  Tools for block carving back in the days of Durer were larger and more was done with a knife.  Woodcut artists of the middle ages prefered the fruit hardwoods for drawing, carving and printing.  The harder the wood, the more detail you can get.  Larger numbers of prints can be printed from a fruit hardwood block, because it wears down much slower.  An artist can carve across the grain on hard woods with minimal splintering.  Durer prefered cherry, apple or pear wood.  I use finish grade Birch plywood, 3/4 inch thick.  It's hard enough and tigh grained enough to hold detail with minimal splintering, but wont wreck your hands carving it.  If Durer would have had plywood......who knows what the hell we'd be talking about!  Durer carved from planks of wood, with the grain running long wise.  

OVERALL EFFECT

The tonal effects that I achieve are a combination of drawing and carving techniques.  When these carved lines are printed, the ink and pressure combined with the dampness of the paper creates a rough, fat, yet fluid line effect.  Overall, it is this part of the process that makes a woodcut a woodcut.  I like my images to be a little heavy on the black in terms of inking.  I use VERY STIFF INK. Yes, that was a commercial, kiddies. The right combination of pressure and ink along with the depth of my carving in the wood makes the tonal value from the cross hatching texture in my drawing possible.

Detail of "Bait", woodcut 2013

CARVING TOOLS

I Use a combination of Japanese wood gouges i bought from McClains in Seattle. They are some form of what i believe are called Hanga To.  In my set there is the standard V-Gouge, U-Gouge, a knife and a chisel.  I use a medium sized V gouge for almost all of my carving.  I strop the V gouge every day before i carve, on an old leather belt.  Also, i use hockey tape for a better grip on my tools. Check out McClains website here.

Ok, i feel that is enough print geek-ery for now.  Look for more on this blog real soon.  Ill be better about posting ALL THINGS EVIL PRINTS and the "ELECTRIC BALONEYLAND" project in the future.

WWW.EVILPRINTS.COM

"Electric Bologneland" & the NORTHERN INFLUENCE

IM BACK.  Hey, after many requests for me to start this thing up again.....here we go.   Ill try to be better about providing content and stuff, I promise.  So I've decided to not just focus on my print history influences here, but now I'm gonna just start writing about what I'm working on currently in the studio as well as the influences that go into it.

Which brings us to the big block I've just started carving.  It's the center panel from the next triptych from my "Booger Stew" series which is called "Electric Bologneland".  Its all about the loss of American innocence, and how we as a nation are culturally and morally bankrupt.  Its over kids.  Sorry.

Drawing on the center panel at Evil Prints, St. Louis, Mo. March 2015

This new block triptych is inspired by all those great flemish painters (Gerard David, Van Der weyden, Van Eyck etc.), a little bit of Frans Masereel, some Heironimus Bosch, and of course Durer.  As usual Durer is the major influence - this time specifically his Triumphal Arch of Maximmilian was THE big inspiration for me tackling such a huge print.  I like the idea of monuments on paper,  art pieces that have a function beyond just a window into another reality.  Durer's (and his assistants! see Altdorfer and Burgkmair) triumphant arch is perhaps one of the greatest prints of all time, a royal's budget compromise in terms of self promotion and stature.  Along with its triumphant procession, I've always been fascinated by the concept of works on paper that also function as objects.  The triumphant Arch of Maximillian is a perfect example.  Masterfully drawn and cut, it must have been the ultimate parlor piece as well as propaganda tool.

I also like sequenced stories that are told over multiple panels.  Visual narratives seem to work really well when told in 3 pieces.  Im sure there is an expert somewhere who can explain why that works so damn well.  So, altarpieces are the way to go, and I have always been heavily influenced by the artists of the Northern Renaissance when it comes to triptychs.   The best for my money was Roger Van Der Weyden (1399-1464) of Brussels.  Not Much is known about the guy but he was a total badass painter who influenced many printmakers most importantly Martin Schongauer, a big hero of mine.  Roger's works were large, dark, and elegant with the occasional flair for the violent.  Deep space is also a prominent visual tactic employed by him, and I've always ripped him off as well the other masters of the north. By the way Id be totally rude to not mention Max Beckman here.....he loved triptychs too and i LOVE him!

Having sifted through all these hero influences, Ive been planning this new triptych (Electric Bologneland) for about 3 years. I was working on it while finishing the last triptych "The Tommy Peeperz".  Ive now finished the drawing phase on the center panel and have started carving.  This thing is a monster, literally and figuratively. (Is that the right usage?)  Mermaids and Nazis in a noodling competition at the county fair.  Yeehaw!  Heres a peek at the drawing and some carving of a pile of fish.  Its stained red so I can see it-just so you know.   The block will probably take about 5 more months of carving every day to complete.  I will certainly provide you with updates of the daily struggles! Stay tuned.......... I gotta get back to carving the bastard.

My God look at that Croc!

This engraving, "Africa" by the flemish engraver Adrian Collaert (1560 -1618), is from an allegorical series based on the four continents.  This image as well as the other three from the series are a collaboration with the painter Marten de Vos (1532-1608). Collaert is from and engraving dynasty, his father and sons all followed him in the trade of making and the publishing of prints.  Out of all them, Adrian stands out in terms of technical excellence...... but more importantly in terms of imagination.  While not as masterful at engraving copper as Durer or Goltzius, Collaert's "Africa" is carried by whimsy and invention!  Alluding to the wild and exotic nature that is Africa, a woman rides a grinning crocodile that seems almost human.  This crocodile could be out of a Looney Tunes escapade, or any low budget B level horror flick.  Despite all this, the damn thing has a presence and might be my favorite depiction of a croc or alligator in all of art history! (this includes any version by Sean Star Wars). Sometimes, what is from the imagination ends up seeming more real and menacing than the actual thing.  It is doubtful Collaert had ever even seen a REAL crocodile, and as a viewer I am thanking the print gods for it.  Not always, but sometimes a bit of magic happens when technical limitations marry with vivid imagination resulting in some kind of overall mastery.  This is in fact one of those rare moments in print history.  I absolutely love this print. To read all about Collaert and the other prints in the "Four Continents" series check out this LINK!

P.S. Back in the day, an image of a woman riding a goat backwards was intended to represent a witch.   Don't know what a woman riding a croc backwards may mean, but it is certainly evil food for thought!

Adrian Collaert, Africa, engraving, 8 3/16 x 10 3/16 in, 1588-89

Chance Meeting

If you do not know who Martin Lewis is......well I feel bad for you.  But let me brighten your day: Martin Lewis (1881-1962) is one of the most underrated printmakers of all time.  This print, "Chance Meeting" is arguably his most famous image.  A collector friend of mine in Chicago has a beautiful impression of this hanging outside of his guest room.  Fortunately for me i get to worship this print every time I visit, and I'm still trying to figure out some sort of deal to work out with him so I could take the thing home! Lewis specialized in New York street scenes, often with a use of strong lighting to create drama and depth.  Lewis was an etcher, and was obviously heavily influenced by the work of Rembrandt.  He was able to combine the elements of drypoint and aquatint with staggering mastery. While not as wild in his plate wiping skills as Rembrandt,  Lewis was able to inject otherwise mundane subject matter with mystery and nostalgia by a heightened use of light and shadow.  A lot of Lewis's scenes happen at night, a lot like in the work of Edward Hopper (whom he later taught etching).  Martin Lewis is recognized in collector circles as one of the most important American printmakers, and to me this is an understatement.  Problem is........he was AUSTRALIAN!  He came to the U.S. around the age of 20 and fell in love with New York.  Martin Lewis's body work proves that he ranks among the greatest printmakers of all time regardless of his country of origin.

Martin Lewis, "Chance Meeting", etching, 10"x7 1/2", 1940-41

For more on Martin Lewis check him out HERE.

Check out more of his prints HERE.

Learn all about what an etching is HERE.

DURER'S ONLY WORTHY RIVAL.

Todays Print Lesson:  "The Dance of St. Mary Magdalene" by Lucas Van Leyden (1494-1533), engraving, 11" x 15", 1519.  This engraving is one of the most beautiful and technically impressive in the history of intaglio printmaking.  Considering that "Master Lucas" (as Albrecht Dürer called him!) lived a short time, and during the period that Durer dominated, its amazing to look at his body of work and what he was able to accomplish.  Master Lucas manages to create atmosphere and depth by skillful engraving only rivaled by Durer, and in some cases such as this he may even surpass him!   His  pictorial composition skills are unsurpassed. I spent a couple of weeks in Nuremberg at the national museum a few years back.  Every day I went to the print room determined to look at in real life, every single Durer, Cranach, Van Leyden, & Altdorfer that exists.  I did, and came away with no doubt in my mind that Durer was the best, but not by far.  His closest rival was Master Lucas.  For just a second you need to look at his birthdate, and then the date of his best work.  You will soon be floored by the fact that he did his best work when he was around the age of 20!  Hell, he did "The Dance of St Mary Magdalene" at 25!  He was a prodigy, and Durer knew this.  Durer collected prints by him. Talk about getting respect.  Pure and simple, he was one of the most gifted printmakers that ever lived.  Period.  For more on Master Lucas read about him HERE.  Also, visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art's page regarding this print.

Sometimes I dream, That he is me. Like Al....If I could be like Al..........

Hendrik Goltzius (January or February 1558 – January 1, 1617) was a Dutch printmaker and painter who specialized in engraving and woodcuts.  His right hand was deformed in a fire when he was a boy, and this tragedy allegedly helped him hold the engraver's burin in a unique manner enabling for spectacular control of the instrument (see image below).  This guy is the ONLY person in my book who rivals that of Durer in terms of technical virtuosity and imagination.  Goltzius also made many woodcuts.  Of those, "Hercules Killing Cacus" (1588) is the most famous and spectacular.  The print is a "chiaroscuro" woodcut, which is printed with tone and color blocks under the key block image.  Goltzius manages to capture the fury of the subject matter while maintaining beauty through the display of masterful technique.  Goltzius was one of the few printmakers who was able to maintain delicacy in his carved woodcut lines in the same manner as his engraved lines.  This is no small feat, considering the hardness of the woods used in those days (apple, cherry, & pear).  The depth of field achieved here is really incredible and unique in the world of woodcuts.  The color choice of the tone block certainly helps. Under close review, lines swell and taper depending on the texture of the surface Goltzius chooses to describe, and he is able to show restraint as well when depicting atmospheric perspective.  Goltzius allegedly created a number of "fake" copies of some of Durer's famous engravings in an effort to stroke his own ego, if the viewers could be fooled!  Hendrick need not worry. He was a spectacular artist in his own right and his prints stand the test of time and belong alongside many of the greatest printmakers of all time.  His dead rival Durer included!  Read more about Goltzius HERE

Goltzius's deformed hand, as engraved by the man himself (below)

Never go bald in England........

"The Five Orders of Perriwigs as they were Worn at the Late Coronation Measured Architectomically" by William Hogarth, engraving, 1761.

This is a satire on fashion of the time....and how it was defined by your choice of wig!  Hogarth compares these wigs to the five orders of architechture......mocking the rules of beauty.  He divides the periwigs into five categories that parody the five orders of Palladian architectural rules, the Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite and Tuscan. The equivalents William Hogarth fashions are Episcopal (the clergy), Old Peerian or Aldermanic (city officials and peers), Lexonic (lawyers), Composite or Half Natural and 'Queerinthian'. The final category is derived from 'Corinthian' and represents the most ornate and effete.  Genius!