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Trouble Afoot ... more about colour separations
Posted by Dave Bull on November 27, 2013 [Permalink]
Some parts of the print-making process are pretty simple and straight-forward; other parts less so.
In response to a question from friend/collector Marc Kahn the other day, I tried to explain how the colour separation sheets were produced. I say 'tried', because it seems - based on emails I received - that the explanation was over-wordy and not so clear.
So perhaps a couple of images might help. The carving has proceeded smoothly, and quite quickly. Five of the six blocks are now carved to the 'first stage', meaning that the overall areas are now cut out and the waste cleared, but the detailed patterns are yet to be done.
Let's look at a couple of them ... first, one of the blocks that will print bamboo leaves. This is the one that will print the 'middle' of the three leaf layers:
Here's Jed's master for reference - do you see how I have prepared the area in which those middle leaves will appear? (Remember that my blocks are left/right reversed from this image ...)
And here is the next step - I will print out the actual leaf pattern from Photoshop, and paste it down directly onto the wood, where it will stick only to the 'raised' areas ... (I haven't done this yet - I'm showing you a mockup here ...)
... then carve off the unwanted wood.
I may not be able to paste it down all in one piece, but will probably have to cut it into two or three pieces, and arrange them separately - carefully matching the portions that are already carved. This is because my blocks (may) no longer line up perfectly with the Photoshop data, because of the adjustments I made to the original key block printout while trying to compensate for the laser printer distortion (as I tried to explain in the previous post).
Here is another pair - the colour block that will print the head scarves, some weapons, and the patterns on the shells:
And with the Photoshop data overlaid (the shell patterns might be a bit difficult to make out):
Half of my 12 block faces will need this treatment: the three for the banboo leaves, the background, the shell patterns, and one for the patterning on their skin (which will ride along with one of the bamboo stem tones).
All clear now? :-)
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