Test Prints

So, I am working on figuring out the best technique. Some of these are more detailed than others, but some were just fast prints. All of these so far are tests, but a few of these may make it into the show, so who knows.


Scapula, spine and ribs of an agouti, 16"x 16"

  This was the first big print that I tried, and you can see that I went over it with colored pencil and graphite. Much of the pencil follows the brush strokes, but the large semicircles was experimental. There are parts of this print I like, like the leg bone and bottom ribs, as well as the drip effect, but I believe that the spine and the knobs on the vertebrae above the scapula are overkill.


Skull and spine of a potbellied pig (3) 4 1/2" x 7"

 This is the third test print for the potbellied pig.  This one isn't finished, but you can see on the right where I started adding the graphite detail.


Skull and spine of potbellied pig (2), 4 1/2" x 7"

This was the second print of the potbellied pig. I used more pigment to get deeper colors and smoothed the transitions with graphite.



Tail and top fin of batfish, 4 1/2" x 7"

  This is the secont print where I used more than one plate. The red lines were drawn on one plate and some of the color added on top, and the other plate had color and the purple splashes over the blue.


Tail and top fin of batfish (ghost), 4 1/2" x 7"

  This was the same as the previous print, but was the ghost print. The same plates are used without cleaning them and the left over pigment will transfer, leaving a lighter print.

Skull and spine of a potbellied pig (1) 4 1/2" x 7"

This is the first print of the potbellied pig, but also the very first print I did in this series. Most of the prints I use for the show will end up looking more like this one, using some of the elements from my other test prints. I think this had been one of the most successful prints, but I also spent more time think about this one. As soon as the semester begins, I will have more studio time, so now I am prepping my plates and ideas.



Spine and shoulders of an iguana 2 1/4"x 3 1/5"



I used three plates on this print and it was the first I attempted with multiple plates. The first plate had blue streaks, seen mostly in the bottom left. The second had the yellow background and the light blues on the bones. The third had the  watercolor pencil lines and the darker blues, as well as the green background. Some of the registration of the plates is messed up, as you can see along the edges where they don't meet up well, but overall, not bad.