10 March 2007

Faux Woodblock (Digital)

 

This is a small section of a digital illustration I'm working on for a nursing magazine. The article is about Complementary care and since most of the modalities mentioned (meditation, Reiki, acupuncture) are eastern techniques I wanted to give it a handpulled woodblock look. I'm working with textures in Photoshop to give it that appearance, including creating and scanning a bokashi gradient that I printed just for this purpose. I'll show you the whole piece once my client has published it. 

I'm enjoying seeing influences between my woodblock work and my commercial illustration these days, not so much in the content of the work but in the process. The initial frustration I felt with the slow pace of printmaking has evolved into an appreciation of the value of taking time, taking care, allowing an image to really "marinate" in the process. I'm finding that the surprises and accidental discoveries I experience in woodblock printing are also beginning to happen in my commercial work, which had become stale for me over the years. I'm feeling the commercial work becoming more fun and alive again. So I'm celebrating by working on a Saturday!

5 comments:

groovyinclinations said...

Your work,no matter the medium, is fantastic. Great stuff!!

Mindy Wilson

Diane Cutter said...

Lovely, Annie. I like the little bit of white you've left. It helps this digital 'woodblock' look more like the real deal.

You're are right that it is amazing how much we can transfer from one process to another. Watercolor is also a great way to appreciate color in printmaking...

0Annie) said...

I love the sun in your illustration, among other things. It looks so happy and contented to be itself, like it has nothing better to do all day than to shine, shine, shine!

Good stuff! I'll be looking forward to your finished piece as well.

Annie B said...

Thanks Mindy. Diane, I just saw this week what great work you do with pastels. I admire how you work between processes. Annie_b_good, thanks!

Amanda said...

That's a valuable lesson on how to re-invigorate oneself and one's work, isn't it? I must try to remember it. Thanks for sharing.