About 5 years ago, after many years of illustrating full time on a computer, I got to a point where I just needed to get off the machine. I wanted to find a way to make images using real materials, I wanted to make something I could hold in my hands, and I wanted to get my hands dirty in the process. The first medium I tried was collage, and I had a great time with it. I think one of the things I really liked about collage was ripping up magazines, since much of my illustration work over the years has been magazine work.
The drawing above is based on a collage that I did back in 2004. I've been wanting to make it into a woodblock print for a while now. I'm working on sketches for a new "borders" print about The Great Wall of China, but it's not ready yet, so for now I'll be working on this water print.
5 comments:
I love this print already! It reminds me of when we had our well dug here on the coast of Maine. All the different strata are wonderful. Can't wait to see what you do to them with colors!
Yes, I like the layers already. I think hands on is important. Decades ago I took a book design class and the teacher said since the advent of the computer he could no longer if a book had been designed by a woman or a man, whereas before he could always tell. Hee hee ripping up mags....
Oh, I hear what you're saying about working on the computer all the time. That's why I started wood engraving...I needed to feel the wood in my fingers and hear the 'snick' sound of the burin carving a sliver of wood out of the boxwood.
I love the look of the sketch...it's going to be another good 'un.
Annie:
I love how the beings (man & tree) above ground don't have as much detail rendered as the earth. The variety of detailed marks in the layers make the soil teemingly more alive than the above ground beings we usually associate with life force.
Ahh the computer, one of my favorite tools...and one of my biggest frustrations! The wood still has true essence of life in it and warms under my touch. The computer acts up under pressure and wears out my eyes. The wood seems to give itself joyfully to reincarnation into art and as Maria said in the forum can be worked almost anywhere.
Thanks for your comments on this sketch. Your insights are stewing away in the back of my mind...
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