Registration Puzzle

One of the satisfying things about this print is that it gives me the opportunity to use a Mayflower block that I carved facing the wrong way back in December. Figuring out how to integrate that small 8" x 10" Mayflower block with this 8" x 20" print was an interesting challenge that I worked on tonight.

I want the boat to run off the side of the print area, like this:



My kento (registration) marks are at the opposite end of this long print, so I need to somehow extend this block so that the corner kento can be marked 20 inches away. I also need the boat block to be turned at the same angle as the top of the blue ocean area, and I'll need to use a mask to block any ink from bleeding out from around the print area. I decided to try rigging up something with some foam board that I had left over from framing last month.

First I put the Mayblower block on top of the ocean block that I printed yesterday to help me visualize the situation:



I figured that I could use a piece of clear acetate to both be the mask and to transfer all the essential information to the foam board. I cut some acetate to a size larger than the image (I think it was about 11" x 24") and placed it on my sketch (hanshita) being sure to line it up exactly with the registration marks on my sketch. Then I traced the outline of the ship location plus the lines where I would later cut the opening for the mask:



Next I laid the acetate on the foam core, lightly taped it down, marked the spots for the registration marks, and placed the Mayflower block into position. I then traced the outline of the block edges onto the foam board:



I cut the foam board so that the block would fit snugly against it:




And used some tape to make a kento. Tomorrow (I hope) I'll try printing and see if this system works!