Weekend: Woodcut Printing with Ouida Touchón!

For years my artist husband has encouraged me to explore printmaking. I always declined, siting other priorities, i.e. my preference for painting, jewelry-making and mosaic design. Gosh, a girl can't do everything! However, I have a spouse that is also my best friend and he can often see past the limitations I put on myself, thankfully. So off I went this past weekend (finally) to take an introduction to woodblock printmaking class with a women whose art makes my heart sing.

Ouida Touchón

Garden-Granada

size: 15x15, Media: woodcut over chine collé

Introduction to Woodcut Printmaking with New Mexico Visual Artist Ouida Touchón

 Design transfer onto Japanese Shina woodblock

 Ouida Touchón ~ Demonstrating proper carving technique

 Our turn ~ Carving the block, graphite test sheet in foreground

 Measuring to assure correct registration when printing

 Preparing the oil-based ink

                                         Loading the brayer

 Inking the block

Ready to hand print using Masa 77gsm Japanese handmade paper. Look Ma no press!!

 Stabilizing the paper...

 ...by hand

 ...firm pressing with the brayer

 ...using the back of a wooden spoon...several techniques for transferring ink to paper

Voila! (Thanks Laurie!)


After a printing frenzy....

Final clean-up and signing and numbering demo

Student Work!

 My final prints! Printed on...from left to right:
 Japanese Masa 70gsm, Reeves BFK 250gsm, Japanese handmade KitiaKata 30gsm (2) and Reeves BFK 250gsm

Iris

11" x 15"

Woodcut

on Reeves BFK 250gsm

Hand printed by the artist

Edition of 2

Our wood blocks. Pretty enough to frame!


I do believe I am smitten and bitten by the printing bug!  What a wonderful, fun and informative weekend! Thanks Ouida, chin collé is next!!!
To find out more about future workshops and artist Ouida Touchon and her wonderful prints, click here. Also, follow her on Facebook here.