Deborah Velásquez: Carving blocks

Showing posts with label Carving blocks. Show all posts

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Tests Prints From A Photograph, A Pen, A Print Post

Hand printed test prints from yesterday's post and carving. The bulb onion shape was inspired by an allium-like plant. I created two type of prints. I wanted to do a line print and a shape print. Sort of playing with the positive and negative spaces of my drawings.

Sketches and carved blocks used for printing.

I used this pink rubber block and learned that it is not my favorite to carve on. I found it tough to see my cuts and keep track of my carved lines. When I started to carve on the putty colored blocks it was much easier to see my cut lines. The putty colored block when cut away left a lighter color in removed areas, so this made it much easier to see what you carved. The pink block did not have a difference in color when cut away so it all appeared the same making it hard to see as you worked. I have always preferred the blocks in lighter colors. I find the pink ones distracting to work on.

I find it so interesting that these two hand printed pieces came from the same plant inspirations.

Another hand printed test print created with carved blocks keeping the simple lines of the plant in mind. Now off to work on that curvy stripe inspired by this bulb, onion shape.

This is "Where Art and Beauty Meet Lifestyle"©

Circle Studies and Sketches by Velásquez

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Photograph, A Pen and A Print

At my desk I have a work in progress, I am back to sketching and getting ready to carve. After a very busy few days finishing up some prints I am excited to create something new.

I found my inspiration in a photograph by my friend Lori Moon.

Lori, a fellow blogger, has a series called Shared Messages from the Universe on her blog. Lori is talented photographer and jewelry artisan. She photographs found phrases and words she comes across in her travels in the The City.

As a gardener I enjoy her plant and flower photography especially during these cold months as I wait for Spring. I had such fun sketching this allium-like flower with a beautiful flower pod in a lantern shape. I made loose and tight sketches looking for a direction to start carving in. I will explore the shape and line aspects of this plant, very much like the echinacea flower post, I will do two carvings and print one highlighting line and the other in shape.

To make things less confusing I put an X in spots I plan to cut

I call this my fun and discovery stage. I fell absolutely in love with this bulb, onion shape.

I cut the shape out and played with layout and layering ideas.

I kept seeing a curvy stripe happening, so I am going to explore this and cut a block in a stripe design. It's a must, I get goose bumps looking at the curved stripe possibility.

This is much like the stripe inspiration from my bird carving here, and I like how that turned out. I will work out the design in the next few posts. Stay tuned.

This is "Where Art and Beauty Meet Lifestyle"©

Plant Sketches by Velásquez

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Drawing with cutting tools for Line and Shape

I went ahead and started to carve the Echinacea sketches I made for last Thursday's post. You can see the post here.

I wanted to approach the each drawing differently in the print it would make. I wanted to show graphic shape in one and in the other I wanted just line as in the original sketch.

Each one shows its own strength in design. Love how they turned out.

Many test sheets for black ink on paper. I can see a few clean up spots but I do like the honesty of those imperfections from relief printing.

Tomorrow will bring some color play experimentation.

Thank you for stopping by.

This is "Where Art and Beauty Meet Lifestyle"©

Please do not use anything without permission or without making note of the origin on your blog or website.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Revisting Echinacea Motifs

I have a thing for Echinacea, very graceful in its dance in the garden. My favorite flower as you know! I love to sketch it, paint it in ink, in gouache and I have also used the motif in a silkscreen but I have never taken the time to make a block print. I went into my sketch book and pulled sketches. I did manage to add a few new ones as a warm up exercise to before drawing straight on the block.

I drew on the block itself for the fun of it and it it helps to keep things looser than a transfer, for me.
Cant wait to start carving.

Thank you for stopping by.

This is "Where Art and Beauty Meet Lifestyle"©

Please do not use anything without permission or without note of the origin on your blog or website.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Inspired by a line, I am continuing where I left off...

I was playing with the prints I made on Tuesday, here is the post. I tried some fading techniques and I drew on the print with a thick pen. I love the strength of the line of the flowers and It inspired me to carve a small block and see how it would print.

I transferred my sketches a first using graphite on the back of my drawing paper but I made a mess! That is why I ended up drawing directly onto my block with Sharpie®.

I went ahead and carved the small blocks with different size tools for a thick and thin version to match my drawings. I cut the edges aroung the thistle- like flower design.

Here are three test prints.

I decided on this design at the end of the day.

A mix of watercolor and relief printing.

Thank you for stopping by.

This is "Where Art and Beauty Meet Lifestyle"©

All images and content belong to Deborah Velásquez. Copyright 2005-2013. All rights reserved.

Please do not use anything without permission or without note of the origin on your blog or website.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Let's Fly Blog Hop...Have a visit!

Hello and welcome to the Let's Fly Blog Hop.

Our Theme is Let's Fly and we will be using Emerald the 2013 Pantone color of the year in our mini collection.You are probably stopping in from Lesley Todd's lovely blog, Finch Five.

I hope you enjoyed her beautiful, aviation and travel inspired designs. If you want to start at the beginning of the hop please visit Gill Eggleston's blog called Pattern Addict.

My name is Deborah Velásquez. I am an artist-designer with a passion for creating art.
I work both traditionally and digitally. I have a love for printmaking and silk screening.

The mix of design, words and crafts light me up. Some of my favorite things are, coffee, magazines, art books, a sharpie and a sketchbook.

Bird sketches were at the start of the process, it was the lined bird drawings that inspired the initial carved block for the prints I planed to make.

Carving and testing.

Putting the blocks to the test. The lines are solid, strong and graphic. I had these test sheets out while I made more sketches and carved more blocks. I ended up with four pieces to work with. It inspired me and I was able to play with different ideas and layout.

Instead of printing the design with ink on paper i scanned my motifs into the computer to finalize my patterns.

Color Inspiration

I pulled out color chips. novelty papers and a a watercolor piece of mine in order to find colors that sat well with Emerald Green. Here are some sophisticated and fun combinations

I played with.