Finis!!!

The black stencil is printed and I am quite pleased
with the outcome.  I'm going to title the print
"Grove Garden"; Grove being Washington Grove,
my hometown.  The prints will dry in the drying
rack for 48 hours and then I'll inspect each print
and sign and number the edition.  The edition size
will be 80.  As soon as I've signed the whole
edition, I'll add the image to my website
www.josephcraigenglish.com under "Hot Off the
Press" and the prints will be available for sale.

I want to begin designing a new print right away but I'm working on a mural at my local elementary school with the fifth graders.  In addition to that I'll be beginning a new commission that I'll post here for
you to see.  As soon as I have something I think you'd like, I'll be sure and post it.  Come back soon.

Dark Green, a Monster Printing!

The dark green is done!  What a mammoth stencil that
took almost eight hours to cut and creates the shady
atmosphere for this piece.  I was so pleased that this
stencil printed beautifully, that I'll hop back to my
drawing board and continue cutting the black and
final stencil.  I've got nine hours invested already
with about one hours worth of labor left.
I'll finish cutting this evening and plan to print and post
tomorrow.
Stay tuned.

When the Deep Purple Falls...

I had been waiting to print the purple because it's
a pivotal color in this composition, binding the red
and greens together visually.  Add to that, purple is
my favorite color and a resident in almost everything
that I create.  Now the print is almost balanced and
the dark green and black that come next will finish
the job.

A Good Friday for Screen Printing

Printed three colors today under perfect conditions;
(moderate humidity and a nice fire in the studio stove).
Started with the dark gray (shadow under the eaves)
and continued with a dark green (shadows in the fore-
ground).  Finally, I printed a very large deep maroon.
This is always a tricky color for several reasons.
It's advisable to print this color thick because it is very
transparent and doesn't like thinner.  Additionally, I
always underprint this color to insure it looks beautiful.
Lastly it requires more clean-up than any other color,
staining the fabric pink until the last bit is scrubbed out.
Even with the predictable 'hassle factor" the color looks
great and I'm pleased.  Only three colors left.  All three
are complex, two exceptionally so.  Going to start
cutting.  I'm anticipating two full days in the cutting.
Stay tuned.

Green Stencil Printed

Here's the green stencil on the print.
Please notice that the color aligns (registers)
onto all four edges of the image. It takes a little
longer to make sure everything lines up
perfectly but it makes printing a pleasure when
everything fits so well.
Looking forward to printing three colors today and
cutting the purple stencil. Will post results tomorrow.
Stay tuned.

Green Stenil Printed

This is the green stencil printed on white paper.
The light outside was so bright this morning that
the entire surface almost burned out.
You can get an idea of the intricacy of this stencil
by seeing it on white paper.

Stencil Ready to Print

Spent most of today cutting this green stencil for
printing tomorrow.  It will be the third of five green
stencils I'll ultimately print.  Not only does it print
a lot of greenery but it also underprints the other two
green stencils I've yet to cut.  At this point it's getting
tricky because I have to be very careful to also
include underprinting for colors to come.  The stencil
material is called "Sta-Sharp Green".  It's a lacquer based
emulsion or membrane supported by clear mylar.  I cut
through the membrane and remove the areas that will
allow the ink to come through when I print.
The green area you see is the membrane or stencil and
the clear areas are the holes I have cut.
I'm anxious to cut and print the dark purple and dark
red stencils because they'll add so much to the design.
Stay tuned.

Going Green, Three More Colors Printed

Printed three colors on Tuesday.
Began with a yellow brown (trim on the
house). Followed with a red brown
(on the daisies). Ended with a large
green stencil ( mixed chrome yellow,
cyanine green, a little orange and a
touch of purple).  I know it's difficult
to see here, but this green stencil was
quite complex, taking almost five
hours to cut.  I'm out of stencils, so
today I'll spend the whole day cutting
new stencils so I can print tomorrow.
As the print starts coming together,
I find that I get more enthusiastic and
the whole process is more exciting.
Stay tuned.

Oil Portrait Finished

I shot the photos for this portrait
in Rock Creek Park in early Fall.
I've been working on this 24 X 36
oil on canvas most of the winter
and am delighted to show it to
you, now that it's finished.
I am anticipating beginning another
portrait commission within the next
few weeks, but would be interested
to book another portrait for early
Summer 2011.

Four Colors in Two Days

Ran out of precut stencils and got into
my usual rythmn which is "cut a stencil,
print a stencil".  Now the stencils
are getting more complicated so I'm
spending more time cutting the stencils
and the same time printing.
Printed yellow ochre, magenta (flowers middle right),
warm gray (shadow on the house) and yellow green.
I'm going to spend most of the weekend
cutting stencils so I can spend the week printing.
Stay tuned.

Printed Three Colors Today

Printed lavender (on the roof), pink and red.
As you can see, the red stencil is more complex
than the previous stencils.  I'll start tomorrow
with two relatively simple stencils, then things
will begin to escalate in complexity. 
Stay tuned.

Began Printing New Edition Today

Pulled my first color on this new edition this morning.
It's a pale yellow beige.  I had already cut six stencils
and had four mounted and ready to print.  This is one of
my neighbor's homes and the beautiful garden in full bloom.
Rather than show you my sketch, I'm going to let the print
build before your eyes.

When I returned to the studio after lunch I spent the
rest of the afternoon pulling the next three colors,
light blue, yellow and light blue green.  I'll post my
daily printing and I hope you'll follow the progress.
The first few stencils are usually simple and that is
true here.  As the piece gets more complex, the stencils
will become more difficult. 
Stay tuned.