Continued from [Forest in Winter - 9] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

The final two impressions are now done ...

Impression #10 - Deepening the second 'shadow' tone (also only at the bottom)

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Impression #11 - A faint 'rose' tint in the upper area ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

So there she is ... In a few minutes I'll upload the complete set of larger scans to the site, and will prepare the Slideshow of all these impressions overlaying, one by one ...

As I wrapped up the paper ready to take it upstairs for drying, I moistened 45 more small pieces for another round of printing on this year's Gift Print. People just can't get enough of these!

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:51 PM | Comments (1)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 8] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

Another two impressions today ...

Impression #8 - Sky

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Impression #9 - Deepening the first snow 'shadow' tone (at the bottom) ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Tomorrow, I'll deepen up the next level of shadow tone (again, just at the bottom of the print), and then think about how to finish it off ...

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 10] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 7] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

Another two impressions today ... the paper is getting a bit too damp in places, and I had to break to let it settle down ...

Impression #6 - Second snow 'shadow' tone ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Impression #7 - General tone block to deepen some areas to brighten snow in others ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Tomorrow morning, if the paper is ready again, we'll put the sky in place ...

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 9] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:41 PM | Comments (1)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 6] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

Only two impressions done today ... as they get wider in area, they take more time to rub out ...

Impression #4 - Tree black tone ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

We're starting to diverge somewhat from what I set down in most of the proofs. I had a suggestion in my email the other day to the effect that one way I could help 'warm up' the upper (sunny) area of the print (other than by adding the rose tint) was to cut down the black in that region. Seems like not a bad idea, so I've run a rough gradation on this impression, letting it get weaker as it goes higher.

Impression #5 - First snow 'shadow' tone ...

The impression by itself:

Giving:

Weekend coming up ... and - yet again - I'm running out of stock of one of the Gift Prints ... the 'Woman in Snow' is turning out to be pretty popular this year. So I might have to bung these in the freezer while I take a 'day off' to make some more of those. Not sure yet ... we'll see how it goes over the next couple of days.

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 8] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 5] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

So here we go ... There is no 'keyblock' for this one; there is a black block, but it carries no outlines. I'll start with the block that covers enough different areas of the print to allow me to accurately 'key' the others to it (most of these images are clickable for enlargements):

Impression #1 - Tree undertone ...

Impression #2 - Green fir tree tone ...

The impression by itself (on scrap paper ...) :

Resulting in this:

Impression #3 - Undergrowth undertone ...

The impression by itself (these will all be on scrap paper ...) :

Giving us:

That's got us started. Doesn't look much like any of the proofs from the past few days, does it!

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 7] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 4] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

Very much appreciating the comments and suggestion that people are leaving on these proofs. It's the old 'ju-nin to-iro' at work here ... 'Ten people, Ten colours' ... There'll be certainly no way to please everybody, but hopefully whatever I come up with as a final version will at least be acceptable to most of the collectors!

I mentioned in the previous post that it wasn't such a good idea to try this kind of work in the evening, under a single hanging bulb, and I was right, I pretty much borked it. These next two sheets don't really add anything to the discussion.

Here's the grid image with the proofs to date, with #5 and 6 pulled out (they were far too warm and muddy, and actually looked more like cherry blossoms than anything else ... so what you are seeing is 1+2 3+4 and 7+8)

Looking at #7 and 8, I see that I completely failed in what I had intended to try last night; I was going to cut the rose right back, keep a good contrast in the foreground, and cut back the snow shadows up in the tree branches. I totally missed on the first two, only succeeding in the third ...

I think that cutting back the shadows up in the trees is a good thing - making everything 'lighter' overhead. But with those shadows pulled back, even a very faint rose came forward too much. And we've now lost any sense that there is an embankment on the right hand side. Might be that I have to cut another block for that, we'll see ...

It's also interesting to see that - as usual - the more I try things, the more I seem to be wandering away from where it should be. I could have easily sent out #1 or #3 (say) as 'the print', and it would have probably been very well received.

But I think I can get this thing worked out a little bit better than what we've seen, so it's back to the drawing board printing bench! But that'll have to wait until this afternoon, as there is a pile of office work waiting this morning. That's the huge problem with this 'independent craftsman' way of life - turning the lights on over in the 'office' means that the 'factory' shuts down completely! Anyway, first I have to get the Mokuhankan orders from the weekend down to the Post Office:

It's mostly CDs (the white packets) and Gift Prints, which are starting to wake up after a slow start over the past couple of weeks.

And then I have to head for City Hall. I need to renew my Alien Registration (they need a new photo every five years), and then go and talk to the people in the tax department and medical insurance bureau ... Let them know that no, I haven't run away, and yes I will be catching up soon ... At least I will if I can find a solution to this proofing, and then get these things made and out the door! :~)

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 6] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 10:38 AM | Comments (5)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 3] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

Had a pleasant day of proofing work yesterday ... This is one of those prints where even a very delicate change in the depth/tint of any of the blocks makes a tremendous difference in the finished result. And as you can't see the way that tones balance together until they are all on the paper ... and dry ... it's very difficult to know just what to put on the block at any particular step.

So a lot of this is kind of just flying blind; you put something on the paper that you think might be suitable, then dry them off and sit and look at what you've done. Make some notes on what could be altered, then start again.

Here is a set of six images - the first (and so far, only) six sheets that have come off these blocks.

Rather than click all six in a row here, click the first one to view it in your browser. Then adjust the 'proof_01' part of the address in the URL to read 'proof_02', etc. etc. stepping through all six. Once they are loaded, you can then just use your Forward/Back buttons to step back and forth through the sequence. (Or here on my Mac, the 'Command [' and 'Command ]' do the same thing.)

#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6

If you do want to see all six side-by-side, there is a 'gang' image here. (These are in vertical pairs: 1~2, 3~4, etc. The lower one of each pair is basically the same as the upper, but with the snow shadows done more deeply)

As always, I'll be interested in hearing your comments ...

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 5] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 9:25 AM | Comments (10)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 2] | Starting point of the thread is [Forest in Winter - 1]

So, the little Gift Prints are now all back 'in stock' waiting to be sent off to places around the world, and I can now get back to work on the Forest in Winter ...

There aren't actually going to be so many impressions on this one, so that makes the proofing a bit easier. And as the basic concept is set - sunlight on snow in the forest - I certainly know where to start. This one is going to be all about the 'contrast' - how dark to make the darks and intermediates in order to let the brights (the bare paper) shine properly.

Anyway, here we are ... time for the 'corkboard' test; I finished a proofing batch last night, but didn't attempt to study it too closely. I dried it off, and then last thing before heading for bed, pinned it up on the corkboard. How it would look in the morning - with fresh eyes - would be more relevant ... Here it is (remember, this isn't 'final', just one sheet from the initial batch of a few copies ...)

That doesn't look so bad for the first shot. When I do some more tomorrow, I'll work on the contrast end of it, to see where the best balance lies.

But looking at it a bit closer this morning, I see that I have an 'issue' with this one. It's something that has been dogging this entire series, and on this design, it has become a real problem.

I think I may have talked about this in an earlier RoundTable post - it's the question of the proper 'scale' for any particular design. This design doesn't look so bad in that photo above; we are standing 'back', and thus the perspective in the design makes sense. And we are far back enough that the individual dots and lines aren't visible - we see the 'forest', not marks on paper.

But these prints aren't being made at a scale that allows them to be seen 'on a wall' in this fashion. After I finish printing, they will be passed to helper Ichikawa-san, who will then insert them into the books. The collectors will receive the package, open it up to the print page, and unless they prop the book up on a table and step back and look at it from across the room, all they will see will be a muddy jumble of dots and lines (click this for an enlargement):

A design like this doesn't belong in small-scale stuffed inside a book and viewed at a funny angle - it needs to be seen at a scale that makes sense! Here's a mockup of how this design could be presented!

So I don't know ... At this point, I don't see what else I can do except press on. I can't jump back in time three years and re-organize the project!

Anyway, here's a closer view of the proof (clickable). For the next batch I'll try and find a way to balance the requirement for having dark surroundings to make the snow bright, but without making the overall feeling too muddy and gloomy. Those tree trunks over on the right have to be darker, for sure. And that dirty sky has to be turned into a fresh light 'morning' blue ...

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 4] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:38 PM | Comments (9)

Continued from [Forest in Winter - 1]

I haven't posted much during the carving of this one, mostly because there really hasn't been much to see, or to talk about.

There are only three pieces of wood for this design, using both sides for six faces. Two of those have multiple 'colours', so perhaps it might be about 11~12 impressions in all.

The last couple of days have been a bit of a scramble to get this finished. My usual practice is to be a carver for as many weeks as it takes to get the block set done, then clean up my work area, pack away the carving bench and sharpening stones, and get the printing gear out. But about a week ago, I did a count of the remaining stock of the Gift Prints, and found that there were only enough of this year's design left to last a few more days. I would soon have to get the printing bench out and make some more. So it was kind of a little 'race against time' - to get the carving done so that I wouldn't have to interrupt the final block to do the gift printing, switch back to finish the carving, then switch again for proofing ..

But luckily (not luckily!) there haven't been so many orders for that print in the past few days, and I was able to keep at it and get the carving done last night. I've now cleared away the tools, and am ready for some printing tomorrow ...

I found something funny while I was cleaning up though ...

I haven't touched the printing gear in months, and when I picked up the water bucket to clean it up I saw something moving in the shallow water at the bottom:

Mosquitoes! In November!

During the summer, this is something I have to watch for every day, as my water bucket is a favourite place for them to try laying eggs. But I certainly didn't expect to see this in November ...

* * *

Proofing work can't begin for a few days yet, not until some of these other jobs are out of the way. As I mentioned, first up will be some quick printing for another couple of batches of the gift prints. Then, on Tuesday, I'm out of here for a demonstration at the Officer's Club at the Yokota Air Base. And I'm still spending time most evenings preparing P/R material for the new 'Your First Print' eBook ... Another hundred samples/flyers/letters flew out of here yesterday ...

The thread continues in [Forest in Winter - 3] ...

Posted by Dave Bull at 1:59 PM | Comments (0)

The DHL truck pulled up this morning with a few long-awaited boxes for me, and after a few hours of stuffing and sealing the envelopes, I took the back-ordered CD versions of the 'Your First Print' eBook to the Ome post office. They should be at their destinations in short order.

So what kind of a pile does 1,000 CDs make?

Actually, that's not 1,000 ... that's the 880 or so that are left after today's shipping. After they shipped the CDs to me, the people at the pressing plant asked when I planned on re-ordering. I told them ... 'soon'

We'll see!

Posted by Dave Bull at 12:47 PM | Comments (3)