Canadian Sunset

Here's a rundown of the basic steps I went through to make this print:

• scanned the basic image into Photoshop
• masked out the sky, then posterized the rest, trying various parameters to break the sea into the levels you see in the print
• put the sky back in, printed a 'master' copy on my inkjet, and drew in registration marks
• took that to Kinko's and ran off a dozen mirror-image copies onto special paper I prepare myself (extremely thin gampi laid onto normal copy paper)
• lifted the gampi sheets off the backing, and pasted them face up onto blank woodblocks
• at this point, all the blocks/images were identical; I started carving, keeping mental track of which block would be used for which area in the finished print ...
• once the set was ready - ran a half-dozen proof copies, trying out various levels of pigment application.
• deadline approaching - so paper wet, and get printing on the 200 copies of the edition, referring to the proofs for rough guidance ...
• ship it!

Blocks: 11 cherrywood
Printing impressions: 14

• Pale yellow gradation in sky
• Vermillion gradation in sky
• Blue gradation in sky (1x)
• Blue gradation in sky (again)
• Sea tone (1st)
• Sea tone (2nd)
• Sea tone (3rd)
• Sea tone (4th) (all sea tones also underly land areas)
• Green foliage
• Grey tone block (1st)
• Grey tone block (2nd)
• Dark tone on distant mountains
• Road (1st)
• Road (2nd)