KenSwinson.com

Category: printmaking

  • UPDATE:Bear Under A New Star

    Update: Here’s a video of the carving/inking/printing of my latest woodcut…i think it came out great!!!  One thing I love about big prints is that their presence changes the entire room. This one really cheers the place up.  It’ll probably take a week to dry. Once it is, i’ll offer it to you all in the online gallery

    If you would like to have one for your art collection, use the button below, and I’ll mail you one!

  • Bear Under a New Star – woodcut Work In Progress

    Bear Under a New Star – woodcut Work In Progress

    animation of block of wood being carved into an image of a bear with a heart

    I liked my christmas card – Bear In The Woods – so much I decided to carve it poster size 16×20″ Here’s a little animation of the carving process. I’ll update when it goes through the press tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

  • New Colors – Gamblin Etching Inks

    4 cans of gamblin etching inks
    New Ink: from Portland, OR

    After a busy week of studio work and traveling to see family, I was greeted by 4 new cans of printmaking ink. It was delivered to my doorstep.For the next week, you can find me busy carving, mixing ink and printmaking like a madman. 

    ink tests
    Testing the colors

    I’m still carving: haven’t had a chance to print these new colors yet. I did get to test them on paper–to see how they look. My favorite blue is pthalo, so I’m hopeful I can learn to work with ultramarine.

    work in progress woodcut depicting versailles kentucky

    Here’s a preview of what I’m carving today. It’s the courthouse and church at Versailles, KY. The street in front of the courthouse is US ROUTE 62: one of the old highways from the 1930’s. It happens to also go right by my house and studio in Old Washington!

  • 2 Foxes Under The Stars – Woodcut VIDEO

    I’ve been printing, printing, printing this week at the cabin. Our first open to the public event at the LOG CABIN PRINT SHOP is coming up THIS WEEKEND. We are giving a FREE ACTIVITY: use our old-fashioned press to make your own Christmas card.

    If you can’t make the trek to Old Washington, I’ll also be at my studio at the Pendleton Art Center, THIS FRIDAY for FINAL FRIDAY.

    Yup, a busy week ahead. Videos about art and printmaking on social media are fun, but but the EXPERIENCE IS EVEN FUNNER to see and print in real life. Come see me if you can!

  • Printmaking Updates

    Sometimes I get so excited about the ‘latest’ project, I forget to show you all the finished work.

    Here are a few updates of the latest prints.

    woodcut notecard with us map and 'greetings from Historic Route 62'
    My latest greeting card: GREETINGS from Historic Route 62
    artist holding large woodcut of two foxes in the woods under a star
    The test proof of my 2 foxes under the stars woodcut.
  • New Large(r) woodcut

    I have been trying to work larger with my woodcuts, and for some reason (the holidays) I have been spending a lot of time making tiny little greeting cards. They are fun, but not helping me get closer to my goal of making big woodcuts.

    So last night, I started a new woodcut.

    animation of artist carving woodcut

    I stayed up late into the night, and am still cutting this morning

    my goal is to have it finished today or tomorrow…provided my hands don’t cramp up

    close up animation of artist carving woodcut

    stay tuned for more soon!

    PROGRESS REPORT:

    woodcut of two foxes sitting in forest under a star
  • Greetings From Historic Route 62

    I am working on a project about US Route 62, and wanted to make greeting cards that I can mail to friends while traveling the historic highway (1930)

    US Route 62 design on wood block, ready to be carved
    Once I traced the design onto the block it was time to start carving
    work in progress- lettering for US 62 Woodcut
    I’m not sure what I was thinking with all the details in the words…careful cutting.

    work in progress photo of US ROUTE 62 woodcut Halfway carved
    Got those tedious little letters carved…now to cut all the way around the USA
    Work In Progress photo of US ROUTE 62 woodcut
    everything is cut, except one importand detail…
    work in progress photo of US Route 62 Woodcut
    US Route 62 – from Niagara Falls, NY to El Paso, TX!!

    Will carve later this evening and update with photos of the finished print.

    GREETINGS FROM HISTORIC US ROUTE 62

  • A New Star – Christmas Card designs 2018

    Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can share my latest designs for this year’s Christmas Cards!!! They are still wet, and drying, but I will have them available on my website early next week.

    FUN FACT: this video was made entirely with my phone and tablet. I’m getting ready to take a trip, where I won’t have access to a computer and I wanted to see how much editing I can do using only mobile devices

  • bear in the woods – woodcut

    i was busy with some other projects and did not get to print today, but I DID get to carve another candidate for this year’s Christmas card.

    woodcut of bear holding a heart with printmaking knives on the side

    I liked the bear in yesterday’s card so much, I thought it deserved its own design. hopefully, I’ll get to print both tomorrow.

  • Christmas Card 2018 – carving

    you might remember last years Christmas card. it was of barnyard animals sitting under a bright, new star. see it here.

    today I started my 2018 Christmas card. I wanted to stay with the new star theme… but with woodland animals!


    uncarved wood block for printmaking
    The design is drawn on the woodblock and ready to carve
    work in progress of a woodcut christmas card
    First, I carved the stars and doves
    work in progress woodcut of chirstmas card
    More carving to make the stars twinkle, and to bring out the shape of the tree
    work in progress woodcut christmas card
    The bear has a face now!
    carved woodcut for christmas card printmaking
    The carving is done.

    I’m going to print it tomorrow afternoon, and will share print pictures of the final woodcut.