Chop for Gary Betts

Here's a stamp pad proof of the chop I just made as a seasonal present for my polymath-and-a-half friend Gary. He chose the characters but the design and execution are all mine.

The actual size is about 2 cm x 4.5 cm. The material is polymer clay, carved after hardening (baking) with linocut and dental tools.

First woodblock print. As the bumpersticker says, "Oh, no! Not another 'learning experience'."

Among the lessons learned: keep bandaids within easy reach on lower slope of block carving learning curve, thin drawer-bottom type plywood is easy to handle and also easy to chip, decent wet mounting is difficult when exterior temps are below freezing because everything dries too fast.

Hardest part at this stage: getting ink onto block properly and consistently.

This blog is for reports on creative goings on at Katie Bretsch's "Snow Gum Studio" in Southeast Portland, Oregon, USA.