Need a Carbon Copy?

Today I have printmaking on the brain. If you are new to my blog you may not know that I'm a professionally trained artist with a B.F.A. (Watch out guys I'm a profession, lol!) And in my other life I create printmaking illustrations for the children's market.

When I was in college I studied printmaking along with drawing and painting. I've created etchings, lithographs, monotypes and block prints. Loved them all! But block printing is the one that is done easiest in my home studio. I love the meditative repetition of carving the blocks, the steadiness it takes to ink and pull the print and the surprise of the tell-tale lines of the human hand in the imperfect texture that prints from the texture of the carving.

Margot Potter created a great little demo video of the new Yudu. It's a silkscreen system that is so easy even an impatient crafter can do it. I made a silk screened t-shirt once in high school, it was a laborious process with mysterious film and honestly the instructor had done most of the work. I would love to get my hands on one these machines, what fun could be had in the humble home with such a device! (Jess would steal it from me right away, he would love it!)

And while I dream of that, here is some more printy goodness that is within my budget: Jennnifer of Jangles did a post today about creating your own rubber stamps - something that has been on my to-do list for quite a while. I'd love to do a series of drawing and have them turned into rubber stamps to use in my beadmaking. I foresee fun times ahead in the studio!