When you put free paint and canvas in front of a bunch of artists, interesting things will happen:  These collaborative paintings were created by Utrecht customers and staff, using the samples of Utrecht brand oil and acrylic paints at our Try-Me Table.

So, come on down and paint with us! The project continues.

Old Holland is like the Cadillac of oil paints. They have a very high concentration of pigment, very finely ground, in a beautiful range of colors. They run more expensive than the other oil paints we carry, but the artists who use them say they’re definately worth it. Right now there is a promotion going on to sweeten the deal: If you purchase three 40ml tubes of Old Holland paint, you receive a free 40ml tube of their titanium white. (fine print: this offer is good in stores only, while supplies last.)

Gamblin is doing their own promotion right now: The 15th annual Torrit Grey Painting Competition. For those of you in the know: Every year the Gamblin paint factory cleans out its air filtration system (which contains tiny particles of every color they make) and takes the resulting mix of pigment to make a batch of paint. Because it contains a little of everything, it comes out more or less grey. Then they give away the tubes of grey paint for free, and they sponsor a contest to see what people can create using just the grey, plus white and black. We have just received our Torrit Grey tubes, and they are free with purchase of 3 Gamblin paints.

For more details, ask in the store or check out Gamblin’s website at: http://www.gamblincolors.com

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Not to be outdone, Utrecht is doing a promotion with our own brand of oil and acrylic paints: If you buy a 37ml tube of our oil Titanium white or a 2 oz tube of our acrylic Titanium white, you get a 21ml sample of one of our oil or acrylic colors. (while supplies last. We currently have samples of phthalo blue, zinc yellow, and alizarin crimson in oil, and phthalo blue, hansa yellow, and quinacridone red in acrylic.) Utrecht makes high quality paints with a heavy pigment load. Some people assume that because they are our “house brand” they must be “student grade,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Try them out and you’ll see for yourself.

Our Try Me table is up and running, so you can join with other Utrecht customers and staff in making a collaborative painting!

Watch this space, and I will post our results.

Using Interactive Artists’ Acrylics:

When I first saw the Atelier Interactive paints I was intrigued but skeptical. They are a new formula of acrylics that not only can stay workable for longer, but can be re-activated after they have dried.

(With traditional acrylics, once they have dried, that’s it. You can layer new colors on top of an existing layer, but you can’t blend directly into the old layer, and it is difficult if not impossible to remove paint after it has dried.)

Last night, I finally tried working with the Atelier Interactives. I jumped right into it and made two complete small paintings. (I had two 4 x 6 inch canvases that seemed the perfect size for experimenting on.) I was excited about the prospect of scratching back into the paint after it had dried. And I had an idea of doing night scenes, with yellow-orange glowing through a blue black background.

I prepared my two canvases with a base coat of a warm orange color.

After the paint had dried, I put down a layer of the Binder Medium as an isolation coat.

(Note: don’t be impatient. At first I tried putting the Binder Medium down while the first coat was still tacky. This caused an unpleasant clumping effect. I wiped that area off, let it dry, and tried again. No harm done.)

For the first canvas, I began sketching in my subject matter (the glowing sign for a corner store in my neighborhood.) I used a photo that I took for reference. The dark color is ultramarine blue with a little brown in it.

I have a fondness for signs. Beautiful or ugly, they are a big part of the urban landscape.

Then I added more detail (and more colors.) I created some texture by scratching back into the paint with a scratchboard tool. (see ATM sign)

While I waited for that layer to fully dry, I started work on the second painting.

I covered that canvas entirely with a blue layer:

While the paint was still tender, I began drawing into it with a small wooden “stylus” (basically a short dowel which had been sharpened to a blunt point.) My idea was to have a tree glowing against a dark background, as if caught in a spotlight.

As the paint dried more, I added more texture with a scratchboard tool (gently, so as not to remove more paint than I wanted.) I wet areas that had fully dried, and was able to easily remove the paint with a rag. This created the texture of the leaves. A small dab of the “Unlocking Formula” was enough to completeley re-wet the dried paint, so that it was easy to wipe away. (The layer of “Binder Medium” that I had applied previously kept the orange paint in the previous layer from being re-activated as well.)

Back to the liquor store painting:

I added more highlights, and lettering on the sign. I was unsatisfied with the lettering at first, but it wiped off easily with a wet rag, and I tried again. I scratched away some more details with my trusty scratchboard knife. (I enjoy this painting style because it is similar to carving.)

The finished painting:

“Family portrait” of the two paintings, with the materials used to create them:

All artwork and text by Alexis Babayan

You can see more of my art at: http://flickr.com/photos/babayan

Water sprayer: for moistening acrylic paints so they don’t dry too quickly. (This can be used for traditional acrylics as well as the Interactive Acrylics.)

Unlocking Formula: for re-activating dried Interactive Acrylic paints, so that they can be easily wiped away or blended into. (This formula is specific to their brand of acrylics.) It can be applied with a brush (for small areas) or a water sprayer (for larger areas.)

Binder Medium: for forming an isolation coat to protect a layer of paint (so that the layer on top can be manipulated without damaging the previous layer.) It also can be used as a glaze to thin paints and produce a glossy finish.

For more info on the Atelier Interactive paints, you can visit their website at:

http://www.chromaonline.com

Starting out in Block Printmaking:

I am completely biased towards this subject: I adore block printmaking. (a.k.a “relief printmaking”) Block printing is the most primitive means of “mass producing” images. The basic technology of it goes back to the Middle Ages (or even earlier.) You carve away the areas that you want to be white. What is left raised will pick up the ink and print as black (or your chosen color.) It tends to produce very bold, graphic effects, although it can also be very sophisticated. Woodblock and linoleum block prints use the same basic technique, the main difference being that wood has a grain and linoleum does not. Most beginners start with lino because it is easier to carve and more widely available. (I work with both, depending on what effect I am going for and which one is handy at the time. Linoleum is easier to work with than wood for designs that include many fine details and curving lines. Wood will encourage you to carve in a certain direction, while linoleum is equally carvable in all directions. The appeal of wood is in its grain and texture.)

Part I- Planning your design and preparing your block

You need:

Sketching materials

Linoleum block

Carving tools

Tracing paper (optional)

Drawing ink (optional)

Bold, high-contrast designs tend to work best. Any shading will have to be through hatching. Delicate black-on-white line work is the most difficult to achieve, because you need to carve away on either side of the line. (White-on-black lines are a piece of cake.)

Experiment!

I like to coat my wood or linoleum blocks with a wash of ink and let it dry before I start carving. That way, each cut shows up clearly against the dark background, and it is much easier to visualize how the finished print will look. Linoleum has a slick surface and doesn’t always like to take the ink wash, which can tend to bead up. It helps to wipe it clean with a wet rag or paper towel. Higgins Black Magic ink works well.

Don’t forget that your image is going to print in reverse. (The print will be a mirror image of the block.) This is particularly important if you are including text in your image. It helps to sketch out your design on tracing paper and then flip it over. You can also take your block-in-progress and hold it up to a mirror, to make sure that your design looks as good in reverse as you think it will.

Linoleum gets a bit softer and easier to carve when it is warm. It helps to blow on it with a hot hair dryer.

Tools: at a bare minimum, you need a v-shaped blade for carving out fine lines, a wider u-shaped blade for clearing large areas, and a straight knife (similar to an X-acto.)

Speedball makes a lino cutter set with a handle and 5 interchangeable blades which is a good way to start out. If you get into woodblock carving as well as lino carving, you may want to get a set of more durable woodcut tools that can be re-sharpened. (Avoid the very small sets that are intended for whittling or craft work. Get something specifically intended for woodblock carving.)

Above: Left to right, v-tools made by Edward C. Lyons (set of 5 tools, Utrecht item #44232) Loew-Cornell (set of 5 tools, item #44233), and Speedball (handle and 5 blades, item #55826)

Part II: Printing your block

You need: A brayer (a soft rubber roller) for applying your ink. (They are available in sizes from 1.5 to 6 inches. 4 inches is good size for most purposes.)

An inking plate (Anything smooth and flat will work. A glass palette is excellent.)

A palette knife or ink knife (recommended for spreading the ink on your inking plate.)

A baren or spoon for applying pressure

Paper (the ideal for hand printmaking is something that is both thin and sturdy. I like Rives Lightweight or mulberry paper. Newsprint or sketch paper can be used for trial proofs.)

Block printing ink (both water- and oil- based inks are available. Water based inks dry more quickly and are easier to clean up. Oil based inks stay workable longer, but require mineral spirits or another solvent for cleanup.)

Spread your ink on your inking plate and roll it out with your brayer. You will know it is ready when it looks even and makes a “thwwwwk” kissing sound as you roll the brayer across. Roll the ink onto your block, making sure that all important areas are covered.

Move the block to a clean surface. Lay your sheet of printing paper onto the block. With a spoon or baren, thoroughly burnish the back side of the printing paper. The nice thing about using a thinner printing paper is that you can see where your ink is picking up. When you are finished burnishing, carefully lift the paper. Congratulations! You have a print! (Now repeat, if you can make several prints all the same you will have an edition!)

Part III: Registration

If you are making a simple one-color print, you can probably just eyeball it, but where registration is important, it is useful to make a registration guide. This shows where your block is positioned in relation to your paper, and enables you to combine multiple blocks in one image. (You can remove one block and put in a second color block, in full confidence that they will be in sync.) I make a simple registration guide out of cardboard. I cut the cardboard to the size of my paper and cut an opening in the board the size of my block. That way I know my block will not slide or go anywhere. After I lay my paper over the block, I clip it down with bulldog clips, so I know it will not go anywhere either. When the first block is printed, I do not unclip the paper… instead I gently lift it, remove the first block and put in the second inked block. That way the two blocks can’t help but line up. It’s a nearly foolproof system. Congratulations! You, too, can be a block printing master.

Sincerely,

Alexis Babayan

Shameless self-promotion: You can check out my woodcuts, linocuts, and other artwork at www.flickr.com/photos/babayan

Detail: the carved linoleum block

Proof of the carved linoleum block

(art copyright A. Babayan 2007)

We are looking for a few good artists to join our team.  Are you passionate about art?  Enjoy discussing technique, mediums and style?  Come in today and fill out an application!  1909 University Avenue @ MLK