For today's litho* experiments I used a Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Pen** with a new ink cartridge, and Dr. Ph. Martin's Black Star India Ink. And because I was using ink, I did heat-set these plates.

The plate on the left was drawn with the India Ink. I used the dip pen to outline the feather and then a brush to paint on the ink. The plate on the right was drawing with the Pentel brush pen.

I started by printing the brush pen falling feather plate first. It took many prints on newsprint to build up ink on the plate, but I managed an okay print.

The first test print of the India ink feather grabbed all the ink!

I switched to the good paper and then made 4 prints. After the first print which is obviously over-inked, I switched brayers, laid down less ink and stopped running the plated back through the press a second time and got better prints.

So, the brush pen and the Dr Martin's India ink and both viable options for making plates. I'm really excited that the lines made with the dip pen showed up. I don't really like drawing with Sharpies, but I love love love drawing with ink. I think I might just stick with the India ink for awhile while I work on getting the inking and printing of the plates dialed in.

*Pronto Plate Lithography. Please don't make me type that out every time.

** I should get a 2nd pen just to keep an almost empty cartridge in because that makes some amazing dry brush textures. I also didn't know that they had gray and sepia cartridges. Want! I'll pick up another one the next time I go to Blick Art Supplies.

Whether it is photography or printmaking, I am always making prints. My friend Christopher always makes a joke that someday my "prints" will come - a riff on 'Someday my prince will come.' He's like that.

Well, he has finally found his true love and is getting married next weekend! I can't think of any princess jokes that would apply. Maybe something about if the shoe fits... I don't know. They met at the dog park ... ??

Yeah, there is no good place to go with that so I'll just leave the bad jokes to him and just carry on being so damn happy for them.

I'm thinking about that joke today because of this:

A rack full of drying prints that I've made this week! 12 that I made just this morning. Erin has forbidden me from singing Pharrell Williams' "Happy", but I am. Happy happy happy.

I've recently switched things up (who's surprised?) and have started making collagraphs. When I made collagraphs in the past, I had built up the surfaces on the base and rolled the ink with a brayer and printed the plates as relief prints. Now I am cutting into the matboards and intaglio-inking into the recesses. I seem to have found my peace with the tarlatans and wiping plates. Who knows, maybe there are etchings in my future?

And then there are the lithographs. After the Pronto Plate Lithography workshop I took last month, I immediately ordered all the things I would need to do this process at home. After testing several different pens, markers, and ink, it seems the china marker is giving me the best results so far:

::insert happy dance here::

I'll keep experimenting. I know there is a pen/marker that will give me the thin lines I want. I also need to get some toner powder. And for the pronto plate-curious, I am heat setting my plates in the oven for 3 mins at 250 degrees.

Hit me up if you've got questions or advice! I am wingin' it here.