"Jessica Turning", woodblock print, 11 state reduction, graphite on Yamaguchi Hosho paper approximately 10" x 7.5" (chuban) completed October 21, 2003.

A completed print - October 21, 2003

Detail showing one square inch of a completed print (click image above to enlarge).


One block reduced by re-carving and re-printing 11 times.

 

This was my first experiment with graphite. I bought a one pound bag from Daniel Smith for about $10. Used about a teaspoon to produce these fifty-two 11" x 8" sheets (later trimmed to 10" x 7.5"). Mixed the dry graphite into alcohol, then mixed that into rice paste and printed as usual. Not surprisingly, these little woodblock prints have the character and 'feel' of little pencil drawings. The figure is approximately 3.5" tall. Very tiny!