Emily Trueblood: Printmaker

After finishing a line drawing using sketches and photos, with transfer paper I transfer the drawing to a wood or linoleum block. As with other print media, the transferred drawing must be backwards. Then I cut out the line using special woodblock knives and gauges, roll oil-based black ink on a glass surface with a hand roller, and roll the inked roller over the surface of the block until it is fully covered. I place the block in a linoleum frame that is on the bed of the press (flat part of the press that slides under the roller). I have several frames with openings cut to the sizes of the blocks I use. Then I put paper on top of the inked block and roll it under the heavy roller which transfers the ink from the block to the paper. I print several prints and then draw and paint on them until I know what I want to do. After more cutting on the first block, I offset the image onto one to three more blocks. To offset, I print the first block then tape the paper to the frame, exchange the first block with one that is uncut, and run it through the press to transfer the image from the paper to the block. After cutting the other block(s), usually one for each color, I continue with the proofing process until I am sure how I want the print to look.

When I am ready to print an edition or part of an edition (usually 50 prints with five artist's proofs), I mix the colors, bearing in mind that one color printed over another makes a third color. Then I tear enough paper (Rives heavyweight white) to the right size to print the whole or part of the edition. Printing can be frustrating because every print has its own problem, such as having a block that is difficult to ink, and many bad prints are discarded along the way. When the edition has been printed and the prints have dried for a couple of weeks, I sign, title, and date the prints.

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