Thick basswood block, 1mm gouge, 3mm toh
Reduction print (11 carvings and printings)
Powdered graphite on Yamaguchi Hosho paper
10" x 7.5" (chuban)
Completed October 21, 2003 after four days of carving and printing.
My model, Jessica, was twirling around and around while I photographed her. I thought this image expressed a very feminine aspect as she looked down and tried to keep her balance atop a narrow box.
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"). I mixed the dry graphite into alcohol to make a thick paste, then mixed that into rice paste and water 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.