Once all the primary symbols or elements have been printed and composed I can begin to address the over work
and its tonal relationships. In the case of this print it’s actually a process of applying textures and tone to the
background. Because of the sheer size of the print the background plate had to be drawn on the largest stone the
Honolulu Printmakers workshop has to offer. Even using the largest stone available the background still had to be
drawn and printed in two separate prints to cover the entire length of the print!
Below are the color separations
for the background of this print.
They are displayed in the order
they were printed to show the
slow build up and progression of
this print.
Not all of the background
printings were from large
stones. Many were from
smaller ones used to tint,
color or darken areas not
taken care of by the larger
more universal printings.
The proof to the left shows
how ink blend-rolls can
tint an area in a subtle
gradation, even though,
as the drawn stone bellow
shows, it is drawn as a
solid “flat”.
The Inking Slab to the right
shows how two separate
inks are aligned on the slab,
rolled into one smooth blend
and then always printed in
the same direction.
The final element for this print is a true diagram of facial beauty developed by Dr. Marquardt, a renowned
Californian Plastic Surgeon whose personal passion has been the study of the relationship between proportions
and perceived beauty. In order to incorporate this very graphic and linear diagram with the rest of my print
tonal and textural plates had to be drawn and printed one at a time.
With the final element and its support layers printed there was only one last adjustment that had to be made
The background still did not have the tonal density I wanted so another large stone had to be prepared and
a background drawing designed and printed to give more depth to the surface of the print.
With this last pass through the press a very intricate and laborious large print is finished.
Not all of the background
printings were from large
stones. Many were from
smaller ones used to tint,
color or darken areas not
taken care of by the larger
more universal printings.
