Woodcut: printing on Rives BFK 175 gsm paper. (3/4)

The first printing was on rice paper, which I'm more familiar with. Bryan Nash Gill would typically print on heavier block printing papers. In this video remain true to Gill's methods and the results are wonderful.

[@Mrfiveducks]

This work is wonderful. And you explain so well. Thank you very much for your contribution. Greetings from Switzerland.

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Thank you! Some of my ancestors are Swiss German. My mother's maiden name is Schallbetter.

[@Mrfiveducks]

@@TheMightyBluegill Schalbetter is a rare name in switzerland. schalbetters lived in valais in the 15th and 16th centuries only and in the 18th century many immigrated to argentina and the usa. Today, 86 schalbetter families live in the canton of wallis and central switzerland. May i ask something about your work? ink naturally dries somewhat slowly. how long does the drying process take with your ink? Thank you very much.

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Wonderful history! I will pass it on to my family. Different inks take different lengths of time to dry. In general the thicker the ink the longer it takes to dry. If too thick it will seem like it will never dry. The ink I'm using in the video is speedball akua. It is a soy oil based ink which dries by absorption. Traditional linseed oil based inks are sicative inks, which means that the oil oxidizes into an organic plastic. It hardens. Water-based inks of course dry by evaporation. If you are trying to get an oil based ink to dry more quickly, it is possible to heat set it with an iron. You can put a piece of newsprint on top of your prints and iron through that.

[@danielvitiello1635]

Awesome work! Really came out great with the thicker paper

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Thanks so much! I definitely had better results with the thicker paper

[@osobax6485]

Thank you very much! Really inspiring work and very helpful tutorial, greetings from Germany👏👏👏

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Thank you very much! Good luck making beautiful things!

[@hedvigszabo5738]

amazing artwork. Does the paper need to be wet?

[@vinitapappas]

Hey, thanks for sharing your process! Ignore the one negative comment.... I think it looks great!

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Thanks so much! I think that guy was having a bad day.

[@leahwoodall9181]

Wow!!! I’ve watched the previous videos and I’m going to try to make one of these myself! I have one question though is the ink you’re using oil based or water based?

[@TheMightyBluegill]

I'm so sorry this comment fell through the cracks I'm just getting to it now. I was using oil-based inks in this demo. Specifically I was using akua intaglio soy based ink. It or any oil-based ink in my opinion would be the best ink to use. Water-based will work, but the results will not be as fine, and you will be fighting a very fast dry time. Hope this helps!

[@luminousbynature]

If you switch ink colors or wait some time in between printing, do you somehow wash off the ink on the slice with just water or oil?

[@TheMightyBluegill]

It depends on the ink. I like a akua a lot. For that in many oil-based inks and probably most others baby wipes work great.

[@victoriahankins368]

Nice detail in describing the process! Any advice? I've been getting some nice prints using the Akua intaglio and also mixing that with their blending medium for thinner viscosity. I'm just running into an issue where the ink will not fully dry and will still come off onto my hands when I touch it days and days after. Do you also run into this? I've found a spray that works to seal the print but I'd like to get away from that.

[@TheMightyBluegill]

First off, let me apologize for taking a month to reply. I need to figure out how to get notifications on my phone. The problem you're describing is the number one problem that people complain about with akua. It's almost always due to using too much ink. Traditional oil-based inks used cicative oils, which oxidize into an organic plastic and are water fast. Akua, on the other hand, uses soy oil, and it dries by the oil being absorbed into the substrate. This means that you have to carefully control how much ink you use. A secondary factor then, is the thickness of the paper. A thicker paper is typically going to be able to absorb more ink. Also beware of using too much blending medium. I've had some trouble with that causing halos in my prints. Hope this helps!

[@regisv1332]

tip top le résultat j'aime votre travail bravo encore .

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Merci! C'est très gentil.

[@markkorolik176]

HI! I liked your work very much! I want to repeat the result, but unfortunately in my country it is difficult to find Akua paint. please tell me if ordinary acrylic paint will work? Also Speedball waterbased was recommended to me. I have the opportunity to order Akua. What is the best option? Best regards!

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Etching or relief ink will be a much better product than paint. Speedball water-based relief ink will work, but I think the two problems you will run into are that number one it will be drying very quickly on you, and number two the results will not be as refined. Water-based ink tends to have a coarser even chalkier mark.

[@mje1625]

What color BFK Rives paper did you use in this video? I'd like to use their pure white paper, but I can't find it in 175gsm... only cream-white.

[@TheMightyBluegill]

I believe you are correct. I'm looking over my last invoice and Rives BFK was only available at 280g in white. For the lighter paper in white I went for the Arnheim 1618. All these were purchased at blick art materials.

[@BusterSnakehips]

Hello, this looks great. How many times can you re-use the wood slice once you have made the first print?

[@TheMightyBluegill]

So sorry for the late reply. I would assume that you could use it many many times if you clean it off after it gets overloaded with ink.

[@markkorolik176]

Matthew, good afternoon. I tried to make prints with Akua ink, but the result was not very good. I think the problem is with the quality of the paper or the wood. I would like to ask for your professional advice. What kind of paper would you recommend to use - density, quality and manufacturer? How carefully should the wood be processed and burned? Thanks in advance for your reply. Best regards

[@TheMightyBluegill]

I replied with more detail on your Facebook page, but the thicker paper definitely helps to press it and get more detail.

[@mrwoooo]

Where do you buy your paper? And what's that roller that you are using?

[@TheMightyBluegill]

The paper is available at blick art supply. The roller is a soft rubber brayer made by speedball. It is also available at blick.

[@chancecraff]

thanks for sharing

[@jeanneoakman528]

Thanks.

[@TheMightyBluegill]

You're welcome!

[@louisefogal69]

Do you sell your work?

[@TheMightyBluegill]

Yes I do! Themightybluegil.com

[@louisefogal69]

@@TheMightyBluegill what do you charge for this kne

[@louisefogal69]

One