That’s when, generally, I start something new. I haven’t though. Maybe it’s the weather. Cold and rain and no sun dampen my energy and I generally would prefer to hibernate. One thing I have is discipline and I am in the shop every dang day doing something. Sometimes it’s cleaning, sometimes it’s organizing, sometimes it’s planning.
I am doing a book about my time living in France. Actually, there are two books. One is mostly text, and one is mostly pictures. I have been working on the manuscript for some years and don’t seem to make much progress. It is too long, too sad, too boring right now, and I give up too soon when trying to edit it. One day, it will be illustrated with small engravings or woodcuts inserted into the text. I think. The other one is woodcuts. Some are 8x20 blocks and some are two 8x10s that form a diptych. The text part I haven’t worked out yet. My New Year’s goal was to get 4 of these blocks done this year, but that is probably rather optimistic. Cuz job.
One of the blocks for the aforementioned book is grapevines. I do not know what plane I was inhabiting when I drew the design, but it was not one that favored my skill level or practicality. This f***er is taking forever, and it is not done particularly well. On the other hand, this key block is so detailed that the color blocks will be pretty simple—essentially just filling in spaces like a coloring book. But ugh. The carving is a bit boring.
The other tedious project occupying my time is the other book, Zanie and the Rainbow Man. This happens with every project—it goes past the exciting part and lands firmly in the repetitive bit. This one has 22 illustrations—11 with Zanie and 11 with Rainbow Man. The latter are screen printed onto the back of the former which means each picture is done in two parts. Gads. All those stencils. I am on number 18/22, so getting there. After that I have to set and print the type. That will be more interesting. This is an edition of 10.
Screen printing produces a squeak that Sir finds irksome in the extreme, so I have to time it just right. It’s actually the cleaning between colors that makes the most noise, and as these prints have an average of 15 layers, that is a lot of high-pitched squealing. I might get through 5-6 layers in a day and maintain cordial relations, but much more than that and I am decidedly unpopular.
There is a lot of rote, repetitive, and mundane bits to producing my books. It doesn’t make me want to abandon them because one thing I really like doing is finishing them. However, I do find that I indulge my weaknesses a little more when I am faced with these dull bits. I have increased my collection of wood type, my number of 2-color cuts, my flower ornaments. I also know all about the feuds, dances, criminals, and estranged parents on tiktok. I’ve learned about toxic mothers-in-law, pedophile rings, shoplifting Karens, entitled drunks, Keith Lee, and sovereign citizens. Whether I am actually educated, or become a better person by such things, is debatable, but I am entertained.
The down side of trying to entertain myself while doing the chore part of book making is that is really does not make the work go any faster. In fact it is slower because I keep looking at the screen. This is true of quilting and knitting as well—crafts I am perpetually sure go swimmingly with TV. They do not.
In another month I ought to be done with the Zanie pictures and on to the type. And the proofs of the grapevine print ought to be at least half done. The days will be longer, and possibly sunnier, and I doubtless will have another 42 projects in mind. I will certainly have lots of new blocks to use to make things.