• Home
  • About
  • Gallery ~ Books, broadsides and ephemera
  • Studio Rental, Residency & Instruction
  • Fine Bindings

Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press

~ Fine letterpress and intaglio printing ~ Celebrating 30 years in 2022

Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press

Tag Archives: Joseph Conrad

Video

Tonal backgrounds for artwork

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Deep Wood Press in Books, Equipment, Heart of Darkness, Letterpress, Printing, The Intruder

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ATF Kelly 2 letterpress, Heart of Darkness, intaglio, John Voelker, Joseph Conrad, Letterpress, The Intruder

For the center spread we did for Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” I needed access to a bigger press. A friends shop has an old Kelly 2 press in Charlevoix, MI about 40 minutes away. The sheet is 35.5 x 12″, a little too big for any current letterpress at DWP.

I hand inked four 16 gauge copper plates and arranged them on a template on my BAG intaglio press to get the background tones you can see already printed on the sheet. This process has a few benefits – it crushed the fibers of the Hahnemühle Biblio paper stock leaving a smoother surface for the artwork press run, the subtle color adds compositional frames around the artwork on the large page spread, and this process leaves a nice plate mark from the incredible force exerted by the intaglio press.

Today I was shooting for a similar effect but via all letterpress instead of intaglio for the background tone. I tried several ink combinations but in the end I used my own formula of a medium weight linseed oil, just the smallest dab of raw sienna and some other ink body modifiers. Once again I used copper plates but this time mounted them to type height (.918″) and ran them on my Vandercook OS 219.

plate on a Vandercook OS 219
tone plate printed on dampened sheet

wood engraving printed over tone

 

That’s Dale from Seely’s running the beast and me at the delivery end checking sheets.

Share this:

  • Share
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...


Visit the main website at deepwoodpress.com to join the mailing list and to purchase available books and broadsides.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 845 other subscribers

Categories

prototype for deluxe edition of "The Intruder"
Deluxe edition prototype
If
If
JPEG image-E3D0B7CFE94E-1
Wind prom
"The Intruder" cover
The Intruder
deluxe binding of The Intruder
deluxe binding of The Intruder
img_010339
Kafka page spread detail
opening spread for the Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop
Opening spread for the Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, intaglio engravings by Chad Pastotnik.
front cover
"The Intruder" cover
MAonbox
Title page from Killing the Bear by Judith Minty
Title page from Killing the Bear by Judith Minty
MoonTitle
If detail
Saturnalia
Saturnalia
img_6376
smithtitle
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
IMG_6015
Cover for The Changeling's Exile
The Changeling’s Exile
kirkcover
kirktitle
Glenn's remark
Glenn’s remark
IMG_6061
Killing the Bear by Judith Minty, deluxe edition binding & slipcase
Killing the Bear by Judith Minty, deluxe edition binding & slipcase
Presentation binding for The Chesapeake Voyages of Captain John Smith
Presentation binding for The Chesapeake Voyages of Captain John Smith
title page from Heart of Darkness
Title page from Heart of Darkness
IMG_6035
path2-l
Bower by Terrance Hayes
Bower by Terrance Hayes
scripta-l
hodspine
open box
Deluxe copy of The Intruder
Spread from Heart of Darkness
Spread from Heart of Darkness
Title Page
Title Page
img_6385
Center Spread
Center Spread
1,000 Artist's Books
1,000 Artist’s Books
img_010375
Green Man (1994)
Deluxe Mad Angler Poems
Opening spread for Minisens
Opening spread for Minisens
Badger c
Messing about in boats
IMG_3901
Deluxe copy of The Path
Deluxe copy of Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, regular edition binding
Heart of Darkness
IMG_6040
Cover detail
detail of “The Intruder” cover
Caxtonupspine
mosters title page
Title page for the book There Be Monsters
intruder-calf-low
Deluxe copy of Heart of Darkness
Trout spread
Trout page spread
A printed sheet next to the type form
A printed sheet next to the type form
spine label detail
spine label detail
final print comb 5
img_010373-1
smithcolormap
intruder-calf-low
intruder-erin-low
fanned book
Deluxe copy of The Changeling's Exile
Page spread from The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
Page spread from The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
Tree (1991)
spine title
IMG_7418
Deluxe copy of The Intruder
img_7436
img_6380
type hand-set on a curve
type hand-set on a curve
IMG_7440
scripta2-l
Chained books at Chetham's Library in Manchester, England where I was a keynote speaker at a letterpress conference.
Chained books at Chetham’s Library in Manchester, England where I was a speaker at a letterpress conference.
cover shot
coverspread
Ripping Oblivion
Ripping Oblivion
Deluxe copy of The Intruder
Opening spread for There be Monsters
Opening spread for There be Monsters
Custom bound journal, commissioned work
Custom bound journal, commissioned bindery work
intruder-trout-low
Glenn's intaglio plate
Glenn’s intaglio plate
Deluxe Mad Angler Poems detail
The Frogs Who Wished a King
Opening spread from Changeling's Exile
Deluxe Mad Angler
intruder-calfspinelow
cover
smithspinebx
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
The Mad Angler's Manifesto
The Mad Angler’s Manifesto
TreeAngle
IMG_0805
Deluxe copy of The Path
Where_they_rund
the process
the process
Killing the Bear by Judith Minty
Killing the Bear
drinky coaster
Page spread from The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
Page spread from The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
troutsm
top
The Path
The Path
Pile of books
Pile of Intruders
Some books produced at Deep Wood Press
Some books produced at Deep Wood Press. The John Barth book “Browsing” was printed here at DWP for The Literary House Press (Washington College, MD) by James Dissette, my sometimes partner in crime in printing for Chester River Press.
The Trout in Winter
The Trout in Winter
The 6th etching for the book, "Entitled"
The 6th etching for the book, “Entitled”
JSspread
Cover of The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
Tedprize
a pile
a pile
Hand set type and border material for Deep Wood Press promotional item.
Cover for the book There Be Monsters
There Be Monsters.
the linoleum blocks for "The Path" center spread
the linoleum blocks for “The Path” center spread
Along with Youth by Ernest Hemingway broadside
Along with Youth
CD packaging
CD packaging
IMG_6027
wordpress visitor counter

blog stuff

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Book lovers

  • John Voelker Foundation
  • Fine Press Book Association An organization of individuals interested in the art of fine printing, formed with the goal of promoting the appreciation of beautiful books and printing skills.
  • Books and Vines Musings on Classic Literature, Collectable Books, Fine Wines and a Sundry Other Things that Make Life Interesting.
  • Wood Engravers' Network Since 1994, a group of printmakers, especially interested in wood engraving, have gathered and formed an organization called the Wood Engravers’ Network.
  • The Book Blog A blog dedicated to collectible books by fine presses & other specialty publishers.
  • Deep Wood Press website

Book Bindings Books Breon Mitchell - Franz Kafka Broadsides CODEX Equipment Fine Press Book Association Future Projects In the Penal Colony Letterpress Linotype Mad Parrot Press Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair Moon as Bright as Water Oak Knoll Fest PR and Media releases Printing The Hunter Gracchus The Intruder The Mad Angler's Manifesto The Path The Wind in the Willows Trout Vladimir Zimakov Workshop

On Facebook:

On Facebook:

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

  • Follow Following
    • Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press
    • Join 170 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: