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Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press

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Chad Pastotnik, Deep Wood Press

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Tonal backgrounds for artwork

20 Friday Apr 2012

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

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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.

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Glenn's remark
Glenn’s remark
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Chained books at Chetham’s Library in Manchester, England where I was a speaker at a letterpress conference.
A printed sheet next to the type form
A printed sheet next to the type form
Deluxe copy of The Path
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a pile
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Title page for the book There Be Monsters
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the linoleum blocks for "The Path" center spread
the linoleum blocks for “The Path” center spread
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Presentation binding for The Chesapeake Voyages of Captain John Smith
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"The Intruder" cover
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Cover for the book There Be Monsters
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Opening spread for the Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, intaglio engravings by Chad Pastotnik.
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Opening spread for There be Monsters
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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.
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front cover
Deluxe copy of The Path
The Path
The Path
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.
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Trout page spread
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spine label detail
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Ripping Oblivion
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deluxe binding of The Intruder
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Killing the Bear by Judith Minty, deluxe edition binding & slipcase
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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.
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The 6th etching for the book, "Entitled"
The 6th etching for the book, “Entitled”
Custom bound journal, commissioned work
Custom bound journal, commissioned bindery work
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Opening spread from Changeling's Exile
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CD packaging
CD packaging
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Cover of The Frogs Who Wished A King by Aesop, versified by Clara Dotty Bates.
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Hand set type and border material for Deep Wood Press promotional item.
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
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prototype for deluxe edition of "The Intruder"
Deluxe edition prototype
Opening spread for Minisens
Opening spread for Minisens
type hand-set on a curve
type hand-set on a curve
Deluxe copy of The Changeling's Exile
"The Intruder" cover
The Intruder
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Deluxe Mad Angler
Along with Youth by Ernest Hemingway broadside
Along with Youth
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Don Etherington binding of The Intruder
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detail of “The Intruder” cover
Tree (1991)
The Frogs Who Wished a King
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Cover for The Changeling's Exile
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Deluxe copy of The Intruder
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cover shot
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Wind prom
title page from Heart of Darkness
Title page from Heart of Darkness
Center Spread
Center Spread
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Deluxe copy of The Intruder
Title page from Killing the Bear by Judith Minty
Title page from Killing the Bear by Judith Minty
Glenn's intaglio plate
Glenn’s intaglio plate
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The Trout in Winter
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The Mad Angler's Manifesto
The Mad Angler’s Manifesto
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