Printmaking: Lithography

In my printmaking class we have switched over the lithography. This is a much more in-depth process than relief printing, but I'm excited to see how my print turns out. Not gonna lie, but I think that my drawing is pretty cool. It took me a really long time to come up with something that I wanted to draw and for some reason hippos kept popping into my head. Originally I had a hippo singing, but it just wasn't working out like I wanted. Then bubbles popped into my head and then this happened...

A hippo taking a bubble bath. This was my original drawing that I then transferred onto my plate and drew using lithography crayons. This next picture is in the process of drawing it on my plate:

This is the plate after drawing the complete picture and putting on my first etch, which involves rubbing different solutions of tapem and gum arabic over certain areas. Then buffing it down and now I have to let it sit so I can move on to rolling it up, putting on the second etch and then learning to actually print it. Wish me luck! I really hopes it turns out well so that I can hang this up in my future bathroom.

Hope you are having a bubbly day!!

Luisa would be so proud!

On Friday, Leigh and I decided to turn back to our Spanish roots and attempt to make the Spanish tortilla. It turned out SO well!! We were very proud and decided that our Spanish mothers would be proud of us as well. The Spanish tortilla is made up of potatoes, onion and egg. So it's pretty simple other than the flipping parts. Leigh used her super awesome flipping skills to flip the tortilla on to a plate, slip it back into the pan and then flip it out again. The tortilla actually looked and tasted pretty much like the ones we ate back in Spain. I would have to say that Leigh and I rocked it.

Thanks for the recipe and teaching me how to cook the Spanish tortilla Luisa! As we would always say in Spain, "¡mmmm es muy rica!"

"Everything is great, everything is grand..."

Life has been great lately. Despite being stressed out of my mind sometimes, I'm loving it. Especially because I was reunited with these lovely ladies! Not to brag, but Hinckley Hall 3200 is THE BEST! It was seriously so great to catch up with these girls and see what they've been up to since last year. They are all amazing. That was a great night.

I've also been working in the wood shop lately, which is awesome. Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared to be using the power tools because teachers always preface using them with basically that you could die using any of the machines. Glad to say that I still am alive with all of my fingers and limbs intact. Basically considering being a carpenter because it was actually so fun. Now I always want to make my own panels for painting.

This past weekend I got to go visit some family, which was the best. I love my family. It was a weekend filled with great company and delicious food. I made chocolate chip cookies :) One of my favorite activities.

Not to toot my own horn, but they were pretty delicious.

I also received a package from home which is one of the best surprises ever! Thanks family!!!

I was very excited to find a mini glass flamingo in the package from Emmy. She's the best.

I just finished my color studies for my painting class. I had to do a color wheel in both watercolor and oil paints and 2 color studies in oil and 1 in watercolor. Thus far I've really enjoyed my painting class. I feel inspired every time I go.

Painting is also a vary relaxing and reflective activity so it's nice to relieve some stress.

hope everything is great and grand in your life!

Life Lately...

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

The Livingstons celebrated in style. 

2011 was an amazing year. It'll be hard to beat, but I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great one.

In other news...I'm back at school now and it's going great. I'm loving my roommates and classes this semester. I'm taking a printmaking class and I'm almost finished with the first assignment. We are doing relief prints on a linoleum block first. Here's how my project went from a drawing of Maxwell:

To actually carving him out of the linoleum:

And then creating a print:

I think it's turning out pretty cool. Excited to get printing again tomorrow!