Continuing the series of regular reports documenting the production process of the first and second issues of my artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics, Chapter 1: The Ingurgitator and Chapter 2: A Blot On His Escutcheon, this post focuses on the various print layers that were put together to create the intended cover design of the first issue and not used but may be in the second issue.

Uninked title block drying in the sun-© 2011 Michael Hill.

The type is assembled in reverse so that it reads the right way round when printed. A plywood block was used as a base and the rubber letters glued onto it.

Background texture formed the first print layer-© 2011 Michael Hill.

A blue colour overlay was printed on the background to form the second layer-© 2011 Michael Hill.

Working in a tiny studio I had no available bench space for drying. Letting the prints dry outside on the ground in the Spring sunshine proved a fast way to obtain the dryness. On the other hand the prints were susceptible to a breeze that arose and and got blown off the stone path into the grass and falling frangipani flowers of the studio garden.

Prints on the grass making a run for it–© 2011 Michael Hill

Some of the prints took advantage of the wind and jumped onto the grass. Accepting any randomness in my print process I didn’t mind when some of the wet prints landed face down on the grass and were smudged.

Title design printed on overlay and background-© 2011 Michael Hill.

The final stage involved printing the type over the blue overlay and brown background.

For a visual diary record and time-line overview of this project, see all of the BLOTTING PAPER production reports.

Issue #1:   No.1   No.2   No.3   No.4   No.5   No.6   No.7   No.8   No.9   No.10   No.11   No.12   No.13   Issue #2:   No.14   No.15   No.16   No.17   No.18   No.19   No.20   No.21   No.22   No.23   No.24   No.25   No.26   No.27   No.28   No.29