Category: experimental

PRINTMAKING: Fish Six

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking May 9, 2023

This is the final in a series of six posts documenting the production of the experimental prints that I created using woodblock printmaking techniques and their use for both gallery exhibition as art prints and also as animation frames in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see the photos below). The fish in this post is the kohada. Its static shape on the woodblock and in the film frame contrasts with the simulated flooding of coloured toxins from commercial pollution which are overlaid around it and which eventually poison the fish. Variations in the volume of ink applied to the block plus the choice of hue produced a range of similar but different outcomes that, when edited in sequence, contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. At most times the associated movement of both fish and toxins dramatically and frantically appear to twitch and jump all over the frame. The action looks frenetic. That effect is reinforced by the percussive soundtrack. The film was selected and screened at CINANIMA, the Animation Festival in Esphino, Portugal, and at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney, as well as at the Big Day Out rock festival in Sydney (see certificate and photo on a previous post: PRINTMAKING: Fish Four).

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, dark blue ink over black base shape of fish with blue and green ink striped overlay and surrounds, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

A woodblock print with overloaded, hand-coloured blue ink blotches for gallery exhibition and as a single frame in my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Michael Hill. The print of the fish for the animation has overloaded blotches of blue and grey ink smudged overlaid onto the basic shape of fish with yellow and grey ink surrounds, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Michael Hill. The print of the fish for animation has overloaded blotch of green ink over the outline shape of the fish with surrounding pink and grey ink smudges and brush strokes, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.). Imagine seeing all seven of the above frames within a single second of the film…it’s a quite frantic movement of colour, shape and positioning!

Sitting at the Oxberry animation film rostrum stand back in 1990, shooting the film, frame by frame, from the individual woodblock prints. I appear both happy and calm and pleased with the process despite the frantic impact that the film makes. I do listen to music while I work but I don’t recall what I was listening to that day.

A later grouping of one species of the fish for art gallery exhibition. Individual prints were torn and collaged into a school formation.

This post concludes my look at the Toxic Fish animation project, however, there will be further posts under the PRINTMAKING banner.

POSTCARD ART: Ninth Posting

Art, art postcards, experimental, in the studio, painting, printmaking February 27, 2023

Continuing my POSTCARD series of blogs with another post profiling the design and production of the art postcards that I have been designing and printing for more than a decade. (See links to some of the previous POSTCARD posts below). On this occasion I am continuing my retrospective look back at some cards I have made in the past, this time going right back to the beginning of the design and production of them in 2006 and 2007. Some of my other POSTCARD posts feature batches from subsequent years. An example of these is contained in the final photos of grouped cards in this post, in gallery exhibition mode. My postcard design project was initially inspired by a trip to Japan to study of some traditional Modernist printmaking approaches that had taken place there. My cards were produced by hand in limited edition batches with no two cards being exactly alike. The composite elements of each print, both background and overlaid elements meant that each card is unique, similar to the others but not one of an identical batch, more of an approximate match.

…and the third one, also 2007, from the same series of *Abstract Art Postcards.* (Photo and artwork-©2007 Dr. Michael Hill).

Abstract Nos. 1-11, an exhibition of my Postcard Art at the University Technology, Sydney in 2007. (Photo and artwork-©2007 Dr. Michael Hill).

On the opening night of the exhibition with Cosmo Arai and her Mexican colleague from the Japan Foundation in Sydney that I had been involved with on Japanese culture projects both in Australia and Japan. (Photo and artwork-©2007 Dr. Michael Hill).

A closer shot of the gallery window display that was illuminated on a 24 hour/7 days a week basis. Note that despite the postcards being displayed in groupings, the cards in each group are not identical. They are basically similar but not part of an identical set, as mentioned above. This is due to my variations in the printmaking stage where some elements were printed separately and not always in the exact same position on each card. These cards were not printed from a single set block but cumulatively from several separate blocks and single elements. The result is that they all look similar and part of a set but in terms of the positioning of the graphic elements and the intensity of colour and texture no two are identical…it may seem to some to be a bit of a stretch to call them mono prints but that is essentially what they are. (Photo and artwork-©2007 Dr. Michael Hill).

Nine of my art postcards from the earliest batches of my printmaking on sale a few years later at the *Gauge Gallery* in Glebe. (Photo and artwork-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill).

Subsequent batches, produced up to a decade later, show an increased diversity in design and number of batches of cards. Once I started making art postcards it became part of my graphic art and design expression…and I am still making them in 2023! I am also prepared to play swapsies, so if you would like one of mine I shall swap it for one of yours i.e. a limited edition art postcard that you have made by hand. To arrange a swap you can message me at: doctorcomics@gmail.com (Photo and artwork-©2018 Dr. Michael Hill).

Front and rear view of the invitation to my Postcard Art show back in the day. (Photo and artwork-©2007 Dr. Michael Hill)

IN THE STUDIO-Session 3

Art, art postcards, Comics, experimental, in the studio, printmaking August 15, 2022

This graphic production stage series of posts that were made over several years, shows some selected, assorted shots of the “making” stage, whether for animation, comics, postcards, prints or paintings, in a small studio setting, with music playing in the background. I always work to music. Some photos even show the music equipment and/or the selected CD playing for that session.

Working on my comic *BLOTTING PAPER* here…you can see the title block around the middle of the photo, towards the top….it’s a printmaking moment…the letters of the title appear in reverse in this photo but when printed will be the right way round. I tend to use printmaking a lot in the generation of images. That drop-cloth underneath all of the objects has a history of being printed on…nothing specific, just spillages and stains. (Photo and artwork-©2013 Dr. Michael Hill)

Although we are in the studio here I can take this case outside and around with me if I happen to be working on location somewhere, like in a park. You can see that it is quite battered but it still closes shut, firmly…and chock-a-block full of printmaking bits and pieces. (Photo-©2013 Dr. Michael Hill)

I also have a tin of colour pencils…I love those water-based aquarelle types…you can see the brush and the water jar at the bottom right so when I use the dry pencils first I can later add a wet brush to make the drawing appear like it was painted or inked. There are also a couple of rulers, one wooden, the other steel…useful for measurement or obtaining a straight edge to an image…plus pencil shavings and a CD cover. (Photo and artwork-©2015 Dr. Michael Hill)

Or I can start with wet drawing with a wet brush dipped in ink…still in the studio. There’s a linocut block face down on the drop-cloth next to some brushes and an open jar of ink. (Photo and artwork-©2018 Dr. Michael Hill)

I also have a set of rollers for inking blocks of wood or lino for printmaking…plus another good look at all the ink stains on the drop-cloth as a result of many, many printmaking sessions. (Photo-©2017 Dr. Michael Hill)

Following printing of the main image comes the stamping of my name block, completing the postcards with a touch of that classic red Chinese ink. (Photo and artwork-©2019 Dr. Michael Hill)

There is a different name stamp on this one…I have a few versions…all designed by me…M for Michael…that’s me, and that’s how I write my letter “m” in scripted upper case. (Photo and artwork-©2021 Dr. Michael Hill)

A bit of a hectic printmaking session here with 5 different designs of postcards being stamped…and there’s another version of my shaped “m” on these cards…half writing, half symbol…developed with a Japanese colleague…a group of hills, roughly in the shape of the letter “m” for Michael, but also for “hill” from the Latin mons, mantis…mountain or hills…and there’s a zucchini in there…was it a snack or did I use it as a stamp? (Photo and artwork-©2020 Dr. Michael Hill)

Finishing off with a plate of vegetables on the printmaking table in the studio…this lot is not for eating but excellent material for inking and printing, particularly the flat bits, dipped in ink and pressed down on the selected print surface…can be messy but a good source of abstract textural patterns. Don’t eat after inking! (Photo-©2022 Dr. Michael Hill)

PRINTMAKING: Fish Five

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking February 8, 2022

This is the fifth in a series of six posts documenting the production of the experimental prints that I created with woodblock printmaking techniques for both gallery exhibition and also as frames in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see photos below). The fish in this sequence is the gizzard shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins from commercial pollution which are overlaid around it which eventually poison the fish. Variations in the volume of ink applied to the block plus the choice of hue produced a range of similar but different outcomes that when edited in sequence contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. The film was screened at CINANIMA, the Animation Festival in Esphino, Portugal, and at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney, and also at the Big Day Out rock festival in Sydney (see certificate and photo on previous post: PRINTMAKING: Fish Four).

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, green ink over black shape of fish with red and green ink smudged overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, orange ink over black shape of fish with blue and grey ink smudged overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, pink ink over black shape of fish with pink ink smudged overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, red ink over black shape of fish with red and grey ink smudged overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

Some examples of the fish art from the animation, as in the image above, have been added to the Doctor Comics website (doctorcomics.com) under the post heading PRINTMAKING: Fish 1, 2, 3 etc.(see links below at the bottom of this post).

All photos postcards, postcard art and printmaking by Dr. Michael Hill aka Doctor Comics.

PRINTMAKING: Fish Four

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking February 14, 2021

This is the fourth post documenting the production of experimental fish prints that I created with woodblock printmaking techniques and their use in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see photos below). The fish in this sequence is the Kohada. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins from commercial pollution which are overlaid around it which eventually poison the fish. Variations in the volume of ink applied to the block plus the choice of hue produced a range of similar but different outcomes that when edited in sequence contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. The film was screened at the Animation Festival in Esphino, Portugal(see certificate below), and at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney, and also at the Big Day Out rock festival in Sydney.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Monoprint of image for animation, black ink for shape of fish with black ink surrounds), for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.).

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (black ink with sepia wash overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Woodblock print of image, blue/black ink with green ink overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) The fish in this sequence is the *Kohada* or Gizzard Shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins around it.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (print of image for animation purple/brown ink over black with green ink overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (print of image for animation with use of overprinting out of registration to stress texture.) This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork.

Two of the hand-carved woodblocks of various sizes and sharpening stone that were used in the production of the animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill..

Me, shooting the film on the Oxberry animation rostrum camera for the animated film *Toxic Fish*-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill.

Certificate of participation in the International Animation Festival, Espinho, Portugal, 1990.

Colleague Jeremy Allen pointing to the large screen projection of my film at the rock music event *BIG DAY OUT.* (Photo and artwork-©1990 Dr. Michael Hil).

All photos postcards, postcard art and printmaking by Dr. Michael Hill aka Doctor Comics.

PRINTMAKING: Fish Three

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking May 5, 2017

This is the third post on the fish prints I made with woodblock printmaking techniques for the experimental animated film Toxic Fish. The fish in this sequence is the Kohada or Gizzard Shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins around it.

Fish woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. Fish printed in black ink with orange and yellow surrounds including grey smudging. This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork and was also later reworked and published as an art postcard-©1999 Dr. Michael Hill.

Fish woodblock print with overlaid pale-blue hand-colouring and orange surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish-© 1990 Michael Hill. This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork and also published as an art postcard-©1999 Dr. Michael Hill.

Fish woodblock print with overlaid purple hand-colouring with yellow and pink surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish-© 1990 Michael Hill. This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork and also published as an art postcard-©1999 Dr. Michael Hill.

Overlay textural effect inking of a sequence of prints for the animation on the floor of the studio. (Photo by Louise Graber).

Other posts of my graphic based material include:

MORE CARTOONS

POSTCARD-Second Series

PRINTMAKING: Fish Two

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking January 28, 2017

This is the second post in my series of making fish prints made using the woodblock printmaking method for my experimental animated film titled Toxic Fish. As the ocean fish are poisoned their bodies swell up then disintegrate. The static shape of the fish from the woodblock holds firm at first before being flooded by toxins. The method employed was to gradually over-ink the block so that details were dampened into puddles and definition reduced.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film Toxic Fish-© 1990 Michael Hill.

Here is a photo of me carving one of the blocks using a Japanese chisel. Warning: this is not the recommended way to of doing it! It is much safer done on a fixed bench with one carving away from, not towards, oneself. The photo is condensed pose of the process for promotional purposes.

Hand carving one of the woodblocks for the animated film Toxic Fish-Photograph © 1990 Demetra Christopher.

If you liked this post you might like to look at others on my Blog.

PRINTMAKING: Fish One

THE GRAFIK GUITAR

POSTCARD

PRINTMAKING: Fish One

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking July 23, 2016

This series of posts will profile a collection of creative prints that I have made over the years, beginning with a series of fish. Using the woodblock printmaking method with variations in inking to make monoprints, the prints made could be used in animation. Six species of fish were featured, the first of which, featured here, is the Japanese Tai or sea bream. I was very attracted to the idea of working in both animation or printmaking at the time but found it difficult to sustain both and then to choose between the two. I found the answer in combining both mediums. Animation’s enormous need for artwork could be more speedily met by using the printmaking medium. I was doubly happy but have since settled on making comics which falls in the space somewhere in-between the other two.