"THE WOLF" Woodcut - Carved!

I haven't been very timely with my blog posting on the making of this new woodcut,"THE WOLF," but you can see the whole start-to-finish process unfolding on Flickr photoset here!

This block is 10" tall by 18" wide - paper size will be roughly 12" x 18". The block will be rolled with black ink and printed to a natural tone paper, much like "YOUNG PINES" and "BOWING FLOWER".

Pre-order is live, price bumps up a bit at the end of the week so now is the time for a deal: Pre-order here!

-Valerie

PRINTING "DAISY BOUQUET"

The "DAISY BOUQUET" woodcut, a new 20" x 16" print in our shop!  Published from 2 blocks on Natural Kitakata Paper. Drawn, carved, and printed by the artists. Edition of 100 prints.

"DAISY BOUQUET" WOODCUT, 1st PROOF!

"DAISY BOUQUET" 

20" x 16" Woodcut on Natural Kitakata

Tugboat Printshop (Valerie & Paul), 2015.

While we wile away the hours on large & super intensive projects, we keep a lot of drawings on wood in progress going behind the scenes. Sometimes we get so excited about a new image, we have to make it! In that spirit, of new things growing & summer awakening, we introduce a surprise new woodcut print!

A still-life composition, printed from 2 woodblocks in dark & light, the "DAISY BOUQUET" is a pretty & classic print. Blossoms fringed with white-tinted petals burst from branching stems. Whimsical patterns of star shaped pollens tip each flower's center.

Simple, serene. Get a "DAISY BOUQUET" from the online shop HERE!

PRINTING BLUE & BLACK

The finished print is HERE!

Carving "MOTH" Woodcut (Key Block)

THE MOON

The biggest piece we've tackled to date--AND we have a special offer for the holidays to be able to get one at a really great price!

Subject of myth, fable, story and wonderment…our constant extraterrestrial partner, producer of tides and stepping stone to the great abyss beyond…THE MOON!

We look to the sky knowing that shining little circle is out there, it's radiant face reflecting light down through the dark of night. Nestled into a backdrop of twinklin stars (yes, this print will have those!), "THE MOON" is blown up to fantastic degree, illustrating the terrain and seas of craggy grey surface, both a map and an image. 

Really just so excited about this new print in the works that we can hardly contain ourselves! Shown above is the key block being drawn in for this new 36" x 32" print. "THE MOON" is now available for a limited time intro pre-order rate (delivery by Dec. 25th!) on our site.

IMPROMTU AUCTION!

Due to popular interest after posting this mix-up proof to our Facebook today, we are auctioning this print! To bid, visit our Facebook page and comment on the post. Half of proceeds will go to Sandy Relief.

THE ELEMENTS: FIRE

  Just finished penning in the smoke block for the "Fire" image in our upcoming Elements woodcut set! Very excited about how this project is taking shape. Did you see the "Water" and "Earth" key blocks?

We'll be releasing the set of 4 prints in the coming weeks on pre-order in our online shop… So stay tuned & watch for our next newsletter for the special intro rate! You can subscribe to our newsletter by visiting our website and entering your e-mail to our mailing list.

ORIGINAL, COLOR WOODCUT PRINTS

We've made some updates to oue website recently ~ explore around and check out the changes! In the bustle of tidy up, we took some new shots of the "BONFIRE" woodcut (click on images above for a zoom view). A perfect fit for the season of campfire dances and outdoor adventuring, a reminder of the glow of the summertime sunset ~ perfect over the mantle year-round! 

We also have a new shop policy: FREE U.S. SHIPPING for orders over $150 & FREE INT'L SHIPPING for orders over $300! Applies at checkout when you hit the magic number. Visit our new PRINT SHOP!

THE FARM BARGE

Sloping green-tinted waves push the great red "FARM BARGE" across the rolling sea. Equipped with a green deck, lush vegetable sprouts pushing up from a myriad of folky raised beds, this repurposed ship is a futuristic and self-sustainable mobile farmland. A daydream invention, the "FARM BARGE" idealizes resourcefulness.


"FARM BARGE" is printed from 4 woodblocks (yellow, red, blue, and black) onto Ivory White Somerset paper. Paper size is a standard 16" x 20". Edition size of 100 prints. Pre-order intro rate still available for a limited time HERE and in our ETSY.

RED! BLUE! WAHOO!

Printing the red block and the blue block on the "FARM BARGE" print…a rainbow of blue to make the sea & sky! Just the key block left to print. 


Still available at the pre-order intro rate on our website for a limited time!

YELLOW!

Color #1 for the new "FARM BARGE" print ~ complete!

COLORING FARM BARGE

Yellow, Red, and Blue blocks to be carved & printed with the key block to complete the "FARM BARGE" Woodcut!


Join us this Friday, July 6th, at Tugboat Printshop's Studios in Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh) to view the finished "FARM BARGE" color print! We'll be open for Penn Ave. First Friday from 5-8pm, with drinks & music & prints & fun! 


The "FARM BARGE" print is also available for pre-order online. Pre-order rates are limited time intro deals, so if you like a bargain and you like this print, get one HERE!

NEW PRINTING VIDEO!

FARM BARGE PRINT!

Been tinkering with this print in the sidelines of the "GARDEN" and wanted to finally show some pictures! A repurposed barge afloat on the sea ~ decks peppered with crops in tidy rows, barns, greenhouses and wind turbine power. Color will be nostalgic, like an old timey ship lithograph, but the setting is the present/future… watch it as it develops online HERE! More photos, too, on our flickr.

CARVING THE GARDEN

Carving is speeding along on the blue block for our new 18" x 24" color woodcut print, "GARDEN." We drew the image in in black, but all of the line work you see will print in dark blue. When this block is totally carved out, we'll start work on the 3-4 other color blocks. The finished blocks will all print together to complete the vibrant, full color final image! "GARDEN" is up on our website as part of our LIFE OF LEISURE Woodcut Series, currently available for pre-order at a reduced introductory rate.

GARDEN WOODCUT PROGRESS

Wrapping up the last of the drawing on the blue block for our new "GARDEN" woodcut print! Realizing that this is probably one of the most elaborate prints we've made to date ~ as you can see, a whole lotta lines on this block alone! When complete, the "GARDEN" will be a luminous color image, printed from 5 hand-drawn, hand-carved woodblocks.

To see more photos of this print, and pre-order a copy for a limited time at a special introductory rate, visit OUR WEBSITE! So much more to show you so very soon!

PRETTY PICTURES!

Opening this Friday at Future Tenant Gallery, Downtown Pittsburgh!

PRETTY PICTURES: Woodcuts & Woodblocks by Tugboat Printshop ~ a showcase of 5 years of collaborative woodblock print making by husband and wife team Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth! See our full color woodblock prints, our blocks, and our pop-up street gallery in action!

Show opening December 9, 2011 from 6-9pm!

Available prints will be packaged up & available for sale ~ a great time to buy art gifts for the holidays! Hope to see you there!

WOODCUTS IN PROGRESS!

We've had many chances to crawl back into our favorite place lately ~ the studio! The drizzly days of early Fall make the impulse to cozy up to a block of wood with a cup of coffee and some moody jams simply inescapable! Above are some progress pics of our latest 2 woodcuts in the works...

BEARS, GARDENS, OH MY!

As many of you may know from our most recent newsletter, life has been a-changin' around Tugboat Printshop! With our first little one well on the way, we've been undergoing some overdue updates to our in-house space…which has displaced most of our printshop activities for the bulk of the past 2 months or so making it pretty challenging to find little nooks to set up amidst the clang and the bang to draw and carve.

With great relief, we are back in full swing in our space again this week! Expect to see more updates, more photos and some finished prints wrapping up shortly! Oh geez we can't even begin to communicate how exciting this feels!

Photos above feature a couple of new blocks in progress…more soon!