I remember swimming lessons, shivering at the edge of the pool for hours, afraid of the water. That is what printing is like.
Printing pelicans was delayed for a month by syrup season. The sap ran for only a week, but we managed 10 gallons of syrup. A supply of Archie’s Pure Maple Syrup labels were printed and die-cut on the Heidelberg. The label features a 3-color wood engraving of the demented cardinal. 12 ounce bottles will soon be available for sale on this website’s store page.
Another delay has been the discovery in Photoshop of color sampling. Individual colors in a photograph can be identified and translated into the real world of metal and wood via the Pantone Matching System, the color system used in printing.
As a result, I discovered that the gray in the pelican feathers was more green than blue.
Finally, after two days of make-ready and cutting touch ups, the first press run of the pelicans is underway. I am running 250 sheets to get 100 books, and an edition of a possible 150 prints.
Printing three impressions of gray to the Count Basie Trio’s Song of the Islands, compliments of Will Powers.