Sean Neprud

I know what’s been on your mind. After reading the first 20 things I learned, then things I learned numbers 21 through 40, followed by 41 through 60, you are dying to hear the next 20!

If you are new to this list, then you should know the story. I decided to make 101 Woodblock Prints, all different. I recently finished, and they are for sale to newsletter subscribers. Sign up if you wanna buy art for very few dollars.

So here are the next twenty things I learned by making one-hundred and one woodblock prints.

61. It’s ok to waste some unused ink. You don’t have to use every part of the buffalo.
62. There might be another use for that leftover ink though.
63. There may be ways to use a woodblock that you initially did not think of. Look for those uses.
64. Develop a fast, easy, and reliable registration system. The extra time upfront is worth it in the long term.
65. Leaving a project unfinished because you don’t feel like working on it anymore is not acceptable. Or rather, it just won’t get you anywhere.
66. Most art stores have a horribly small selection of relief printmaking supplies. Don’t count on them.
67. Order from McClain’s Printmaking Supplies. They rock. Other places I’ve ordered from suck.
68. Call of Duty is the enemy of productivity (though I am lethal with a silenced SCAR)
69. Good friends will offer good encouragement
70. Surround yourself with motivated people.
71. It feels really nice when people like your art. REALLY nice.
72. It’s even nicer when they email you and tell you they like it. HINT.
73. Don’t expect everyone to get it.
74. Feeling understood is one of the most nourishing things in life.
75. When you get so tired you make stupid mistakes, stop working
76. Nurture every relationship that comes your way.
77. Seek out new relationships and connections to strengthen your personal web.
78. The internet is a time waster. Unplug when time to work (do as I say, not as I do)
79. When you pull the print off of the final block, and it looks great, it’s ok to actually yell a “woohoo“ out loud.
80. When you hang your art in your window to dry, include a sign directing folks to your website. You never know who is walking by.

Tags: 101, lessons

This entry was posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 7:21 am and is filed under Printmaking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.