Barack Obama Postcards - Part 1 - Printing the Text

I just finished the most complex cards I've made, and it was a great learning experience! These are limited edition postards which I am selling as a fundraiser for Barack Obama. (Cards are $5 each, go to my website for more info - www.msstarryart.com.) Here are the details of the creative process:

8/28/08 - I am so inspired by Barack Obama's speech during the Democratic National Convention, I ask myself what I can do to contribute. I do not have the temperment for knocking on doors volunteering, and limited funds to donate. The thought comes to me "I can make a card and sell it as a fundraiser!" Yes! Contributing with art.  

I start sketching the card and look up photos of Barack Obama on his website to use - one is just perfect.  It takes about an hour. The design comes to me pretty quickly and essentially stays the same after these first inspired drawings. 

9/19 - After 2 weeks in Korea, I have time to work on the card again. I don't know how I will find time to get it done. Tonight I search for the right typefaces and sizes to say what I want, and start setting the first sections of type - "Vote Hope 2008." ~ 1 hour.

9/21 - I start printing the type, yea! I print the red back text "Vote Obama '08" in Red Pepper ink, Univers 65, 24 point type. There is no 2 in that typeface, so I go with '08. I appreciate being flexible with setting antique type! I set the type and print 200 cards. 2 hours and 15 minutes.  (I print at the IPRC in Portland, Oregon, by the way.)

9/24 - I run in late in the evening to the IPRC and print the black back text (the info block). I use almost the same text for my regular cards, but I rearrange and shorten it and adjust to left justified. The type is Spartan Medium, 10 point size. 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

9/26 - The night of the first debate, I am so angry at McCain's arrogance, dishonesty and disrespect, I start carving the first block. The block scares me and I have put it off. Portraits are intimidating, especially since I am carving away to reveal the features. What if it doesn't look like him? And my main knife is bent out of shape and I can't properly sharpen it. But I need to do something positive, so I put my anger and frustration to the block and carve away. ~1 hour. 

9/30 - I print the portrait block at home with waterbased ink to see how it looks. The eyes and nose are all wrong. I decide to look at it for a few days and think about what to do.  

10/1 - I go in after work and print the front text. I am determined to get it all done, and it feels stressful like I am on a deadline. I usually enjoy the repetition and mechanical quality of printing, but tonight I can't relax. 

I am printing the "Vote Hope 2008" text in red and the stars in black, and they have to fit together. I set both up, then replace the star lines with slugs, small flat pieces, of lead to hold the place while I print the text. After the text is printed, I put slugs of lead in its place and put the stars back in to print them. (Somehow I channelled Rebecca Gilbert of the IPRC to figure this out. Thank you!) 

The text is Franklin Gothic 36 point - I love it's simplicity and power. I had to steal the "Es" from other people's type trays; luckily I found them easily. The stars are sorts, non-letter decorative type pieces. (You know the phrase "out of sorts"? It's from typesetting...) 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Please see my 2nd post about this, Part 2: Printing the Blocks from Oct. 6th.

Barack Obama Postcards - Part 2 - Printing the Blocks

0/3 - This is it. I have to finish the printing tonight. I recarve the portrait block, willing my dull knife to work with me, praying for a steady hand to carve carefully around the eyes and nose. It works. 

I decide to carve out the face of the old block and use as the background. (I hate wasting blocks!) I was originally going to print one portrait block to save time. Really though, I always saw the image as 2 color, despite the challenges I knew I'd have lining them up. I know the extra time is worth it to be completely happy with the design.  And a big part of my focus in printing is staying on my learning edge - I know the practice of registering (aligning) the blocks will be good for me.

I take a big risk and cut off the block around the face, not even leaving a line. Now I have to line the blocks up well enough so that the red block forms the outline of the face. The heads of the two blocks are not the same shape, so I don't know exactly how this is going to work. I rush over to the IPRC to find out. 3.5 hours. 

Luckily no one else is printing this day, so I set up on 2 printers, knowing I am being a total hog! I need to see the alignment before I can print either block as I may need to carve more, and this seems the best way to do it. The background red block has to be square with the text, so I set that up first, run a few tests, then try to align the second block. This takes several hours, as I carve more, adjust more, print more. Thank goodness for lots of scrap paper at the IPRC! 

At one point I imagine Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and the unknown people involved in the civil rights movement. They fought and died for equality, and finally this amazing, inspiring African American leader has a good chance to be President of the United States. I have to honor this, and honor them, and him. I pray for patience, and a good eye to shift the pins holding the paper just that millimeter more that makes the image work. I keep calm and stay focused.

Finally, I am close. I print all the red blocks, yea! The friends I'm meeting for dinner both call that they are running late, so I print a few of the second block to show them. After a picnic dinner in the building lobby (long story, it's raining hard and we're all broke), and the art opening at Launchpad Gallery (the Dreams show is excellent), I come back at 11 PM to finish printing. 

11 PM is not my best time of night to solve registration issues, and it takes a while and a lot of scrap paper. I have to keep carving more off the portrait block - the shoulder needs to fit in the curve exactly. For some reason I am patient and trusting this whole day, and I accept my process as it is. It takes what it takes and I keep going. 

The BBC and I keep company. It's not as bad hearing about the American financial crisis from British announcers. Finally, just after midnight, I am done printing - 5.5 hours.  12:30 am, I head home, riding my bike in the dark after the rain. 

I love this print. It is so much better than I could have imagined - the heads not being the same size works perfectly and I wouldn't have planned it that way. I learned so much doing this, technically, and about trusting my creative process. I appreciate my commitment and focus. 

Senator Obama, thank you. I hope this honors you and helps your campaign. Godspeed, and of course, God bless America.