tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184736587412095192024-03-16T06:28:27.519-04:00Mirka HokkanenPrintmaker, Illustrator, Author. See what goes on behind the curtains...Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-28593128182020671042018-12-31T20:19:00.001-05:002018-12-31T20:23:23.954-05:00Digitally Editing Wood Engravings into Picture Book Illustrations, Part 4In this last post I wanted to show you how I edited the printed wood engravings into digital illustrations ready for a book. In order to not burn myself out by engraving illustrations back to back to back, I would take a break in between each one to compile it into the final illustration. It also gave me the satisfaction of being able to cross it off my list of illustrations.
I had all the Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-10490697641116239172018-12-31T19:26:00.001-05:002018-12-31T19:26:19.586-05:00Engraving the Illustrations for Otters, Part 3After all the sketches were done, I waited to have a baby. My hands were getting so swollen at the end of the pregnancy, that it was hard to hold a pencil to sketch, let alone try to do fine detail engraving.
We also moved into a new house right before the baby was born, and I took a month off, so we could pack and unpack our things before the baby came because I knew I wouldn't have time for itMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-57230691120340967752018-12-31T18:39:00.002-05:002018-12-31T18:39:53.965-05:00Illustrating Otters, Part 2In the last post, I wrote about how I got started with illustrating the book "Four Otters Toboggan: an Animal Counting Book". I showed the original thumbnails of the book illustrations and how I made the first complete illustration for the proposal. After the proposal was sent we waited...
Soon enough we got the exciting news that the publisher wanted to hire both of us for the book. Many emailsMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-62570196763574838002018-12-31T15:27:00.000-05:002018-12-31T15:27:54.714-05:00Illustrating Otters, Part 1The whole story began in Oct 2017, when my agent asked if I'd be interested in reading a story from a fellow client at Storm Literary. She thought my engravings would be a good match with the manuscript and she wanted to pitch them together.
I thought why not, and took a look at the manuscript. It was instant love for me. The story was all about animals and nature, and the words transformed intoMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-21115348126000676672018-12-09T03:16:00.001-05:002018-12-09T03:16:19.078-05:00Debut picture book coming in 2019I am sorry to have been so much absent. There are so many things I want to share monthly, but time is in short supply for me, and writing here always seems to be at the bottom of the list. I will try to get in the habit of posting more again. When I don't get to things right away, then there is never enough time to circle back to them later.
If you have been following me on social media, like Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-31064640359526026182017-11-05T04:27:00.002-05:002017-11-05T04:28:51.621-05:00Woodlands Owl Illustration with Timelapse Video
This was every room in our house a couple weeks ago. Since opening boxes and getting our house somewhat functional, I have been trying to catch up on all manner of things.
One of the many things has been to finish illustrations for my new dummy about an unfortunate owl who can't keep her pets. I remembered to take some video of the process to share with you and wanted to chat during it to Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-65799099571506127182017-11-05T03:37:00.000-05:002017-11-05T03:37:06.496-05:00SCBWI 2017 Los Angeles ConferenceAs a quick update, before digging into the conference, I wanted to mention that we have finally moved and I am starting to work out of my new studio again. We've been in flux since May, and it is nice to sit in my own chair again and get the gears moving slowly. I wish I would have had time to post this sooner, but things are never perfect, so its better late than never right? I'll have a mini Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-62929116591555041442017-05-06T01:59:00.002-04:002017-05-08T10:15:46.545-04:00Steamroller printing a Giant Linocut
Hi everyone! Things keep rolling at such a fast pace I haven't had time to write as much as I would have liked to. We will be on summer break soon, and I'll try to be good and post many of the things I've been neglecting. I still have several of the videos from the MAPC printmaking conference I wanted to share with you.
This story begins in February, with the arrival of a huge roll of linoleum.Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-214688941269165352016-08-25T07:00:00.000-04:002016-08-30T14:41:40.777-04:00Review on Paper and Engraving Blocks
We had a chance to sample some papers sent from Paper-Papers.com and blocks provided to us by Jim Reynolds. Please see a more in depth review on those supplies in the next post coming up. :)
Here are my three favorite papers that are most suitable for printing engravings/relief:
Savoy - The Top Choice
"Made from 100% pure cotton, SAVOY blends old world elegance with new world Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-87166491633476041142016-08-19T13:31:00.001-04:002016-09-23T00:49:02.316-04:00Lakelife multiple block linocut
We had a fun trip to Finland this summer. We spent lots of time at our summer house, and outside in general. I did lots of sketching and photographing and ate plenty of ice cream, candy, pickles and peas (all the things I miss while away).
A pike we caught in a net, smoked and ate.
As soon as we got home, I needed to start and finish a portfolio print for Shelley Gipson at Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-51735333568883521382016-08-17T23:57:00.003-04:002016-08-20T21:23:00.014-04:00Wood Engravers Network Workshop Part 2/2To read the previous entry on what happened at our workshop go here.
We had a blast in Houston, and followed up the next day with something even better. A trip to the Cushing Library at Texas A&M Campus. They were simultaneously having a book arts workshop of their own, so we met with them during their break from lectures and then got a tour and visited the print room. Lastly we made our wayMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-56030266661437200662016-08-17T23:19:00.002-04:002016-08-17T23:19:24.483-04:00Wood Engravers Network (WEN) Workshop Part 1/2I'm a member of the Wood Engravers Network and enjoy our group tremendously. To be able to participate better, I volunteered to organize the 2016 summer workshop in Bryan at the studio where I teach my weekly classes.
Here is a little glimpse into what we did. All the photos are courtesy of Tony Drehfal, fellow WEN member, unless otherwise noted. (I meant to take lots of photos, but as it Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-16072605465750618112016-05-11T23:20:00.001-04:002016-05-11T23:20:22.925-04:00Tips and Tricks for Artists on Paper ConservationAre you an artist working with paper? Ever wonder about how to fix a creased corner? Does it matter if you use archival mat board for framing or not? Do you know the difference between rag board, acid free board and lignin free board?
Here are the answers to all those questions and more. Our guest speaker for last weeks class is a paper conservator at the Texas A&M University. She had so Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-12362062874551752372015-11-16T23:55:00.001-05:002015-11-16T23:55:24.382-05:00Burlap Texture for a Linocut TutorialI keep being pulled in so many directions and am sorry I don't get around to blogging more. Another summer has passed and winter is almost here. We were gone in Finland for a good part of the summer. It was a nice break from routines, and by the time we came back we were ready to get back into them.
I've got a lot of new prints that have happened since the last post and this and have lots of Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-65646276060085416172015-04-08T00:57:00.002-04:002015-04-08T00:58:30.504-04:00Updates of All Sorts
Print I did for the reduction linocut demo
Spring has sprung in Texas and as the seasons change so does my work in the studio. I have dedicated April to be my printmaking-only month. The beginning of the year has flown by sewing customs and I finally had to say "stop" to all that and reclaim my space back as a printing studio. Now that I have cleaned a mountain of fabric and bits of thread offMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-73701789561602070862015-02-10T13:57:00.000-05:002015-02-10T13:57:00.368-05:00Imprinting the American West: Engravings from the late 1800's
The Forsyth Galleries at Texas A&M are featuring some prints and paintings depicting the wild west from the 1800's. We visited last week and loved examining the beautiful wood engravings they had on display. I took some cell phone shots so that you can see a little on them too. The variety of mark making from one artist to another is fascinating to me and there is always something to be Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-23611845395889413202014-11-25T00:49:00.001-05:002015-04-08T00:59:00.226-04:00Studio Hacks- Ruler that does not move and Drying rack
Working hard or hardly working? It's been the latter for a while now, and finally this week I've been putting in my concentrated efforts in the studio to get ready for events and Christmas. Its fun to get back to working when you have some events to look forwards to. My movable press will be hosted at the Frame Gallery in Bryan, TX, for Dec First friday. Visitors to the gallery will be able to Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-5415300735672108032014-06-03T12:59:00.000-04:002014-06-03T12:59:33.228-04:00Guest Artist- Heather McCaw
Today as promised, I am featuring a guest writer, friend and fellow artist Heather McCaw. Heather and I met about two years ago, when she moved to Germany and was interested in learning some relief printmaking. I was glad when she found me since I hadn't met any other "serious" artists in the area and was happy to finally have company.
She came over to my studio about once a week when possible Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-71672748144394287812014-04-25T11:05:00.001-04:002014-04-25T11:07:51.791-04:00Stink Bug Print Before We Move
Happy Spring! The easter/spring bunnies are out in our town and the flowering trees are slowly starting to change their blooms to green summer garb. I've completed my last little engraving for the time being. :( It's time for us to say goodbye to Germany and pack our bags and move back to the States. I have a lot of preparing to do in the studio this week before the packers come, so figured I'd Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-34265043964475768782014-02-11T16:47:00.001-05:002014-02-11T16:47:12.124-05:00Reduction Engraving- Part 2- Problems with Printing
If you missed my last post, I have been working on a commissioned portrait of a kitty called Jemma for a wonderful family in WA. It is a two color reduction engraving printed on Lettra 300gr paper. The first color was a medium gray and was printed a couple of weeks ago. The second color was supposed to be black, but things don't always go the way they're planned… The last weeks have been a Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-42929050238257185962014-01-19T15:40:00.004-05:002014-01-19T16:07:31.121-05:00Studio Visit and Commission Work
It's January and I thought it would be fun to do a little studio tour and look at the portrait commission I'm working on. I got a request for a portrait of Jemma the cat in November. Because of holiday traveling, we agreed that it would be finished in February.
After settling back home, I have started this lovely carving and am in the process of printing the first color. The finished print Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-41057652260459523002013-11-13T15:24:00.004-05:002013-11-15T16:21:20.783-05:00DIY Hardwood Blocks- Part 2
Happy fall! I've taken a little time here and there in between taking care of kids to work on a small engraving of a kitty cat. Today I finally got it proofed for the third time and was happy enough with it to be ready to print.
Below are some photos of work in progress. First off on the left the original image and drawing on the block.
The DIY woodblock I'm using is willow (raita in finnish)Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-41223761500188969632013-10-20T06:33:00.002-04:002013-10-20T06:33:15.297-04:00DIY Hardwood Blocks
Last summer I interviewed several people in Finland for the wallhanging project. One of the old ladies lived on an old farm built by her grandfather. The house and barn were very much in their natural state surrounded by dense woods and plots of fields. Over the course of the afternoon we chatted about a multitude of things, including what I do as a printmaker. As our discussion turned to usingMirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-20492696892891396092013-07-07T15:29:00.002-04:002013-07-07T15:29:47.589-04:00Curtis Bartone - Interview
Photo Red Davis
I hope you are having a great summer so far. Its time to talk to a friend of mine from Savannah, GA- Curtis Bartone. We met about 7 years ago when I stationed down there with my husband. We were both working on intricate animal etchings, so of course we hit it off from day one. I admire Curtis a lot, and wish I could be as fruitful in the studio as he is (and have access to Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418473658741209519.post-57174932784743781722013-05-06T08:38:00.002-04:002013-05-07T14:59:32.851-04:00Smells like Summer... Finally!
Hi there! I am so glad that the weather is finally warming up and we are able to get outside a bit. Apparently this has been the grayest winter in Germany in over 50 years! We've paid for it by taking turns with Aila being sick since January it seems like. I have a little bit of a cough and runny nose left, but I think we are almost done with it all. Whew. I've been trying to play catchup with Mirka Hokkanenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379543039054220652noreply@blogger.com3