wishy-washy, wishy-washy

Consistently, the most difficult thing about this business for me has been pricing. It's a hard balance between pricing too high and pricing too low. I finally had to make these charts for my pricing on business cards, announcements, weddings – and it has served me well, if even just as general guidelines. Since I made the pricing lists, I've been able to stick with them, to just say: these are my prices, this is what my work costs, this is what I believe it is worth. And I've found good, solid pricing for my stationery – but these limited editions, let me tell you, they've been tough.

After mulling it over for a few days and obsessing about it all evening, I just changed the prices on my limited edition prints. {If any of you readers – that is, if there are any! – bought a print at the original price, don't worry – a gift is on its way to you.} I'll be the first to admit they haven't been selling as fast as I'd hoped – so there is that part of changing prices – just the cold, hard cash part. But, more than that, more than the fact that I'd like to be selling these and putting money in the bank, it's that I want to see more artwork out there in the world at affordable prices rather than less at higher prices. We'll see if it makes a difference ...

Any thoughts?

Two posts in one day! Posting to my web-log, I'm finding, is a great procrastination device...

clematis print

limited edition clematis

I'm really, really pleased with the way this print turned out. I first started drawing it two months ago, returning over and over to change a little something here, another little something there. And then the printing plates have been sitting around for the past two weeks while I finished up other projects. But once I've dampened the paper, it's really a committment to printing the next day.

Dampening the paper the day before softens the fibers and allows for a really deep, crisp impression. Here's how I do it: using a sponge that doesn't shed or come apart, I dampen one sheet of paper. You want the paper to be damp, but not soaked through. It's easiest to see this at an angle in the light. I place one un-dampened sheet on top of the dampened one and repeat -- dampened and not -- til the stack is done. I then wrap the whole bundle in a plastic bag, taking care to smooth out any creases, and then tape it up. I place it under a heavy weight overnight. The next day, the paper is ready to print -- it will feel barely damp at all. I transfer the paper to a plastic lidded container and only take out one sheet at a time to print. This keeps the remaining paper damp. After I finish the first pass on the press (for me this is usually the blind stamp), I place the printed paper in another lidded container to keep it damp for the next run. And so on and so forth... I don't dampen paper for my stationery, but for the limited edition prints I think it is well worth all the time and effort.

The clematis limited edition print is available here or by emailing me at lynn@satsumapress.com.

hydrangea + clematis

It's early Monday morning with a cup of tea. Yesterday I dampened the paper for my next limited edition print. This means that today I must print the clematis. I'll hand mix the inks for this print - an olive green for the leaves and a deep burgundy red for the flowers. This is my second limited edition print; I'm hoping to design and print these limited editions about 8 times a year. I've thoughts of taking elements of each one, plus a few stationery designs perhaps, and creating a letterpress calendar for next year.

Here's a little bit about what I love about letterpress printing, without fail. I like the rhythmic pace to cranking the press, the forward and backward steps as I feed the paper and release it once printed. Even though I know how my designs are meant to look, there's a little bit of surprise and wonder each time.

I like mixing the inks by hand. It's much less precise than I would have thought. It's like cooking, which I also love. A little bit of this, a little bit of that until it tastes just right. I don't measure very well when cooking and I don't think I do it very well when mixing ink. I read cookbooks like novels; I use my Pantone recipe as a guide. A little bit of rubine red, a little more perhaps...

I will post a few photos later today of the clematis limited edition. I was never a diligent journal writer so I'm not sure I'll be a daily blogger either, but I will do my best. And, plus, I don't like that word -- blogger -- very much at all. It just doesn't sound very pleasant, does it? My first limited edition print of hydrangeas is available here and the clematis will be there soon, too.