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Rick Allen has been an illustrator-printmaker for nearly twenty years, working primarily in relief prints from woodblocks, linoblocks and wood engravings. His body of work is primarily intended for reproduction in publications and product advertising. Rick produces a very limited number of each image, varying every one for effect and color. He selects one or two for final coloring by hand with gouache, giving the print a painterly quality. The finalized print is then sent off to the client for photographic or digital reproduction.
Allen's work has reached and delighted a diverse audience. His illustrations have appeared in Outside Magazine, The Utne Reader, Yankee Magazine, and The Men's Journal, and on book covers for John LeCarre. He has also provided illustrations for articles by Wendell Berry and Jim Harrison, and for orange juice cartons, organic food labels, and 50 pound bags of dairy cow feed!
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rick grew up in Duluth where he currently resides. He attended college in Northfield, Minnesota and graduate school in Chicago, Illinois and Konstanz, Germany. Following graduate school, he attended the Rhode Island School of Design. Despite this extensive academic background, Rick considers himself largely self-taught as an illustrator and printmaker and brings his own unique perspective and process to the table.
The processes
Woodcut
Originated by the Chinese, the technique for making woodcuts by the relief process is the oldest form of printmaking. The principle of the woodcut is similar to the workings of a rubber stamp. Using specialty knives, the artist carves away the areas on a smooth hardwood plank that he does not want to print, leaving a raised image that is later inked and printed, either by means of a printmaker press or by hand. Each print in an edition is individually inked and hand-pulled and is a unique, numbered original.
· Single block woodcut: One block is carved and printed to create a monochromatic print. If color is desired, the artist hand colors the image.
· Multi-block woodcuts: A separate woodblock is carved for each color represented in the design. The blocks are printed in registration so that each color block lines up with the others as closely as possible.
· Reduction block prints: A single block of wood is used; after each color has been printed, the surface area on the block is further cut away and the printing continues to the next color. The printing usually starts with the lightest color to be printed and progresses to darker colors.
Linoleum Cut
This method is done in much the same way as the woodcut, except linoleum block is used instead of wood.
Wood Engraving
Wood engravings are created on wood blocks utilizing the end surface of the block. This surface is hard and consistent in texture, permitting finer lines and greater detail. The tools used are fine gravers, identical to those used in metal-plate engraving. English boxwood has long been the traditional choice for wood engraving, with other hardwood such as maple being used as well. Due to the rarity and expense of English boxwood, a synthetic substitute of epoxy on fiberboard is increasingly being used.
While both wood and linoblocks are well suited to graphic images with large areas of flat color and shape, wood engraving is essentially a white line on a black background technique, usually on a small scale. The harder surface of the engraving block allows for finer lines, creating gray tones distinct from the broader tones of woodcuts and linoblocks.
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