The Ouroboros or… School’s out for summer!
...and there's a FREE stencil if you want it.
There haven’t been enough hours to make art, teach my classes, and keep up with various projects I’ve had on the go. Fortunately, classes are over, and I will have time. I mentioned my plans in the last edition of this newsletter. Here’s a little more detail.
Since I reconnected with a studio practice about 10 years ago, I’ve taken a lot of joy in materials studies. I’m either learning or re-learning a diverse range of tools and approaches. I’ve used this newsletter in its two incarnations to share the knowledge I’ve gleaned. My latest subject of research is photogravure. My undergrad degree is in printmaking (of all things to get a college degree in, I think it’s the best). I did a lot of intaglio, but I have never done this before. In photogravure, you make a plate using a photographic source, then ink and print it like an etching or engraving. I’ve been using a service to make my plates — it’s so specialized, and I’m not interested in doing that part for myself now. I’m more interested in printing the plates. Where I’m printing is just as important as what I’m printing. I’m returning to Venice to print my prints there. The snake eats its own tail!
Above: A 2025 photogravure print made from an ink wash drawing made in Venice in 2024.
Last year, I spent a month in Venice mounting an academic showcase of student work from my classes (along with my buddy Sergio Soave at Ohio State University) at the Venice Art Biennial. While there, I drew every day to keep my hand warm — there was nothing high concept or amounting to much. I also took photographs. Again — just snapping pictures of random things that caught my eye. Tomorrow, I’m heading back to Venice, and I will spend 12 days there — mainly at the Scuola Grafica, a terrific print shop — printing some of the results from last year: five photogravure plates and a handful of relief prints made from my drawings from last year. The snake eats its own tail. The result will be a suite of prints that are a travelog of my visit to Italy a year ago. Traveling and documenting that travel in some way seems like self-care at the moment. I’ve been in a lot of psychic pain (haven’t we all), and travel seems to be the right medicine. I’ll let you know how it all turns out. Note: I’m including a few proofs of some of these plates. They’re imperfectly wiped — I’m rusty.
Above: A 2025 photogravure print made from a photograph taken in Venice in 2024.
I don’t have much of a break, though. In May, I head to Paris to teach a comics class to undergrad students at my school. The Ouroboros analogy is on the money. I did this last year, too. I’m asking this group of students to make travel journal comics about their experiences in Paris, too.
I’m having my students work in A5 notebooks for their travel journal comics. This year, I had the idea of making a laser-cut stencil template for them. It fits perfectly in their books and is designed to quickly lay out panels on their pages — from six panels to one panel. It will save them hours. There are also some lettering guides outside the panel borders. If you make comics and have access to a laser cutter and some 10 mil mylar (12 mil might be even better, but 10 will do), you’re welcome to email me and I’ll send you my file. However, it’s sized for an A5 book. You might be better off making your own in Illustrator at whatever size you’re working. It didn’t take me very long — and it’s super handy — no more measuring (and swearing and remeasuring).
Above: These are some of the possible panel arrangements one can make with my layout options comic template.
Some sad news: I just heard that comics pioneer Jack Katz has died. As you may recall, Caroline Gold and Jack Katz gave the lion’s share of Jack’s comic art to Rice University, as part of our growing collection of original comic art. I’ll write a separate piece about Jack after I’ve had a little time to think about it. Rest in peace, Mr. Katz.