Remember when I promised that I’d be posting a side-by-side-by-side comparison of three different cover printing techniques? Well, here it is. And I’m gonna talk about it. At length. I know you’re very excited for it. But first I want to note that Oak & Linden issue #3 is now available at the PB dot C shop. It features the second chapter of Petrified Girlfriend, and those little imps Hicough & Belch. I’ve also posted chapter one in it’s entirety to keep you up-to-date. I plan to continue posting the previous chapter as each new one comes out, so chapter two will be online in the fall, when I print chapter three. Make sense? Exciting? Legions of fans??

My plan for the Petrified Girlfriend book, which I’ll someday make in the hopefully not-so-distant future, is to print in two Pantone colors on a nice, creamy paper. I thought I’d try to hone the two-color process by first giving it a whirl on the cover of O&L 3, since it features the second chapter of Petrified. I’ve colored this way a few times before, including on Lawrence the Projectorhead. I’m still trying to figure out a way to make it easier. So far, I’ve been working in the Channels in Photoshop, which means I have to fill each color in two parts, individually on the red Channel and on the green Channel. It’s laborious and it’s time intensive. Does anybody know a better way?

First I printed the cover with a silkscreen. I’ve done screenprints that involve halftone screens before, with good results, but I was really disappointed with how my screens turned out. Part of the problem had to do with burning them on a less-than-ideal light table. I kept bumping up the size of my dots to try to make it easier, and still kept shooting out a pretty rough and ragged image. Lots of people who also screenprint were into this cover, I think basically because they understood the work that went into it, but I gotta admit I hated it. I also didn’t think I did a good job mixing the colors I was looking for. It was tough to create the lightness of the green ink without adding too much white, and still allowing it to be transparent to create nice mixes with the red. I also was disappointed in the paper I bought, which was a little too thin and a bit too yellow. The worst part, though, was the feeling of the cover when I’d read the book. With that much coverage, the acrylic ink feels all chalky and gross on the fingernails.

If you read this far, then bless you. You are a true friend or mother. It’s almost over. So, I made some laser prints (or color copies for the layman). I don’t like the shininess or the plasticky feel that these things make. Plus the colors came out a little dull and dark after they got run through the four-color process. So I said to hell with it. I’ll get it done for real. I’m gonna print with Pantones. I’ll pay an offset printer and I’ll get it done. The thing about offset printing, though, is you gotta make 500 or so prints to make it cost effective. So now I have 500 covers. I honestly don’t expect to sell or trade more than 200 copies of the comic, ever. What I’m saying is, now I have 300 posters. Anybody want one? Also I owe my girlfriend a fairly large chunk of change for covering the printing.

Well, folks, I’ve done it. I made another issue of Oak & Linden. It’ll debut tomorrow at MICE–the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, in Boston at the Art Institute from 10:00 to 6:00. Thank Quetzalcoatl we made it through that! In other self-promotional news, you may have already noted* that a certain little comic called Nymphonomena has stormed the gates of The Comics Journal. Thanks, Rob Clough!!

I’ve screen printed this cover, with a 2-color dotscreen thang going on. I’m still not sure I’m at all pleased with it yet. I’m also making some laser prints of the cover. You, the public, shall decide how I might procede! Maybe I’ll go off on some topic you don’t really care about next week. I think I feel one of those coming on. Aren’t you so glad to have subscribed to this blog???

*Perhaps? Even? You’ve been directed to note by the very same author of this salesblog?