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COORDINATOR: Maria Arango Diener - contact: 1000woodcutsgmail.com

THEME:
THE THEME for this project is "City of the World", as tightly or loosely interpreted as each participant wishes. The overall design will interpret the theme literally, that is, the pieces will be part or entire cars, trucks, apartment windows, factories, houses, clouds, planes, boats, trees, shops, buses, and a very long etcetera. The piece each participant receives may or may not be recognizable and the shape may or may not influence the individual's design. The design may be how an individual sees themselves "in their corner of the world"; how they perceive themselves within the world or the world of printmaking; a representation of their actual place in their city or town; more generally "home"; their view of their city or town, again, etcetera. Anything goes in the City of the World.

The only requirements are that the piece be carved "side up" as indicated by the arrow on the back of the piece and that it follow the general theme: City of the World.

INSTRUCTIONS: Also available as a printable INSTRUCTIONS_CityoftheWorld.pdf

December 2010 – February 2012
INSTRUCTIONS TO CITY OF THE WORLD PARTICIPANTS

Welcome all to the City of the World puzzle project!

Your assignment summarized is to:

1. Design your block according to the theme: “City of the World” as outlined on the web page:
   www.1000woodcuts.com/projects/cityoftheworld/index.html
2. Carve your block as outlined below
3. Return your block to me by the deadline December 31, 2011
   Maria Arango-Diener
   2544 Casey Drive
   Las Vegas  NV 89120-1819
   USA
4. Don’t forget to contribute to the project $25.00 to cover costs. See the financial page for itemization of costs for the entire project and the index page for contributing online.
5. Everyone will receive back one huge set of prints, in five sheets of paper and a colophon.

BLOCKS
Your block is cherry plywood, the best quality I could find, and has been sanded to a fine finish. Blocks are stained with walnut ink so that you will easily see your design as you carve.

On the back of each block you will find an arrow indicating the sky (TOP). The overall design is a “big city” and your block will be placed with the arrow up. Blocks are also labeled on the back with a number/letter combination; this is for me to place them properly as they arrive.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do NOT proof the block by inking it with either water-based or oil-based ink. Last project I received blocks so warped that they had to be inked separately for each of the 280 prints; this time there are over 500 prints. Las Vegas is located in the desert; humidity averages 4-6%. Any dampness remaining in the block due to inking or cleaning will cause the block to warp when it gets here.

If you need to proof your block you may use the following techniques ONLY:

Rubbing: just lay a thin sheet of paper over the block, tracing/tissue paper work well, and then with a graphite or charcoal crayon “rub” the image gently until it appears on the paper.

Foil: lay a sheet of foil over the block and mold carefully to the block by hand or press; once the foil is completely covering the block, ink the foil with oil-based or water-based ink, then pull a print on paper as usual.

Computer faux proof: take a digital photo of your block in good light, upload your photo to your computer, flip the design using any photo-imaging program, print out on standard printer.

Lastly, as they are received, the blocks will be permanently glued to a backing in order to print them. Once I receive the blocks it is not possible to return them to you.

INK AND PAPER
Your block will be placed in its corresponding slot. When the puzzle is complete, I will print the entire design on light buff or white paper with black ink. Everyone is invited for the printing party, date and time to be announced.

DO:

• Remember the theme: “City of the World” interpreted as you wish
• LIGHTLY oil the block if you want to make cutting easier (linseed or mineral oil)
• Ignore any lines you see on the block, they were guidelines for me to cut the blocks
• Practice cuts on the back of the block if you have never cut cherry plywood before
• Trace the block shape onto sketch paper to practice your design(s) if you feel stumped
• E-mail me anytime with questions: 1000woodcuts@gmail.com

DON’T!

• Don’t change the shape or height of the block, i.e. no sanding, no cutting off the ends, no chewing by small pets, no wetting, no leaving the block in the rain or the hot car
• Again, PLEASE: Don’t proof the block using ink!!!

ABSOLUTE “MUST”:

• Return carved blocks back to me by December 31, 2011
• Please contribute what you can to share costs with everyone else
• Sign the back of your block with a permanent marker or carve your name on the back if you feel extraordinarily industrious
• PLEASE e-mail me when you receive the block: 1000woodcuts@gmail.com
• Let me know if you need to drop out and for the love of printmakers everywhere, mail the block back to me if you do have to drop out

Project headquarters
WWW.1000WOODCUTS.COM/PROJECTS/CITYOFTHEWORLD/INDEX.HTML