• I’d love to be mailed a stone. How do I get involved in Mixed Grit?

Similar to most print publication houses, participation in Mixed Grit is by invitation only.

• How are the artists selected for their groups?

A list of one hundred artists was compiled before the first four stones were mailed. That list has been added to over the years. Three artists are selected based on varying artistic themes, styles, and location. After three artists are confirmed to participate in a round a fourth artist is then invited to participate. None of the artists know who else is in their group until all four are confirmed.

• Are any prints for sale?

Currently, no prints created through Mixed Grit are for sale.

• How is Mixed Grit funded? How much does it cost to print an edition?

This project is self funded in its entirety. The average cost to produce a single edition is between $100—$150.

• How do you print the full stone from edge to edge on a direct lithographic press?

With precision, care, patience, and practice. If you want to learn this technique, of which there are various methods to achieve the same result, please ask your own teacher, instructor or mentor.

Read the fully explanation at this Instagram post from 8/14/2020.

• Why do you use only Korn’s No.3 pencils?

Requiring all Mixed Grit artists to draw with the same mark making tool is a method designed to control a variable in order to guarantee success. All artists of Mixed Grit are using pencils manufactured in the same batch. The supply of Korn’s No.3 paper wrapped crayon pencils supplied to each Mixed Grit artist dates back to at least the late 80’s. Based on a personal timeline along with the known history of Korn’s packaging, they’re estimated at being 40–50 years old. I’ve been drawing with them for almost 20 years myself. I prefer no other mark making tool.

Read the full story at this Instagram post from 9/27/2020.

• You print with a lot of Awagami paper. Why?

Since none of the artists for the project are part of the local Denver community, the decision was made to source paper only from a local paper supplier and they happen to stock a wide range of Awagami papers suitable for lithography.

• Why is every edition printed only in black?

There are no unifying artistic themes to each individual round nor the full Mixed Grit project. There are five elements that tie all of the editions together and they are:

• All images are printed only in black

• All images are printed with the same ink

• All stones are printed edge-to-edge

• All images are drawn with the same mark-making tool

• All paper is the same dimension

• Which ink do you use?

All editions from Round 1 through Round 10 have been printed with either Hanco Shop Mix straight from the can or Hanco Shop Mix mixed in varying ratios with Hanco Crayon Black.

• Why are the stones so small?

The stones need to fit inside a USPS Flat Rate Shipping MEDIUM size box of which there are two dimensions.

• How do you ensure the stones don’t break in transit?

The safety of the stones survival is not guaranteed however, all stones are packed securely with extra cushioning all all six sides after being wrapped in corrugated plastic.

• Have any stones broken?

Yes. Only 1. The stone drawn on by Round 5 artist Carrie Lingscheit. There’s a 98.75% safety rate.

• How many different stones are used?

Sixteen. Two have been used only once while only one has been utilized by four different artists.