Lino prints

As I mentioned, I'd dampened some paper to make lino prints of a block I'd cut back in June of Penshaw Monument. I'd read repeatedly that dampened paper enables the ink/paint to transfer and adhere better to the paper than using dry paper. They were right. Previously I had to make sure that my lino block was well covered in acrylic paint, as it dries fast on the block if applied thinly and leaves bare patches on the print. Then, when I lay the dry paper onto the block and applied pressure, the paint would squash between the block and the paper, moving into and obliterating any fine lines I'd cut, and gooing out over carefully cut edges, so the image wasn't hard-edged any more. In addition, as I removed the paper from the block the paint would stretch between the two like melted cheese and form feathered areas on the print.

BUT....... with dampened paper I can use less paint, as the paper now absorbs the paint on contact with the block, leaving a much sharper image, and I can use my fingers to press the paper into the recessed areas giving a lovely relief effect. This has re-enamoured me to lino prints, so watch this space.

Oh, the image at the top was done on scrap paper I'd dampened, which already had scruffy black marks. They're not a result of bad printing. But you can see the accuracy of line I've reproduced here, which would never have been possible on dry paper.

Penshaw in the Moleskine

Back in June 2008 I made this piece for the Moleskine Exchange I'm involved in. The subject of this book is Freedom, and I loved the sense of scale I was able to achieve. As I've explained before, Penshaw Monument is huge and I'm only quite small, and have been visiting it since I was even smaller. So when I'm drawing it, I want to get across the sense of scale, that it's too big for me to take in, that it's too big to fit on the page, or in a camera's viewfinder.
This image was made by lino-print on paper I'd pre-painted with acrylic paints. I made three prints of the monument, and I printed the sky directly into the Moleskine book. The printed images were then cut up and re-assembled, making the monument quite textural on the page.
Now I intend to make more of these images, using similar construction techniques, exploring different backgrounds and colour-ways, as this was done in summer, and we are now well into autumn here. So much so that the constant drizzle we're getting has prevented me photographing Penshaw. Digital camera + driving rain = insurance claim.

Suitable Materials

Looking back through old sketch books I though how my bus stop figures would translate well into a lino cut. So here's the result.

I want to play around more with the background, and try carving out the figures and printing in greys on black paper. Often, so many possibilities come to light while I'm working, and it's hard not to jump ahead. I'm trying to discipline myself to complete the work in hand before moving to the next idea.

from pencil to print

Some years ago I sketched my dad, but used the side of a very soft pencil to work in tones, not lines, to build up the face and head. This is another piece I'm very proud of, and is framed on my bookcase.
I decided to translate it into a lino print (silly me- I didn't reverse it so the print faces the opposite way to the original drawing) cutting away the surface of the lino with strong diagonal strokes, emphasising the pencil technique I'd used.

Drawing on the past

Whilst at college, we were set a project of drawing a cup. First, we did simple sketches, then we increased the scale of our drawings. The final work was to break the cup & work from the shattered pieces (I missed that day, so I kept my cup whole).
The most rewarding task for me was to draw/paint the cup using no line, only colour. I placed the cup on the table and squatted over it with my paper and chalk pastels. After totally immersing myself in the task, I finally stopped and stood back, and was impressed by the outcome. So much so that when I came across the piece years later I framed it and it hangs on my kitchen wall.
More recently, I started working on lino-printing. It was a medium I remembered fondly from my early school days, and wanting to work in a new area I easily persuaded my dad to get me a cutting set for my birthday.
Seeking inspiration I decided to draw from my cup picture. And here are the results.