Post linoleum study

It has been an exciting art making month. I took a book making class with Mitzi Lindgren, one of our local Puget Sound Book artist; a carving linoleum class with Chandler O'Leary, Tacoma, WA illustrator and printer, and attended a Play Day with Puget Sound Book Arts on Simple Sew Structures.

I also completed Crow, Rock and Kelp, and Barnacle Rock linoleum blocks. This past week I finished the block which is my tribute to William Evans of Eaton. The image is from his painting of Spanish Arch, Galway Ireland 1838. I wanted it to be my final project in my self directed coursework for linoleum printing. While I didn't expect to master the skill of linoleum printing with this limited number of designs, I was hoping I would feel more comfortable with the process. The more blocks I worked the more variables popped up. I've started a list of variables I have stumbled through that I should consider BEFORE I start cutting, but the shear number of them is mind numbing. It has been very easy to become discouraged. Since I am not only the student but also the course instructor, I almost lost myself to discouragement. What we needed was an in house student motivator! So, talking head #3 suggested - it is probably time to take a deep breath, work in the garden or go in a new direction of learning.  I (me- the student) chose the later. "She", my instructor suggested I researched collagraphy on-line which I (me- the student did). My matt board collagraph is drying as she (is that me, she, myself or I?  I don't know, I am getting confused!) writes this. What ever! Here's my tower of Babel where confusion reigns, variables multiply and success is elusive.

 

 2 different types of paper - sob...yes, paper is one of the variables!

 

 

I am off to see what I can do with this collagraph. Cross your fingers.

 

Doing the Time

For the last week or so I have been do'in the time. The goal was to make multiple colored reduction prints.  Thank goodness for the many wonderful artists on-line who share their process, struggles and methods. A special thanks and shout out go out to:
Laura Boswell (http://www.lauraboswell.co.uk) ,
Sherrie York (http://brushandbaren.blogspot.com/)
and Lynette Weir (http://soulsongarttutorials.com/).
All three share their printing knowledge so willingly.
Reading their blogs reminded me that if I want to improve my prints I have to do the "time".

Here's me "doin' the time." With each new block, a new set of struggles developed. These are not intended to be anything other than school work.

March 25: so many variables, so little understanding

March 27 - learned about stencils, built a registration jig and learned that less is more

 

April 1 -  Be open to changes, tried adding another variable with different papers, built a drying rack.

 

April 4 - Total immersion really helps, 25 prints - 6 colors later:

Photoshop images, tracing paper, sumi inked print.

 

Of course, I already can see what went wrong.

I just hope I can keep going. There's so much more to learn.

 



Time Share

Now that I am retired most folks would think a post about Time Share might be something about traveling to an exotic place. Nope... it is just me - splitting my time between caregiving, checking on little seeds of hope and PRINTING! I know there are plenty of other things I should be doing like weeding, mowing, laundry, spring cleaning and on and on but instead I carved out some time this past week for the sole (soul qualifies too) purpose of studying multiple color, reduction linoleum/speedy cut printing. OMG! Who knew it took so much thinking! No wonder they call it suicide printing!! There are sooooo many variables. It has taken 3 blocks, but I now feel slightly confident about registration. I built myself a jig and it works well for small prints. I possibly may, finally, understand the reverse image thing if I stick to color coded tracing paper, but the rest - I don't think it will come until I have in the TIME. How many blocks will that be? 5? 10, maybe even 20? Or horrors, do you have to have a gene for thinking in reverse backwards order?

lettuce be thankful 

 Scottish Coastline 

Learned about using transparency sheets to protect the non-printed parts of the block.

The nest is just not that thrilling I am sorry to say.

Maybe I should have taken it farther - and made the border blue?

The crow print below is much better so far.  

 

But there is something about the prints hanging in the window that just give me a thrill.

 I tried a different kind of paper in addition to the kozo paper.

That was interesting and made for totally different results.

 

Then there's the end of the day. All that ink on the plate. Time for mono-print play!

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back at it cutting and printing the next color.