Tuesday 29 March 2011

Michael: More multiple linoblocks

Another, more abstract, image based on Ashdown Forest, realised as a three-block linocut.

Ashdown Forest

The first block is the paler pink (it's actually burnt sienna with lots of white); the second block is the darker pink; and the third block is the black. The "black" it actually black with quite a lot burnt sienna added: pure black is too cold and hard on its own.

Then I tried printing the blocks on coloured paper. The yellow makes the image much warmer.
Ashdown Forest

I liked this, so I experimented a bit more. This time, I used another square of uncut lino to print a plain black background, and then printed the blocks in a different colours:

Ashdown Forest

And then in completely different colours...

Ashdown Forest

Sunday 27 March 2011

Michael: Multiple blocks, multiple colours

The good things about making linocuts with multiple blocks is that you can try multiple colours...

Forest moon linocut
Pink...

Forest moon linocut
and purple...

Forest moon linocut
and green...

Forest moon linocut
and brown...

Forest moon linocut
and yellow.

Then all you have to do is decide which one you like best.

Saturday 26 March 2011

Michael: Multiple block linocut

I've been trying multiple block linocuts; never got them to work satisfactorily before, but that's no reason for not trying again.

This one is printed from three blocks. I cut this block first:

Multiple block linocut: Block 3

I transferred this block onto the other two blocks, and then cut those. The first block has just the moon cut out.

Multiple block linocut: Block 1

The second block has some distant hills and a track between the trees.

Multiple block linocut: Block 2

Then I printed all three blocks together.

Forest moon linocut
Forest moon. Linocut, 10 x 7 cm.

Friday 25 March 2011

Michael: Happy sheep

Happy sheep!
I've got those hap-hap-happy sheep!
Give them a low-down bleat
And they begin dancing!

Happy sheep
Acrylic on canvas, 15 x 15 cm.

Well, somebody had to do it.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Michael: Another collagraph landscape

Another collagraphed landscape, and I'm at last getting somewhere that I want to be.

Landscape collagraph
Approx A4.

Except it isn't really collagraph: there wasn't any sticking. It's printed from strips of foamboard, which has two useful features: the smooth surface makes it easier to print flat even colours; and when you bend it, it creases, breaking up the surface and creating unpredictable textures.

Monday 21 March 2011

Michael: More collagraph landscape

This is another landscape, made from string and card and tape and paper, printed in white and black inks onto brown kraft paper, and then the sun stencilled on.

Landscape collagraph
Approx A4.

Perhaps collagraph is starting make sense now.

Saturday 19 March 2011

Michael: Collagraph landscape

Still fighting to get collagraph to "work". I managed to stick enough paper and string and card and foil and even leaves to a couple of backing boards to make a landscape.

I experimented with printing the first board in white ink onto coloured paper, the second board in black, and then stencilling a circle for the sun.

Landscape collagraph

It's difficult to get enough ink onto the uneven surface of the collagraph plate; you can see how the density increases with successive prints, but it's possible to have some control over this with careful burnishing.

Landscape collagraph

Landscape collagraph

Landscape collagraph

All: Collagraph on paper, A5.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Michael: Tractor collagraph

Still struggling with collagraph. At last, I managed to make this image by printing individual textures separately.

Tractor collagraph
Tractor, A3

For example, the furrows of the ploughed field are printed from corrugated card; the clouds with a kitchen sponge; and the trees with, appropriately, leaves.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Michael: Owl collagraph

I tried collagraph: printing from found textures. You stick stuff onto a board, and then print from it. It's a lot more difficult than it sounds.

I printed an owl.

Owl collagraph

Paper owl. Collagraph, A3.

The printing plate is made from paper, kitchen towel, tin foil, corrugated card, kraft paper... anything I could find. The interesting thing about collagraph is that makes you see things differently: anything with a texture you pick up and think, "I could ink that".

But I'm yet to be convinced that all the work involved is worth it.

Friday 11 March 2011

Michael: Cello and collé

Looking for easier ways of applying colours to black-and-white linocuts, I tried the chine collé method which is more commonly used in etching.

I cut the tissue paper to shape, glued the back of it with PVA, put it on the inked linoblock, and then printed it.

It didn't work. Glue everywhere, except on the tissue paper, which floated and moved around.

Cellist print

Then I tried sticking the tissue paper to the printing paper. When it was dry, I printed the block on top. The extra thickness of the tissue paper made it more difficult to burnish, so I tried thinner printing paper. This was more successful. For this example, I used kraft paper instead of tissue paper.

Cellist print

Fiddling with tiny bits of tissue paper gets frustrating quickly. So I cut larger pieces, aligning them only roughly with the image.

Cellist print

This is starting to work.

Even better when I didn't trim the paper to the shape of the block.

Cellist print

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Michael: Bella and the cello

I made this black and white linocut, inspired by a recent session at our life drawing group.

Cellist linocut
Bella and the cello. Linocut, 10 x 15 cm.

As a quick way of adding some colour, I printed the block onto yellow paper...

Cellist linocut

... and then onto brown kraft paper...

Cellist linocut

... and then in ultramarine ink on white paper.

Cellist linocut

Monday 7 March 2011

Michael: Hummingbird again

More colour experiments with the styrofoam print.

I printed the background in different shades of green, cut away the leave outlines, and then printed it again in a different shade. Then I printed the bird shape on top.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

I think this last one is the most successful:

Hummingbird

Finally, I printed the bird on its own.

Hummingbird

Saturday 5 March 2011

Michael: Hummingbird print

More experimenting with sytrofoam prints: this time, trying to work out how to get more colour into the print. First, I checked that the drawing was adequate by printing it in black.

Hummingbird

I applied coloured ink using card tabs and paper.

Hummingbird

Then I cut out the hummingbird from the background, and inked the parts separately.

Hummingbird

I carved more of the background, and then printed the plates again.

Hummingbird

More experiments to follow...

Thursday 3 March 2011

Michael: Printmaking with styrofoam

In preparation for the printmaking course that I am teaching at the South East School of Art, I've been experimenting with styrofoam printmaking. Styrofoam is the soft plastic that you find under pizzas sometimes. It's very easy and quick to work with.

I started with a drawing of a street in Trastevere in Rome. I indented the drawing onto an A4 sheet of styrofoam, inked it, and then printed it by hand. I first printed the block in black; the lines that I indented onto the block appear as white.

Trastevere

Then I printed the block in white ink onto black paper, so this time the lines that I indented show as positive marks.

Trastevere

The ink is a bit blotchy in places where I applied too much.

A quick way of adding colour is to print onto coloured paper. Here's the block again, printed on red paper.

Trastevere

Finally, I cut away some of the block where I wanted bigger light areas, and printed it in warm brown sienna onto light brown pastel paper.

Trastevere