I started with a blank piece of grey Lino.I made circular marks by spinning the tip of the cutting tool in the surface of the Lino taking out a small core. These marks were inspired by the bacteria from my sketch book. I added some undulating thin linear marks to represent the fibrinous tendrils of an expanding colony. I carved for a while and then proofed it onto newsprint:
First proof onto newsprint using water based ink |
I proofed this again. I neglected to wipe the plate down before inking it up. Consequently I ended up with lots of tiny bits of Lino in my ink so the proofs were of very poor quality.
Proof in water based ink onto the rough side of cheap Chinese paper |
Proof onto thin cartridge paper using water-based ink and printed using the bottle jack press |
Although - on looking at its through the camera view finder, the image reminded me of some kind of bizarre sea creature with tendrils - a bit like a lion fish. I'm abandoning this block for now as I need to move on, but there is the possibility I may revisit it to try to develop this idea.
What I learnt:
- I really do need to plan the composition as I can't visualise my image in reverse while I'm working
- ALWAYS clean the plate before inking up otherwise you will end up with tiny grains of Lino in your ink and on your roller which will show up with white haloes on your print.
- The rough side of the Chinese paper is difficult to print onto - it needs a lot of ink. It gives a texture to the print but it's difficult to get a clean print. Try using the smooth side next time. (This was the first time I'd tried printing on this paper because I'd run out of Japanese paper and I happen to have a large roll of the Chinese paper in my studio and limited funds at the moment)
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