Project 10: Experimental relief prints (Part 1 - "Fur Babies")

My starting point for this project was the work I had been doing in my sketchbook related to 'fur babies' . These sketches were my reaction to a phenomenon I encountered frequently in my work as a veterinary surgeon. Pets, and especially dogs have been around us and part of our culture for so long that it seems natural that they would live in our houses with us. Our way of relating to them is blatantly anthropomorphic. That is we imbue their behaviours with underlying human emotions and motivations. This means that dogs exist somewhere in a hinterland between being an animal and being human. Many dogs live an extremely privileged life compared, for example to production animals such as chickens.

Sketchbook Pages: Fur Baby

Most of my clients treated their dogs as members of their family and many of them referred to themselves as 'mum' and 'dad' when talking to their animals. The animals were referred to as their 'fur babies'. Indeed, some clients would take greater care with their animals' health than with their own! In some relationships this fulfilled a need in those who were yearning to have children but were unable to - the pet then became a child substitute. In other cases the pet was not a child substitute but an alternative outlet for affection or existed alongside other children in the family at only a marginally lower status than them. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to this 'fur baby' status for the dog. It is lavished with affection and its needs in terms of nutrition and health care are catered for. However, behavioural problems can arise as a result of the dog being treated like a baby rather than being allowed to express its normal dog behaviour. Roaming freely and rolling in the smelliest substance to be found as well as territory marking with urine at the margins of the home range are not acceptable behaviour in a human household. Being confined for 90% of the day indoors can lead to frustration and aggression. I have been forced to euthanise many dogs over the years because they have bitten people - this is largely the result of misunderstanding of the dog's behavioural needs and signals by people. 

One of the worrying developments in recent years is the fashion for brachycephalic (flat faced) breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs. These dogs are now more like fashion accessories. Their 'fur baby' status is reinforced and they are considered 'cute' because they stimulate our primeval drive to care for human babies. They share some physical characteristics with human babies, namely: widely spaced and large eyes, rounded faces, chubby little bodies, small noses. However, there is a major downside for these animals . The very characteristics which people find so appealing can cause severe health problems. 
Small nostrils along with excess tissue at the back of the throat and narrow airways can cause severe breathing difficulties - especially if the dog is chubby. Those large eyes are prominent and often get ulcers. Short stubby legs and rounded bodies can come along with skeletal deformities. The big round face necessitates a large head relative to the size of the body. This means that a large number of these breeds cannot give birth by themselves. I have lost count of the number of French bulldog and pug caesareans I have carried out in the wee small hours of the morning. I find it abhorrent that these animals exist in such large numbers only because they are delivered by caesarean. The fact that these dog breeds are fashionable contributes further to welfare issue with the rise of puppy farms in which bitches are kept in inhumane conditions just to produce litter after litter of pups to satisfy public demand. The dog has, in this case jumped from one of our cultural 'pigeon-holes' to another i.e. from pet to production animal. 

Sketchbook work: Pugs overbred and gasping

One of the reasons that I no longer practise as a vet in an emergency clinic is the fact that I was in a situation which forced me to act contrary to my own personal ethics. I disagree with brachycephalic bitches undergoing multiple caesareans during their lifetimes to provide profit for dog breeders. However, when presented with a bitch that is struggling with her labour, I cannot refuse to carry out a caesarean because that would lead to the suffering and death of that individual. This situation was becoming more and more common in my everyday practise (although the reasons I stopped are more complex that this - it was a contributory factor).

However, I still have some ambivalence about these 'fur babies'. I am human, so I am not immune to their 'ugly-cute' appeal. I have met a lot of pugs and Frenchies over the years that had happy and engaging personalities despite their health problems (I too indulge in anthropomorphism). The people who have these dogs generally love them dearly and care for them to the best of their ability so I cannot outright condemn them. I wanted my work to reflect this ambiguity. To be unsettling or disturbing while also being attractive and interesting to the viewer. 

Of the sketches of fur babies I had made, the one which made both my husband and son give response of being perturbed/unsettled was this one:

I enlarged it in to my large sketchbook and then traced it onto a piece of lino. 

Because the subject to me was quite a dark one, I felt that the grainy darkness of etched lino would be ideal for this. I decided that I wanted to work larger than I had previously. The largest size plate I had was approximately A3 so I went with that as I am trying to use up my current supplies before buying anything new. 

Before etching, I cut away a few areas which I wanted to remain white on the print. These corresponded to the red areas on the sketch (for violence), which I planned to print using a second plate. 

The white areas were carved away first
before applying the resist and the etch.

I decided to try to resist the etch in the areas I wanted to print black using wax. I melted the wax in a bowl perched in a small amount of water in my slow cooker - this meant that I could keep the wax melted without risking burning it, and because the wax didn't touch the slow cooker I had only sacrificed a bowl and the slow cooker lived to cook another day! This arrangement worked well for melting the wax. However, drawing with the taunting tool was more difficult than I had thought. It took me quite some time to create the rather wobbly design of the face. 

Once I was happy with the resist, I painted the caustic paste liberally over the whole surface of the plate. It started to turn brown almost immediately. I was worried that I might have made the paste too strong so I decided to etch for only ten minutes. This was a mistake. when I washed the paste off, it was clear that the etch wasn't very deep. Unfortunately scrubbing the plate had also removed most of the wax so I couldn't etch it again straight away. I removed the the wax residue by ironing and printed the plate. It was possible to make out some lines but the image of the face was lost in a mass of confusing texture. I needed to try again. 

Because the wax had taken so long, I tried a different resist this time. I had heard that copydex glue could be used. I had some watercolour resist medium in my cupboard which looks and smells very much like copydex and dis to a shiny, rubbery finish so I decided to give that a try. This was easier to apply than the wax and it worked very well as a resist. This time I etched the plate for 30 minutes. I had to hand burnish the prints because the plate was too large to fit in my press so I only used thin cartridge paper and Japanese and Chinese rice papers for this project - as well as proofing onto newsprint. 

(NB throughout this post the prints do not appear to be rectangular - this is due to the photographs being taken with the camera at a slight angle to the picture plane - it is a photography problem not a problem with the prints)

Test print taken from the plate after etching for 30 mins
and removing the resist (cartridge paper)

I was happy with the result of the etching here but I realised that I'd made an error with the design. This was just a head floating in space plonked in the middle of the paper. I decided to try to introduce more design elements using a second plate. This would also test whether I had overcome the problems with aligning two plates that I had encountered in part 2. I therefore decided this would be my 'key block' and I reversed this image into another A3 plate by printing onto tracing paper and then transferring the ink from the tracing paper to the second block. 

The second block would be used for printing the colours of the face and to give the fur baby some shoulders. I also decided to use very bright colours following on from my tutor's comment that mu previous two plate print was reminiscent of Warhol. I thought that a pop art theme would be coherent with the fact that I was making a comment about consumerism and the latest 'must have' fashionable item. I used Hawthorn's sonic lipstick pink which is almost fluorescent, and I added a lot of transparent ink/extender so that the colour would be more translucent, allowing the white of the paper to shine through. 

For the next layer, I used a dabber to apply French blue ink mixed with a large amount of extender to one side of the plate, I tried the inks on various types of paper and at varying thicknesses. Some of the prints I took onto the thin Chinese paper were ghost prints and they came out quite well despite the fact tag I was printing them by hand. 

Next, I carved away most of the lino on the face, leaving only the small areas which I wanted to print in red around the eyes nose and ears. I did not carve away the background but covered it with parcel tape while inking up, which I removed before printing. 

I then printed the background in a dark purple to give more tonal variation.

The absent eyes on this version give the print a mask-like quality which I find quite sinister. 

Finally, I printed the etched plate over this reduction linocut. The results were variable partly because I'd experimented with different inking on the reduction block and partly because I'd used different types of paper. 

Where the colour on the reduction block was too strong, it overpowered the details on the etched block:

Unsuccessful print: The sonic pink
overpowers the overprinted etched key block

On some of the less absorbent papers such as the newsprint and cartridge paper, the ink took a very long time to dry. It was still slightly tacky when I tried to overprint. The tacky ink took u excessive amounts of ink from the etched areas and the final image was almost shaded into oblivion by too much black ink:

Unsuccessful print resulting from overprinting
on ink that was still tacky - too much black
ink has transferred

The most successful prints were those which were printed on Chinese or Japanese paper. The thinness of these papers facilitated the burnishing. They are also quite absorbent, they take the ink well and this means that the ink also dries quickly. These prints were, however, far from perfect because I had some issues with registration. I was using Ternes- Burton registration pins. Unfortunately, because of the current heat and humidity, the masking tape I had used to attach the tabs to the back of the paper kept falling off. In future I will allow extra paper at the top of the print which I can trim after printing, enabling me to use something stickier like parcel tape or super glue without fear of tearing the paper on removal. 

I also printed a few of a simpler version of this print using just the black and the red around the eyes. If I ignore the fact that this is a floating head, I actually prefer this version of the print. I like the fact that the grainy texture of the etched Lino is more evident and the subtle hint of violence with the use of red. Often less is more. Overcomplicating things doesn't necessarily make them better but it does increase the potential for error. 

What I learnt

• It is possible to combine lino etching and cutting on a two plate print
• Overcomplicating things make the process arduous and doesn't necessarily translate into better results
• It is possible to pull clear prints by hand burnishing on large plates and thinner papers which attract the ink (such as Chinese and Japanese rice or Kozo papers) give the best results.
• Printing over tacky ink will result in greater transfer of ink

Things to try for next time

• Be patient and wait for the ink to be completely dry before overprinting
• Try a different technique for affixing the registration tabs to the paper - it is almost impossible to achieve accurate registration if the tabs fall off
• Try printing the etched plate using an intaglio technique using a press. 

Research Point: Contemporary printmakers who use experimental methods in their printmaking

Research point

Take a look at some contemporary printmakers who use experimental methods to make their prints. You could start by exploring the printmakerscouncil.com website, where you will find links to some interesting practitioners. What have you found of interest? What new techniques and ideas have arisen in this investigation? Make notes in your learning log.

First a disclaimer because found this research point quite difficult. The reason for this is that I am relatively new to printmaking so all printmaking techniques are new to me. This means that I found it quite difficult to identify which printmakers were using experimental techniques. However, I have become very interested in lino etching after the course which I attended, so I decided to look mainly at artists who employed this technique. To me this seems like and experimental technique but it may now be accepted as mainstream.  

Fabian Matthias Osborne

Click here to view examples of the artist's work on his website

Fabian was one of the tutors on the lino etching weekend course which I attended at West Yorkshire Print Workshop. 

Originally a ceramicist, his printmaking has developed from the same thread of subject matter which came through in his ceramics. He explores the surface textures and patterns that he finds in the landscape, both in the urban environment and in nature. 

His current work uses lino etching entirely and he generally works on large circular plates which he cuts by hand with a craft knife (quite a feat in itself in my opinion!). This must also make registration when printing in multiple layers a real challenge. On the course, he seemed to be able to do it using a simple registration sheet by eye - but as I said not having a corner to register to may make this more difficult than he made it appear. 

He creates patterns and textures using a variety of techniques with the etching. For example his 'Emerald Moon' employs marbling with stop out varnish and repeated etching. 'Spacers' employs letterpress spacers dipped in stout varnish and applied to the plate in a pattern and 'Pool' and 'pools' employ the technique which I tried out on the course which involves repeated etching in ever decreasing areas concentrically. 

He prints in multiple layers and will rotate the plate slightly on each subsequent layer to enhance the irregularity of the patterns created (although again, it must be a challenge to know whether he has rotated it because of the lack of points of reference on the circumference of a circle. 

I found his work inspiring and it made me want to experiment further with lino etching. 

Jenny Thomas

Jenny also tutored on the lino etching weekend but she allowed Fabian to take the lead in the demonstrations. During the weekend she carried out many experiments with different ways of creating a resist. Her willingness to experiment and 'play' was contagious and I found her approach liberating. 

Click here to view and example of her lino etching on the Water Street Gallery Website

The image in the link above "Flower 7 - stripey" is created using lino etching. It is on a square format and I suspect it has been etched more than once. It is printed in two colours read and black. The gestural nature of the abstract flower petals give it a dynamic feeling. The texture is very interesting. Brush marks are exploited from where the etch has been applied and the parallel stripes have been made by dragging a metal decorators' comb across the lino during the etch to manipulate the placement of the paste and to scratch the softened surface of the lino. 

Steve Edwards 

Click here to see examples of the artist's work on his website

This artist is probably best known for his large scale cityscapes and landscapes. In particular he manages to evoke the atmosphere of the urban landscape of London and light reflections from the surface of the Thames. exploits the lino to its full potential using a combination of etching and cutting. He sometimes also combines this with monotype. As well as the landscapes he does look at other subjects including figurative (human) subjects. 

Looking at some of his London cityscapes from a distance, they look almost photographic in their realism. He captures the quality of light and the shapes of the London skyline beautifully. Looking in more detail however, you can see the complexity of the textures that he has managed to create on the surface of the Lino. 

He uses the textural elements from the etched Lino to represent the more natural parts of the urban environment such as the water and clouds. The cut elements are more controlled and therefore more suitable for the silhouettes of buildings. I think he uses a variety of techniques to ink his plates too such as rainbow rolling and selective inking of certain areas such that he may in some cases be creating variable editions. 

I would love to see this work in person as many of his prints are large (for example 70x90cm) and so it is no possible to perceive the full impact of the pieces from small photographs - I'd like to get right up close and try to work out exactly how he has achieved such textures and light effects. Maybe he is using a combination of relief and intaglio printing techniques which would add an additional layer of technical difficulty with having to dampen the paper and deal with expansion and shrinkage in multiple layered printing. I don't know. 

Alison Pilkington

Click here to view examples of the artist's work on the SO Fine Art Editions website

Pilkington is an Irish artist and is both a painter and a printmaker. she has really made Lino etching her own. Her works are abstract and are all about texture and colour. I again would like to see her work in person to try to work out how she has gone about creating these because the although they appear simple I suspect they are actually quite difficult to create. She manages to leave areas of crisp bright colours as well as the more granular textured areas of the etching - is she using cutting as well as etching? Does she use multiple plates or multiple layers of etching on one plate like a reduction? 

However she manages to achieve these exuberant prints, her work is very different in character from the other artists I have mentioned in this context - this shows that Lino etching is a versatile technique that can be used to achieve a variety of effects on the final print. 

Anthony Broad

Does not use Lino etching but I have never seen the technique he uses before so I have included him here under experimental techniques. 

Click here to view examples of graphite prints on the artist's website

Although the theme of this artist's work doesn't particularly chime with my own concerns, being about masculinity and concepts of manliness in society I was intrigued by the metallic surface he manages to create on his prints. 

On his website, Broad states that this is his own technique which he has recently developed. He applies graphite powder to the paper which he burnishes to a smooth finish. He then uses blind embossing with a woodcut block. This makes his final works almost sculptural although they are created on a flat sheet of paper. The paper appears transformed into something more substantial and perhaps more valuable - sheet metal, armour or coins. 

Experimental mark making on lino (Part 2 : Etching)

A while ago, I attended a weekend course about lino etching at West Yorkshire Print Workshop. It was run by Jenny Thomas and Fabian Osborne who were wonderfully informative and really encouraged our creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed this course so am including notes and photographs here because it is relevant to the current area of study. 

The Lino is etched using a combination of water, caustic soda crystals and wallpaper paste. The wallpaper paste adds body to the etching mixture so that it stays where you put it. 

It is very important to wear protective clothing, gloves and eye protection when doing this because the caustic soda will eat anything organic including human tissues. Also, when mixing up the paste be prepared for the fact that the chemical reaction generates heat. The paste can be stored in a sealed glass jar for up to 4 weeks - it is at its strongest when first fixed but gradually loses its effectiveness with time. 

The caustic mixture can be painted onto the lino using a synthetic paintbrush Natural hair brushes will be destroyed by the caustic soda). How deeply the plate is etched depends on how thickly you apply the paste and how long you leave it on for.  The paste can be manipulated on the block using tools or cardboard to create designs. 

The other way to create designs is to use various substances as a resist. For example wax, electrical tape, copydex glue, or stop out varnish for traditional etching. 

I tried out several of the different ways of resisting the etch and drew quite freely on the lino plates with my chosen resist but loosely basing my designs on some of the organic shapes I'd been looking at in my small sketchbook: bacterial cultures, chordae tendinae of the heart and so on. After applying the resist and waiting for it to dry I applied a thick layer of the etching paste. As the paste etches the lino it turns from grey to brown. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to take effects but can be left longer for a deeper etch. 

When the plate was sufficiently eaten I washed the paste off with water and a nail brush and then poured vinegar over it to neutralise the NaOH (caustic soda). 

Print from lino etched after applying a resist of melted wax using a
tjanting tool for batik

I especially enjoyed playing with the melted wax. I dripped wax onto the plate in an attempt to recall the images of bacterial colonies I had drawn in my sketchbook. I also tried drawing with the tjanting tool. The drawing was very imprecise but great fun. The wax was allowed to set solid before etching. after etching most of the wax was scraped off and then the residue was removed by ironing the plate under multiple layers of newsprint. As well as showing the design, the brush marks from the application of the paste can clearly be seen in the resulting print. 

I decided to also try a type of subtractive method with the wax. This time I painted a thick layer of wax over the plate. When this had solidified I used various tools and a scalpel to remove areas of the wax. This allowed the etch to occur only in those areas where I had removed the wax.  Some buts of wax chipped off where I had not intended but this didn't really matter because it was a completely abstract experiment. 

Print from lino etched after cutting away wax
which had been applied widely to the surface

Another way to create an interesting image , this time without any resist, is to etch the Lino multiple times in succession. Each time the etch is repeated, it becomes progressively deeper and therefore progressively lighter on the final print. In the print shown below, I have applied the etching paste to progressively smaller areas with each successive etch achieving this concentric tonal gradation. I really like this effect, it gives an illusion of three dimensions and reminds me of contour maps. It could also be exploited for tonal gradation by etching deeper in areas which are to remain lighter and less so in darker tonal areas - this would be worth experimenting with. This particular image is reminiscent of fungal cultures.

Print from lino repeatedly etched in progressively
decreasing areas

In the print below I painted stop-out varnish onto the plate as a resist in an abstract pattern inspired by mu work on the chord tendinae of the heart. While the etch was proceeding I also scratched into the surface of the etching lino using various tools. This is overprinted on a coloured background I found this one of the less successful images but it was useful for learning this technique.

Resist created using stop out varnish. texture in the etched area created
by scraping with tools during the etching. Overprinted on a coloured
background

The other technique we tried, was marbling. This involved floating stop out varnish on the surface of water (with a little wallpaper paste). Breaking up the surface tension to make the varnish break up into interesting shapes and then applying the lino plate to the surface of the water. This meant the varnish would stick to the plate. Some amazing results came from this although my pate was a little disappointing as the drops of varnish were quite small so they just gave a grainy texture to the surface as seen in the sketchbook page on the left hand side below. 

Left side: print from lino etched after applying stop out by a marbling
technique. Right side: lino etched after applying melted wax using a
tjanting tool

After preparing and proofing our plates, we experimented in printing multiple layers. We used inks that were not completely opaque in primary colours in order to allow some colour mixing and overlaying of patterns to show. Some of the results were great. The only drawback was that the lino blocks were not cut completely precisely to size so some of mine were slightly off being square. I did the best I could to align them but as you can see there are quite a lot of issues with the registration. If I were to want to display these it would be necessary to window mount them with mat board to conceal the edges.

What I learnt:

• Lino etching can be employed with a variety of resists which each give individual character to the marks made
• repeated etching on the same plate can create gradations of tone
• How to mix up caustic soda paste and how to use it and neutralise it
• Health and safety procedures for working with caustic paste
• If you plan to print in multiple layers always make sure that your plates are precisely the same size and shape before you start. 

Research: Dale Devereux-Barker and Scarlette Homeshaw

My tutor suggested that I look at the work of these two artists. I have made notes on some of their work in my sketchbook - these are the main points:

Dale Devereux- Barker

Click here to view examples of the artist's work on his website

I was immediately drawn to this artist's work. It is bold and colourful and attracts the eye. He successfully exploits the graphic quality to which linocut lends itself well.

On the website I found work which includes a variety of subject matter varying from still life, to figurative portrayal of people swimming to completely abstract works. 

Some of his abstract works use a gridded structure for example This untitled work seen here on the artist's website . The print is in share format measuring 25cm by 25cm. It is subdivided into a grid of 5cm squares (therefore 25 squares in total). He has used yellow orange and black which creates a dramatic tonal contrast. He uses linear elements of varying thickness, some traits and some following the curves shapes of abstract forms within the composition. 

Abstract shapes link neighbouring grid squares and often the colour or surface patterning of these elements changes when they overlap two squares on transitioning from one square to another - this the grid structure is maintained and there is a playful use of positive and negative shapes. 

The shapes themselves seem to respond to each other. Some can be interpreted for example as stylised vessel forms. Others appear more organic, resembling a kidney or a hand or a rudimentary body. 

Overall the combination of bold colours, tonal contrast and the balance of the various elements make this an eye-catching print. 

His use of colour in the  Swimmers series for me seems reminiscent of 1960's to 1970's psychedelia. These linocuts and lithographs are again on a square format. The colours are very bold and bright. They are a combination of figuration and abstract design elements. Water is suggested by circles, rippled lines and small spirals. The roof of the swimming pool is suggested by a converging grid pattern. 

Devereux-Barker employs  forced or distorted perspective in these prints with with arms, legs or feet often arranged diagonally or in a bold central position which makes for dynamic compositions which seem fitting for the movement depicted. The swimmers' hands and feet appear disproportionately large as a result of this distortion. This also plays on the fact that successful swimmers often have large hands and feet. His print 'A Certain Mr Phelps' portrays the multi-olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps as having enormous hands extended in front of him. Each hand appears large than his torso. 

There are also a number of linocut still lives on his website. These also have altered perspective and are partially abstracted, they employ bold primary and secondary colours. Often for example, the perspective of the table top is altered or the ellipses of vessels are not true ellipses. This approach is reminiscent of Picasso's linocut still lives. 

From this artist I have learnt that it is possible to use very bold colour choices in linocut and this can make for great impact in the final image. Also I find his use of altered perspective very interesting and that could be something to experiment with. 

Scarlette Homeshaw

Click here to see examples of the artist's work on her website

My tutor suggested that I look at the work of Scarlette Homeshaw. This was great because I have had the good fortune to see Scarlette's work first hand and to meet the artist when I attended a linocut course at West Yorkshire Print Workshop. 

Scarlette, a previous winner of the flourish award for excellence in printmaking is currently based in West Yorkshire. She is inspired by the local architecture and industrial heritage. She uses photographic references to create her prints (I think she takes the photographs herself), but she does not slavishly reproduce the photographs, especially when it comes to the colour scheme. 

Scarlette converse her photographic references to grayscale images using a photocopier so that she will be influenced only by the tonal values but not by the colours of the original source. She elects colours freely and also adds patterning which sometimes departs significantly from the photographic source.

Her prints vary in size and format and may have 16-20 layers to them and she rarely uses black. She takes great pleasure in mixing up jewel-like bright colours using lithographic ink. Her imaginative colour schemes are very attractive. 

During the course she showed us her method of registration which involves using a simple registration sheet with an outline of the plate size and an outline of the paper size and always aligning the paper and the plate to a selected corner. I found this immensely difficult and was very nervous about dropping the paper onto the plate as it always seemed to shift slightly from where I had intended it to go. I am in awe of her ability to achieve great registration over so many layers with this straightforward technique. 

I found her technique of using a greyscale image to identify areas of similar tonal values and  ignoring the original colour scheme both practical and liberating and will continue to use this technique going forwards. 

References:

https://www.daledevereuxbarker.co.uk/linocuts

https://www.scarlette-homeshaw.com/yorkshire-collection

Project 9: Experimental mark making on lino (Part 1 - Tools)

First you will make a test lino block. Place a block of lino against your bench hook or tray and make a series of different marks using your chosen tools. Try to keep the textures in an organised pattern so that you can remember which tool made which mark. 

How did your test plate print? Can you recognise the marks made by the different tools? 
If some of your effects did not print can you identify why?


I gathered together a number of tools from the toolbox and from the kitchen and attacked the Lino with them. I was surprised that some of the tools I had selected (for example a fork and a pizza cutter) were unable to make any mark at all on the Lino - this is an illustration of how sharp the tools have to be to make useful marks. Others that I had thought would not make an impression produced interesting patterns and still others which appeared to mark the lino decisively, didn't  show in the print. I tried making marks both on battleship grey lino and on the soft cut. The soft cut was much more resilient and difficult to mark because it is flexible and rubbery it tends to deform and then spring back into shape unless it is attacked with something very sharp. I used water-based ink for this project for speed and convenience but it would have been a good idea to also try printing with oil-based ink to see if this made a difference to the marks which showed - The oil based ink is stiffer than the water based so it might not flood small marks so readily. 

Marks made on soft cut Lino using a Phillips screwdriver,
hand propelled drill bit and a Dremel

The Phillips screwdriver made surprisingly good star-like marks in the soft cut. The Dremel with a rounded grinding head made precise circular marks but very quickly became clogged with layers of the rubbery material. The light curving linear marks made by the Dremel were perhaps not deep enough and were largely flooded by the ink so didn't give a clear print. A drill bit wielded by hand made some satisfying but not easily controllable marks. 

Marks made on soft cut lino using a cheese grater and a
serrated kitchen knife 

The cheese grater and serrated kitchen knife were not particularly successful on the soft cut. The cheese grater created some texture on the plate but it didn't show very clearly on the print - it is possible it might show if a thinner layer of tackier ink were used. I tried creating a cross hatch pattern using the kitchen knife. The cuts were quite deep but entirely linear without any gap on the surface - these didn't show at all on the print, only the areas where I'd gouged away bits of the surface showed. 

Marks made on soft cut lino using a pocket knife and hammered nails

The pocket knife which I usually use in the garden is quite sharp so I attacked the soft cut with that. This demonstrated to me that the knife is considerably less sharp than the linocutting tools I have. The gouges I created showed but it was very difficult to control the shape of them with this poor-precision instrument. The linear marks I made with this knife didn't show either. The soft cut was too springy for hammering nails - they tend to bounce back and not make a good mark. 

Marks made on grey hessian-backed lino using (clockwise from upper left corner): cheese grater, lemon zester,
garden pocket knife, screws, hammered nails, cake decorating tool, wire cutters and a cork screw. 

 The grater made more of an impression on the grey lino and created some texture although it didn't show very clearly on the print - there was a suggestion of texture but it was too subtle. I liked the linear marks I was able to carve with the zester but it wasn't a very sharp tool and the marks were not very controllable. The pocket knife could be used to create a variety of teardrop or lozenge -shaped marks. The screws, nails and the cake decorating tools created irregular dots of different sizes which could be used for stippling for creating areas of different tonal values. The wire cutters created some nice lines but could only be used at the edge of the plate so they aren't very versatile. 

A wide variety of marks created on grey hessian-backed
Lino using a Dremel with lots of different bits/heads. 

The Dremel was a revelation on the grey lino. I tried a variety of grinding and drilling bits as well as burrs of various shapes and sizes. This enabled me to create a wide variety of different marks. I loved the precise circles that could be made wit the drill bits and the ball grinder. I was able to create fine hatching very quickly (but noisily!) with this tool as well as a variety of curves and directional marks. 

What I learnt:

• Tools must be very sharp to make any mark on the soft cut although a Philips screwdriver makes a surprisingly clear stellate mark
• Grey lino is much easier to work with for this type of exercise
• Finely grained textures which look great on the plate don't always show in the print
• Nails and screws make great irregular dots for stippling
• A Dremel is great for making precise circular dots 
• Hatching with a Dremel is easy and rapid but not particularly restful because it's a very noisy tool. 
• If you are using a drill bit on lino put a thick piece of scrap wood or MDF under it to prevent damage to your table (luckily my work bench is already deeply marked so the additional holes I made with the Dremel are not a problem)

Overall this was a very enjoyable, free and experimental exercise. It demonstrated to me that it is best not to make assumptions about how successful mark-making with a particular tool will be. Also a mark made on the lino may not print in the way that you might expect so it is a good idea to test and proof ideas before committing yourself on a larger scale or using certain marks in a detailed or complex print. 

I have also experimented with mark-making on Lino by etching with caustic soda as well as making marks on other materials - I will create separate log posts for these experiments. 

Research Point: Clare Curtis and Mark Hearld

Research point

Now look at the work of Clare Curtis or Mark Hearld, both contemporary printmakers, and look closely at how their prints are created. What makes them work? Are there any techniques you could re-use? Make notes in your learning log.

I have decided to look at the work of both artists but will concentrate more on Mark Hearld. This is partly because I was able to find more information about this artist and partly because his subject matter includes animals which chimes with my own interests. 

Mark Hearld

I found a video in which the artist talks about his practice. Click here to view "Mark Hearld" an introduction on You Tube

Hearld's subject matter is primarily concerned with the flora and fauna of the British countryside. His work show clear evidence of the influence of mid 20th century artists such as Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and John Piper. In the video, we learn that this was further reinforced by his tutors at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Academy. One of his tutors, John Norris Wood, was taught by Edward Bawden. (1)

I found the artist's use of collage particularly interesting. He enjoys the graphic quality in the use of college and he talks about finding visual equivalents for elements in his composition by chance. He says that working in collage has informed his printmaking because he works in layers and it encourages him to 'think in layers'.. This then becomes useful when combining elements in his lithography. He also has a fascination for objects and talks about placing different objects together as a sort of 3-d collage. He also designs functional objects such as plates and fabric, partly because he likes objects and artefacts and partly because he wants his art to be accessible to those who can't afford to buy a painting or original print.

I am going to concentrate here on his use of linocut by looking at two specific linocuts - I have annotated reproductions of these in my sketchbook:

'Garden Birds' (seen here, reproduced on the art angels website) is made in two colours plus black' plus the white of the paper. It appears to be a multi-plate print although I'm not sure whether it's three plates or two plates with variable inking. The two colours are pale blue and a pale beige which contrast well with the black ink. 
The composition is quite busy with lots of detail but it works well. The two birds are the main focal points, in particular their eyes. One is located in the lower and left third of the composition, the other is located at the junction of the upper right third. Secondary focal pints are the eggs in the nest and the house. 

Lots of diagonals make for quite a dynamic composition. Reading from the lower left hand corner, the diagonal of the direction of the gaze of the lower bird as well as the branch on which it is standing, move the eye up towards the other bird. The second bird's feet lead to the nest and the eggs and then the curve of the nest leads the eye diagonally back towards the house.  The line of the bird's tail leads away into the tree and then back via flying birds and curved lines in the sky round the whole composition to the starting point in the lower left again. 
There are several diagonal lines which lead your eye from the lower bird up towards the house. These diagonals serve to create perspective and the relative sizes of the birds and the house create some depth to the composition. 
Hearld employs many different kinds of marks to create texture and tonal contrast . there is a good balance of tonal values with the foreground being more black with negative shapes carved out of it for leaves and flowers and the sky being relatively light with black trees in silhouette on the skyline. 

"The Rooster', seen here on the St Jude's Prints website is a relatively large print (705x550mm - so larger than A2). It appears to be a two block linocut using a relatively bright blue and black. The composition os almost circular: the eye is drawn all around the print:

The gentle diagonal of the fence draws the eye across . The smaller V of the background fence stops the eye from exiting at the right side and directs you back to the rooster's eye. The rooster's gaze and the elegant curves of his tail feathers bring the eye diagonally up and back towards the left (the curve of the railway carriage's roof also stops your eye from exiting at the upper right hand corner). The arc of a bird's flight and curved lines in the sky further continue the route to the upper left hand corner. From here, the line continues down the stem of the tall plant in the left extremity of the print and the strong curve of the junction between the path and the vegetation swoops the eye back to restart the circle with the fence. 

There are many different types of marks here. Tiny short lines represent grass. Curves represent the feathers on the rooster's chest. . Circular gouges represent the stones on the path. Many fine parallel lines add interest and total values In the sky and behind the tall plant. He also plays with positive and negative carving to add interest to the vegetation , the tree and the  feathers. 

Once again, he uses relative sizes of the rooster to the geese, cat, hen and chicks as well as the shed in the background, to give an impression of depth. 
I would very much like to see this work in person because a small image on a computer screen of a large scale work doesn't give the full effect. 

Clare Curtis

Click here to visit the artist's website for examples of her work

Clare Curtis ia a printmaker and illustrator and many of her prints are concerned with horticultural subjects. She uses stylised forms for plants and her compositions and colour schemes appear to be carefully planned. Her colour schemes, even using contrast between complementary colours have a harmony to them and the balance of tonal values is also pleasing. 

The combination of stylised horticultural subject matter with the harmonious colours show some similarity with the work of Angie Lewin.

Although both Angie Lewin and Clare Curtis produce work that I am not immediately drawn to (maybe it's the subject matter and the carefully planned decorative nature of them that puts me off I'm not really sure why I don't respond to these as I do to other prints), I can clearly see the expertise involved and appreciate why these artists are so popular. I have made notes on some of Clare's prints in my sketchbook.

There are many techniques I can try to emulate in these printmakers' work. One of the techniques I am particularly keen to try out is using collage to plan my Lino-cuts. I had already considered doing this because I saw the 'Matisse Cut Outs' exhibition at Tate Modern a few years ago and the fact that Matisse used collage to plan his compositions for paintings struck me as a good idea. Composition is something that I struggle with and  I also have a tendency to run out of  patience with doing lots of thumbnail sketches to try to work it out. Being able to move pre-cut elements about seems like a more flexible and immediate way to proceed. This seems particularly suited to linocut because I can plan colour layers by using papers coloured with gouache or acrylic paint. I am definitely going to try this. 

Looking at these artists has made me think more about what the elements of a successful composition may be and also about the importance of achieving a balance of tonal values and colours. This will help me to keep these factors in mind as I move forwards. 

My tutor also suggested that I look at the work of Dale Devereux Baker and Scarlette Homeshaw. I will make a separate post about these artists 

References:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byG6w2qaWnw

Project 8: Reduction Method Linocut

I started this project before my feedback came back because I wanted to get something on paper - I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to complete this module because I have two weeks in the middle in which I know I won't be able to work on it at all and I want it to be ready by the time I go to the UK on 23rd July. I, therefore wanted to chose a relatively straightforward image and work on a relatively small scale so that I could complete the project in reasonable time. This meant that if I did have any spare time. If I made good progress through the exercises I could then go back and develop more complex work, but there would be reduced risk of me not completing in time for my next deadline. 

The consequence of this is that I didn't spend a lot of time developing it in my sketchbook as I have now resolved to do with every project before going into print. 

My plan was to use a panting pug in the blues and purples of cyanosis because these animals have such problems with their breathing. In terms of composition I wanted a very claustrophobic feel to I severely cropped the image so the full face is not included and there is little space around the head. 

I made a drawing in water soluble coloured pencil in my sketchbook:

Sketchbook page showing drawing and
overlaid transparencies for planning layers

Then I started thinking about the layering of the image for reduction so I used traced out the areas of the different colours and drew them individually ob transparencies with I overlaid on each other to check my design:

I had encountered problems with the lino curling on my last multi plate print. I, therefore decided to rid myself of this problem by sticking the Lino to a solid base before I started. I placed the Lino on a sheet of metal (this is actually the plate of my tiny student etching press) using double sided sticky tape. I had drawn the registration directly onto the metal with permanent OHP marker. I stuck my registration pins to the metal and prepared several sheets of paper of different thicknesses and varieties by adding the tabs. This registration system worked well. I had been concerned that the double sided sellotape might not hold sufficiently firmly, but in fact it took all the punishment I gave it without budging a millimetre. The advantage of the metal as a base plate over wood is that it doesn't absorb the ink if you contaminate it while inking the lino. I was able to wipe stray smears of ink away easily using a damp cloth or a baby wipe. 


In the first layer I cut out the highlighted areas and also some of the background which I wanted to remain white. I printed this in a pale blue.

Proofs of layers 1 and 2 on newsprint

The second layer was for the mid tones. I carved out the areas which I wanted to remain the pale blue colour. I planned to print this layer in a purple and then a very dark indigo blue for the final layer. I was using process colours. Ideally I wanted to use these purely so that some of the colour underneath would show through as they are not completely opaque. However, it was clear that my fist attempt at a purple was far too dark and there would be little or no contrast between this and the final layer. Also there was too much red in this - it looked more black than violet:

The initial colour for the second layer was too dark.
Proofed onto cartridge paper. 

I tried adding more cyan which created a better purple but obviously didn't help the fact that it was too dark so it required white. This would also make the colour more opaque. It was on the addition of the white that I made a bit of an error. Normally when I use white I add the colour to the white but I wasn't thinking. I just added the white to the dark ink I had made. I required an awful lot of white to lighten the colour. Also because the colour had been so dark to start with it seemed very light in comparison when I stopped adding the white but in reality it should have been much lighter, This didn't really become evident as a problem until I printed the final layer. 

Proofs of layer 3 and the final reduction proofed
onto newsprint.

The final layer required some careful carving as some of the darkest shadows were quite thin wiggly lines in the creased face of the pug. I printed it using indigo as planned. It was at this point that I realised that my second layer had been too dark. The contrast between the second and third layers is insufficient. You can see the darkest shadows up close but from distance they seem to all blend into one dark purple tone. Of course, with reduction printing it isn't possible to go back and correct things because the matrix is destroyed as you move through the process. That's why it's sometimes known as 'suicide printing'.

I had used this exercise as an opportunity to try printing on various papers. I proofed each layer onto newsprint and then used cartridge paper, mulberry paper, Japanese kozo paper, and Fabriano Rosalpina. 

I really love the Japanese paper - it accepts the ink so well. I also think that when I want to work on a larger scale (I can only easily print up to A4 size in my jack press), this thin paper will be ideal for hand burnishing. 

Completed reduction print on Japanese Kozo paper

The mulberry paper comes in a range of colours - I like the textures in this paper - I have no idea whether it is archival though or whether it will degrade over time.

Completed reduction print on off-white Mulberry
paper

The Fabriano paper also accepts the ink very well and in the press there is a pleasing embossing effect. I plan also to try using this wet but this could cause a problem with registration on multilayer prints because the paper expands when wet and shrinks back as it dries. I think this paper would be less suitable for hand pulling prints because it is quite thick so it is difficult to get enough pressure by hand - especially on large flat areas. 

Completed reduction print on Fabriano Rosalpina

As soon as I can scrape together some cash, I will order some more of the Japanese papers to try.


Looking at the print now it is completed there is one more thing I would change if I did it again. I don't mind the incomplete clearing in the background - I think that the directional marks where the carved Lino has picked up the ink add some dynamism to the image. However, I should have spent some more time clearing or cutting away the upper right hand corner because the unintentional marks there are distracting. 

What I learnt:

• Planning, planning, planning!!!!!! (and lots of proofing) are essential
• Plan the colours of your layers before you start and then match the colours of the ink to your plan - don't just 'trust to luck' that it will all work out - you can't go back.
• When lightening a colour, always add the colour to the white. Adding white to a dark colour wastes a lot of ink and it is tempting not to lighten it sufficiently.
• Sticking the plate to a solid surface resolves the problem of curling.
• Double sided sticky tape works well for sticking Lino to metal.
• A metal or perspex solid surface would be better than MDF because it allows wiping away of stray ink. 
• Fabriano Rosalpina and Japanese Kozo papers are great at accepting the ink. The Japanese paper would be ideal for hand burnishing as I move forward.