Further adventures in linocut printing

[nineveh_uk]

This year I've been enjoying a return to art as something I am able to pursue when I'm not feeling great. It's something that can be picked up, put down, done according to the strength available at the time, and crucially does not require looking at a screen. So over the past few weeks in between lying on the sofa, sitting in the garden, and keeping abreast of the washing up, I dedicated some time to carving my next linocut print, a second skier, and over the weekend I printed it. I am very pleased with the way it turned out, with a good sense of movement. It's a design I might well return to for a multi-coloured print in future, although first, it being mid-April, I think I shall do something less snowy. As I put things away yesterday I reflected on how very much I had enjoyed it, it's definitely a medium that works for me.



Less successful was an essay in using acrylic paint mixed with a special relief printing medium in order to print colours. Unfortunately the results were far from satisfactory, being OK at blocks of colour, but downright poor at both printed lines and white lines and generally not giving crisp edges. The result was better when I gave it a try with some Easy Carve blocks from my December course, but still not good, and the comparison to even my very inexperienced efforts with a proper ink were very evident. So it looks like I'm going to have to take the plunge, buy more ink, and develop new skills in colour mixing. This shouldn't be intimidating, it isn't like the concept of mixing yellow and blue to make green is a new one, and yet it is. Plus ink, unlike lino, is expensive. Ah well, the whole point of an experiment is to see if something works.

Comments

[nineveh_uk]

Well that does mostly summarise it :-) But I hope it will also force me, because of the nature of the medium, to develop in terms of composition, stylistic choices and being less wedded to realism that I hope will also make me better at drawing/painting.