It all starts with a rough sketch (very rough), and as you can see, it bears very little resemblance to the finished print at this stage.......
In fact, i really hate the sketch and change my mind !
I decide to draw yet ANOTHER design directly onto the lino, freehand. I really should have done this in the first place, saving time and paper, but never mind. Then roughly paint the design and add the detail i want with pencil.
From here, i can now cut the lino. For someone who changes their mind quite a bit, this part can seem a little daunting. Once a cut is made in the lino, there's no going back, so no room for mistakes or faffing about (highly technical term) at this point.
Once all this is done, i clean the plate with a little white spirit to remove any excess paint or pencil marks and the plate is ready for printing. Now all i need to do is decide on a colour......oh, and a title too!
21 comments:
I appreciate this demo. I like all the pics--and the bird in the sketch--very much!
Thats amazing! The final print is lovely... it makes me feel wintery, as if the little bird is searching through a frozen flower head for seeds.. :)x
It's a beautiful print!!! I think that sometimes it's good to just drive in and do it... no faffing.. Just do it!!! I am terrible faffer too :)
Thanks for the sequence of events, so interesting and a beautiful end result - I loved your sketches too! A question or two please - what do you draw on the lino with, is this a white pencil? And why do you paint the image, oh and I wondered where you get the lino from - it looks brown - I have only found grey - is there a difference?
Thankyou for sharing this. Beautiful print.I love your work. I have a stack of lino been sitting there in a drawer for years, but no printing press of any sort...any suggestions how to print?
i love your way of getting to the print, so fluid, and the end result is so beautiful:)
Hi Jennifer. I used a white nail pencil to draw on the lino, i found this one in my daughter's manicure set, as an ordinary pencil dosn't show very well on the brown lino. A white pencil crayon would work just as well though. The white paint just helps me to see the thicker elements of the design on the lino, so i can see where i need to cut, and a rough idea of the final image.
I order my brown lino on-line from Great Art. It's much denser and harder to cut than the grey, but i find it allows me to get thinner, lighter lines without crumbling or giving way. I think it depends on what design you are cutting- the grey being slightly softer really is easier to cut, and great for bigger pieces and prints.
Hope this helps? : )
Thank you Doda. Theres lots of ways you can get a print without using a press. A very simple way would to to place the paper on top of the inked lino plate and then use a back of a spoon, cloth, or barren to rub on the back of the paper until you get the print that you want. Gently lift up the paper from the plate, and you should get a very effective print.
Lots of luck with the printing : )
Thanks Alison :) x
Lovely to see how you create a print from start to finish, the lino block itself is beautiful too!
Thanks so much - you probably do all this without thinking, but it is quite a magic and mystery when you're an onlooker! Thankyou for your help. Think for now I'll stick to the grey.
It is good to see your initial work is not what you stick with as I think there is usually a journey from conception to finish. Don't you sometimes find the thought you started )and went with) can sometimes re-appear in a new way a few months later, as if it were incubated? That is how it is with me, but then again it is a slow way of working and we all need to eat!
Thanks for posting, so interesting to see how you work! I've used the grey and found it crumbles so will try the brown ;)
Fab print! x
I never fail to love reading your posts! Seeing the process of drawings and cutting mapped out like this alongside your finished print's amazing! In fact, it makes me feel like I want to hop right out of my chair and get drawings some ideas! I am a novice printer and the two things I always struggle with are translating a drawing to the block (they end up looking completely different) but also getting a balance of light/dark areas. Your idea of painting white onto the lino is genius!! I can't believe I have never thought about doing this before, thank you!
Brilliant work- I love the bird, and the flower design is lovely. Good idea painting the design on the lino, too.
Fabulous! I love seeing the process it's lovely to see how you work and what a beautiful print! love it!:)
So interesting, useful AND beautiful - thank you for showing this x
I love to see work in progress, something magical happens when you carve lino.
When I see your work I always think "fabric". You are a printmaker and a textile designer!
Hi again, just saw your response. Thanks so very much for the advice.I'll let you know!
Beautiful print. I really enjoyed seeing your process too :)
Thank you for an enjoyable and very educational post Amanda. Lovely lovely print. Jude x
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