Notes for Assignment Five

Project 13 - Combination mono and linoprint

16th July 2011

I did the monoprint part of the lino/monoprint assignment today. I have a variety of sheets of A3 paper available including some heavy Somerset and different types of cartridge paper. I am aiming to get a textured background that will resemble a forest but the bottom half of the A3 (portrait) will be mainly black with the forest texture showing through where I have cut out the lino. I spoiled the first two sheets of Somerset by putting too much ink on the plate but by the time I had got to the third I was getting it right.

To create the monoprint background I had cut out a stencil just smaller than A3 and had stuck it to the front of each piece of paper by applying masking tape to the back. This was to create a small white boarder that would sharpen the image up. Before I have applied masking tape to the front of the paper and simply masked out the border but then when the tape is pulled away bits of the printing paper come with it.

I have since found that the best way to take a monoprint using a stencil is to use a piece of paper exactly the same size as the printing paper, ink up the plate and then lay the stencil with whatever shape hole you have cut onto the inked plate. Then lay the paper that will be printed on top, exactly aligned with the identically sized stencil beneath. Then burnish the back.

I experimented using different tools to mix the ink on the plate such as a palette knife or a paint brush or both and I also experimented with different brush marks. On one print I applied the orange ink with a roller to get a completely flat background. This was more attractive when I took a second 'ghost' print from the plate without inking it up again.

Some of the heavy cartridge paper seemed to give the best results with a clear print without too much texture from the paper. The heavy Somerset printing paper gave the worst results.

I ended up with seven orange monoprints all of which were completely different. I planned to do the next part of my image with a reduction linocut in four colours and in this order: red, khaki, brown and black.

My original water colour for the project was far to complicated so I eliminated some elements in order that the textural effect of the monoprint was not diminished.

30th July 2011

I have spent the last two weeks printing the five blocks (including the lettering) on the seven monoprints and it has been a slow process because the print is A3 requiring a lot of ink for each print and then a couple of days at least is required in between to let the ink dry. All in all it has gone well with the last black print being printed with good coverage. However printing layer upon layer has given a shiny plastic look to the print which I don't like and is particularly unattractive where I have used too much ink on the last block.

The first printing of the lettering was a complete failure because I printed it upside down! I then did a further three before realising that I wasn't going to get crisp black lettering with even coverage and that when I rollered or inked the back of the paper to achieve this the lino block, which was separate to the main one, moved slightly giving shadow images of the lettering. I had to settle for a more faded style of lettering which had a weathered and appealing look and the remaining three prints were an exercise in achieving this.

I had already prepared two more monoprints in different colours and immediately I had finished my main print run I printed black lettering on these. By this time the faded lettering was beginning to come together. On the two extra prints I printed a print from the remaining reduced lino block in a different dark colour on each. One of these casually thrown together prints actually looks quite good, mainly because the random colour selection of violet and viridian green work well together and also because the textural markings on the monoprint from my backdrawing are effective and interesting.

Project 14 - Chine Colle collages

8th August 2011

I chose to use the original single colour lino block I had done from an earlier project from drawings of Brompton cemetery as the core image for this project and did some colour notes and experiments using copper and gold foil and also screwed up kitchen foil. I planned to use some fine Indian tissue paper with hairs suspended in it also.

The copper and gold foil combined loosely was effective but very difficult to handle. I also realised that the unbroken flat areas of uncut lino would create flat blocks of colour that would not assist the image I was trying to create ie. one of weathered intricacy with copper and gold highlights and interesting textural effects from the Indian tissue paper so I striated the uncut lino with my lino chisels to present a broken, drawn and more cohesive effect for my purpose.

I printed a series of eight monoprints using a stencil cut the same size as the block with different marks using brushes, rollers and a palette knife. Some were vigorously gestural, working in the same directions as the striations on the block, some worked against the block and some were calm with minimal breaks of white in the background colour for which I chose a very pale blue with a hint of green.

I then printed the series in a variety of dark colours with variations of bits of Indian tissue paper, torn and cut and bits of foil screwed up and cut or torn and weathered looking.

I discovered that the Indian tissue paper once stuck to the paper with PVA tended to lift when the ink was applied and the block lifted. Also the textural effect of the paper with the fine hairs suspended in it was too subtle for the printed lines. So I experimented with using orange tissue paper instead. This was very interesting because the monoprint beneath the tissue paper showed through giving some interesting grey mid tones. Also I was getting some very exciting effects where the print of the cross on the right of the issue had overlaid the distressed kitchen foil.

By this time I had used up all my eight monoprints and yet I had so much unfulfilled potential in the resulting images. I had also worked out that having a busy gestural monoprint didn't work with the busy striations of the block so I decided to do another series of five prints to take these themes further.