Lockdown printing

This work started before lockdown, but was only completed well into that time here in England. A multiblock linocut on Chinese rice paper that I called Dance of Hope. The central figure is in the Nataraja pose against a Sikkimese endless knot. This was a Bhudist symbol we saw everywhere in Sikkim in February, a time which seems a life time ago, but was only earlier this year. Hand burnished with a wooden spoon, this is the largest print I have made to date. Until I put the final black layer on, I thought it was a complete failure, the colours just didn’t contrast enough. But with the black it just worked. I only produced about five as hand burnishing is really slow and the paper is very fragile.

One copy is framed at the top of our stairs.

Back to printing

I haven’t printed for a while, so decided to have a go at creating a print from one of the sketches I did out on the Bass Rock.

I redrew the selected part of the sketch, adding a bit here and there. Then transferred this in reverse to a lime wood block and started carving a basic key block drawing. I’ve had this lime for years and wanted to use it. Lovely to work in, but a tendency for unintended bits to chip out.

I took a couple of proofs onto cartridge paper, and coloured it up to get an idea of the finished work. I decided to cut out the hatched shading. Not sure now that was the best idea.

I cut two more blocks for head and pebble colours and shading. I used lino simply because I didn’t have any more lime. I’ve proofed the three blocks onto Somerset paper. Quite pleased with the outcome, but the are several tweaks to the carving needed before I do a final edition. I think I’ll run off about 10.

Linocut landscape

This has been months in the making and I don’t know if it has been worth it. Last summer I caught a glimpse of a landscape as I drove through Wiltshire. A single bent tree on a horizon of ploughed fields, with sun lit masses of cloud either side. I must have seen it for less than two seconds, but I have been trying to recreate it ever since. Final layer of colour on it today, but I am unconvinced. I may tackle it again one day.

A long love affair with a drawing

Just over two years ago I produced one of my favourite drawings at a life class. I called her Neuroscience because she actually was a neuroscientist, taking a gap, working at an art centre between finishing her bachelor’s degree and starting her master’s.

I love the relaxed pose and the thoughtful expression. I’ve put her into an exhibition and was relieved that she didn’t sell. I don’t really want to part with her.

I’ve based more works on this image than any other I have done. The first was a mixed media work, with rectangles of handmade paper pasted onto a canvas and then over-painted with acrylic.

There was no plan to this image, I had no idea what I was going to do, but I loved the outcome. With a great imaginative flair, I called her Neuroscience 2. She hangs in our bathroom, which seems appropriate for a nude.

Next I tried a pastel on pastel board. Quite a different effect and I love the colour, but it’s not my favourite of the series. Yes, Neuroscience 3…

After that I discovered relief printing for the first time, and a version of my girl was one of my first linocuts, and still one of my favourites. I’ve tried her in various colours and with modifications to the block, which is one of the pleasures of printing. Yup, Neuroscience 4.

I let her lie for a long while after that, but recently she returned, in a very grand way. I’ve become obsessed with graphite pencil drawing over the last few weeks. After a variety of still lifes and copies of photos and paintings, I thought it was time to give my girl another outing. This time I thought I would exploit the potential of pencil for intricate detail to give her a complete figure and some sort of context. It all got a bit out of hand because you can keep modifying pencil if you use good paper. I added and subtracted all sorts of elements, including a large Indian bronze bowl, which eventually bit the dust.

Below is the finished image, with some of the development work below. I needed a new title, so I think she is now the Queen of the Nudists. She’s hanging over my drawing board.

Just a little printing

I haven’t done much printing recently, despite building a new hydraulic jack press, but I have done some. First, this year’s Christmas card, a lino print of a festive tufted duck. The red was dabbed onto the print with a stencil.

Then I went to a Dry point engraving workshop, run by Beth Jenkins at Ardington School Of Crafts. The engraving itself, based on a photo I took last summer, didn’t look all that special, but when I rollered on coloured inks over the intaglio engraving, the whole thing suddenly came to life. More a monotype than an engraving.

Preparing to print

A daily drawing doesn’t have to be in a sketchbook. This is a lino block, laid out for a print of the Bessie Ellen West Country ketch setting sail.

It will be carved away in several stages to create the final printed image. I have an idea in my mind of how it will look, but it is very unlikely to end up that way. The cut away areas here will remain white throughout.

 

These are the first two printed layers, establishing just the basic cloud tones. Impossible to judge how good the finished print might be at this stage.

Personalising sketchbooks

I’ve made several sketchbooks now, and I wanted to cut some sort of maker’s plate into them. As I’ve been very busy printing, cutting a lino block seemed the best idea. As I often do I liked back over years of life drawings to find inspiration and found this one, which is an old favourite.

Then I cut a block, which I think works quite well.

Printing straight into the book is a bit but and miss, but that rather adds to it.

Gingko leaf print

This is latest reduction linocut print. Based on a photograph a friend posted on Instagram. I quite like it, but it doesn’t have the vibrancy I saw in my mind’s eye. As usual, I preferred it at its earlier stages.

Birds of Poole no.3, the sandwich tern

These birds are ubiquitous out on the water in Poole Harbour and they are beautiful. I produced this reduction print a couple of weeks ago and I am very pleased with it. The reduction process uses just one linoleum block. You print the largest areas of the lightest colour first, then cut away the areas you want to remain that colour and print the next colour, and so on. If you print 10 copies of the first colour, then that is the maximum number of prints. You can’t go back and print an earlier colour, because the block had been cut down. With mistakes, I ended up with an edition of eight, and that is it.

The first layer, with just the white areas cut away, looks like nothing at all, and I wasn’t sure how it would end up.

The second layer, a light grey, suddenly brought the birds to life.

The third layer, a dark grey, nearly completed the image, but I wanted a red wall at the bottom. No cutting needed, I masked off the area above the wall with a temporary strip of masking tape and just inked the wall.

The final layer of black barely shows on these photos, but defines the black heads of the birds and sharpens the drawing. Just my seal needing adding to complete the work. All was printed on my home made press, which works remarkably well.

Lots of making of things

I’ve made myself a printing press, using some kitchen worktop, an old bed frame and a hydraulic jack, as you do. It works remarkably well.

The last image shows a woodcut I have been working on at GPC. Interesting to do, but at the moment I still prefer linocut. The colour in the image is from a mini block.

And to carry on with my sketchbook making, I have lagged together a little bookbinding press, using some more of the bed frame which went into the printing press.

Haven’t used it in earnest yet. I need to get some decent paper first.