24th September Print Making Workshop

On the 24^th September we continued to explore and learn new workshops on the course which was “Print Making”. The aim of the workshop was to learn new skills, methods and tools from workshop to create a piece that related to the “Hands On Project”. I was really curious to explore print making as I have explored mono printing on Wednesday. At the start of the day, we were given a brief introduction to print making which included new keys words that will be included in the “Hands On Project” glossary pages. Printmaking is a process that is made by hand and the use of inks to transfer images onto different surfaces such as paper. The process is also made up of different elements including Lino cutting which we used in the workshop. Lino-Cut uses a plate that can be carved and cut by using cutters to create a pattern that is applied with a layer of ink by using a roller. Another element is called relief printing which uses both lino blocks and wood to create a print. La Poupée is also a printing element that uses one lino plate and a variety of inks to create a print that presents a multiple of inks. Finally, another printing element that makes up lino printing is called Chine Collé which uses tissue paper that is placed onto the paper and then ink is printed onto the surface. This creates texture and builds up the surface that the ink is placed onto. Throughout the workshop, we explored and used a variety of tools in which we gained confidence in.

Instructions on how to "Lino Cut"

Firstly we were given an introduction to print making which included new key words that will be included in the “Hands On Project” glossary pages we are creating in the art studio. These new key words included “Henna” which is a pattern that is placed onto hands for decoration and special occasions. The Henna patterns can be made up of flowers, swirls and lines. Also another key word we learnt was “Zentangles” which are a pattern made up of shapes and lines. No ruler is used whilst drawing “Zentangles” and they are most commonly found in adult art therapy colouring books. After learning about key words we took our knowledge and started to create our own “Zentangle” and “Henna” patterns. These designs had to reflect our personality and eventually they were going to be taken into the final hand design lino cut.



The Pattern Designs that reflected both "Henna"
and "Zentangles"

Before we started to design and create we were given health and safety rules so that we would be safe whilst using tools, methods and printing processes. Whilst using lino cutters, we had to keep hands behind the tool path to avoid injury as the tool is very sharp. We were also instructed to use a bench hook to also avoid injury to the hands when cutting and carving. Whilst using the lino-cutter we were told not to put lots of force when cutting and shaping to avoid the cutter slipping and injuring your hand and the design. If an injury occurred we would have to report it to the nearest teacher and first aider. When carving into lino blocks all the shavings leftover had to be cleared away and tools were placed away at the end of the workshop. Whilst working with the lino pressers, we had to keep hair, hands and loose clothing away from the machine to avoid injury through the rollers as they generate a large amount of pressure. Hands must be clean whilst handling with blankets on the pressure roller to avoid ink from your hands being transferred onto the roller. Finally whilst using rollers and inks, all equipment should be cleaned to avoid inks being transferred onto new colours, prints and designs. All the health and safety rules were maintained throughout the task.

After creating the designs, we developed them further to create a design and lino print layout for the “Hands On Project”. For the lino cutter block, I decided to use a tall and thin block because I wanted to create a pattern that was just not featured on the hand but also on the arm. I wanted to connect the patterns together from the arm and hand so I decided to plan my design out onto paper. It is important to plan a design as it gives you a basic design idea before creating a piece which can be adapted and changed when being created. When I planned out my idea, I sketched it out onto the block what I wanted to create and started to work and carve into the lino block. I never used a cutter before so I knew the task will be challenging for me when shaping and carving my design out onto the block. A problem I faced whilst carving into the design was that I was cutting too deep into the block which caused me to cut straight through the lino block. To improve next time, I will use a smaller cutter and work into the design slowly so that will not have the same problem. Another problem I faced whilst cutting into the lino block was that I wasn’t carving in long straight lines which caused the surface to become uneven. To improve next time I will learn from my mistakes and use long straight lines to create an even surface whilst cutting the design onto the block. When cutting the smaller details and patterns out, I found it really tricky to create the shapes that I wanted for the design. To solve the problem for next time I am going to practise cutting out a variety of different shapes which will help me in the future for lino cutting. Once I created the design, it was ready for printing process.

The final design layout for the lino block

Creating the final layout into the lino block

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I started to use inks, I rolled out the colour I wanted evenly onto the roller to avoid an uneven print. After covering the roller evenly with ink I placed it onto my lino block to transfer the colour. The problem I faced whilst rolling the ink onto the design was that it was an uneven surface that I was rolling the ink onto. To solve the problem, I moved the lino block to an even surface which allowed the roller to transfer the ink evenly onto the design. After placing the ink onto the lino block, I picked out what surface paper that I would like the design to be printed onto and took both materials to the lino presser. To avoid the ink bleeding I placed the design at the bottom of the blanket that was covered with newspaper. I placed lino block onto the lino presser first and the surface I chose on top which went through the roller on the presser to create a print. After the design went through I collected the surface and I took it away from the lino block to reveal a final lino-print of my hand design. I placed the design onto the drying rack and repeated the same process a couple of times with different coloured inks and surfaces. After experimenting with different colours and surfaces I wanted to explore both "La Poupée" and "Chine Collé". For the "La Poupée" design I combined both yellow and red to create an effect which made an orange colour through the printing process.

The Lino Pressers we used for the printing
process

The ink process that transferred the colour of
ink onto the lino block

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The" La Poupée" print finish of my final
design.

 

For the "Chine Collé" I collected tissue paper and created a circle that was going to make one specific part of my design stand out through the printing process. Once I placed the tissue paper onto the surface I chose I repeated the same process but placed the surface first onto the lino presser to allow me to place the lino block correctly onto the surface to create the effect. After the design went through the roller I collected the print and noticed a problem on the design. The tissue paper didn’t stand out through the ink which made it blend easily on the design. To improve next time I will change the colour of ink and tissue paper to make the designs stand out and show the "Chine Collé" method.

Overall, the workshop was really interesting as it allowed me to explore new printing techniques and methods that I haven’t explored before. It also allowed me to use my knowledge from the mono-printing task to help me with using tools and materials. My weakness in the workshop was the carving and cutting the lino block stage as I found it really difficult to use the tool I was given to create a pattern that I designed. To improve for next time, I am going to practise using the lino cutter tool to create more shapes, lines and patterns. My strengths in the workshop was the printing processes as I felt confident with exploring with different colours of ink and surfaces. Also, my strengths in the workshop was the design process as I really enjoyed creating patterns that matched the definitions of “Zentangles” and “Henna” but also how the patterns related to me.