Studio brief 2 (Print) Lino workshop

Now I really enjoyed the lino print workshop I always enjoy the process of crafting an image. I have done some basic lino printing on my foundation corse but it was good to refresh my memory on the basic principles of lino designing and cutting. 

TIPS

• Always cut away from your hands or body
• Remember that you have to carve out the negative of the design in order to create the positive.
• Using a range of tools can create different line qualities and textures. 
• Simplifying certain designs can look more effective through the process of lino printing. 

This is a scanned version of my carved lino stamp. As you can see it is quite obvious that the marks and textures that are visible are through the process of carving. I really like this method because it will make me reduce and simplify my style of working which can potentially make the image more effective. When carving the lino it makes me consider the shape and textures more rather than just focusing on line quality like I usually do. Working with lino is really different to how I usually work but I think it will be good for my practice to explore more possibilities for a wider range of outcomes.

I didnt have a initial design with me when starting this lino piece so it was slightly hard to imagine how it would look. Then the print support technician told me to cover my lino with news print and then rub the graphite stick covering all areas of the lino. This little tip helped me to see how the lino would look in its negative form. I think this could come in handy when im designing more linos as I can keep a track on how the printed version will finally look.

There are two different ways in which lino prints can be printed, either in a lino press or by hand.

the top two prints have been ran through the lino press. This is the most effective way to print a lino and get the strongest image with much boldness. There is still a small amount of grain and texture over certain areas of the print but I personally like that as it is a unique aesthetic that is only achieved through lino printing.

This print has been done by hand pressing, as you can see there is obviously alot more grain and texture throughout the print and the black is almost a grey tone. Both of these processes create slightly different aesthetics depending on how you want the print to look, if you want a solid bold print then machine press it but if you want more grain and texture then hand pressing will achieve that.

This was a quick experimental design that I did by hand pressing my lino three times without re-inking the lino piece. This has given me some good ideas on some experiments I can do with lino printing now that the workshop has refreshed my memory on lino.