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The Third Cut

Another bit of cutting and here’s my third proof of the linocut I’m developing, based on original drawings of ancient monuments in South Wales. It’s getting there, but I think I need to cut away more of the sky, so that’ll be the next stage.

I have put my series of drawings en plein air of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Presceli Mountains. Elfys? Presceli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm

Proof Printing

I made the first cuts on my new vinyl block (while I was gallery-sitting at The Workers Gallery last weekend) and took a proof print. The first print off a new block always seems to be a bit ropey (it’s the one at the bottom right of the photo), so I took a second proof which had a better ink coverage (top right). I used a plastic baren and cartridge paper. The quality isn’t particularly good because I used a cheap-ish water-based ink and a cheap roller (brayer), but it’s good enough for proofing. The purpose of taking a proof print is to see if you need to do more cuts on the block, or to try out different inks or papers. It’s the period of experimentation. I did some more cutting because I want a lighter upper half, and then I took another proof (on the left). It’s okay, but I want to cut even more away ……… more tomorrow …….

And Goodnight zzzzzzzz

Mari May

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop and I’m tired. Goodnight 🙂 zzzzzzz zzzzzzz zzzzzzz

The First Cuts

Yesterday I posted about setting up to develop a linocut print while I was gallery-sitting at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. After I did an interim sketch from my original sketchbook drawing of a Neolithic standing stone, I transferred it (in reverse) to a piece of vinyl with a white conté crayon. I’m using vinyl rather than lino because it’s softer and easier to cut and also because it’s so much cheaper. I find that I get very inhibited when I use expensive materials and I want to be free and a bit experimental with this – I don’t want to get precious about it.

I’m not going to cut a lot away at first, I’ve ruined a lot of blocks that way. I’m going to cut in stages and take proof prints as I go along to inform any more cutting that needs to be done. I’m aiming for a rough, simple, expressionist style. Here’s the first stage cut, inked up with a cheap water-based printing ink, waiting to be printed by hand using a plastic baren.

Starting From Scratch.

I spent last Saturday at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir, a fabulous artist-led artspace in the Rhondda Valley. The two artists who run the gallery, Chris and Gayle, are taking a well-deserved holiday and a rota of gallery artists are taking turns to keep the gallery open. I took a load of drawing and printmaking gear to start work on a new linocut.

I’m making a print from one of the many drawings I’ve done over the last year of ancient stone monuments across South Wales, mostly Neolithic and Bronze Age. The first stage is to do a sketch from one of the drawings in my sketchbook, simplifying it. The final piece will only be one colour, black on white, so I can’t put in the whole range of tonal values that are in the original.

The End Of The Experiment

So here’s the last stage of my experimenting with home-made printing ink based on Nori (seaweed) paste. Above is a block cut into vinyl, inked with a roller (brayer) and the print taken with a traditional Japanese bamboo baren. I used a Daler Rowney cartridge / drawing paper, 95gsm and had better results with the paper used dry, rather than dampened on the back with a quick spritz of water from a spray bottle.

Then I tried printing with a stamp, inked with a roller but simply pressed onto the paper by hand. Again, it’s the Daler Rowney cartridge and gave a better result on dry rather than damp. I’ve used the ink with these two blocks onto a lightweight Hosho Japanese paper, a vintage J Green British paper and lastly, the Daler Rowney, which has given the best results. It’s an economy paper so that’s a good result.

And finally, cleaning up. In water. Easy peasy. All in all, a good experiment. I still prefer a top quality oil-based ink for archival gallery prints, but this is an excellent alternative for using outside the studio or where you want to use something that’s more environmentally friendly.

Rainy Sunday

Husb and I have been in West Wales all day, visiting friends. The weather when we left was gorgeous but by the time we arrived, heavy rain was moving in from the Irish Sea and scuppered our plans for a countryside walk and some quick sketching en plein air. Of course it rained, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend! Never mind, it was nice to stay in and catch up. As we drove home, I turned to look back at the North Pembrokeshire coast from the Presceli Mountains. There was a break in the rain and the evening sun shone through the thick cloud for just a few moments. I might not have managed any scribbling, but the photo opportunity made up for it.

I have put my series of drawings en plein air of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Preseli Mountains. Elfys? Preseli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm

A Bit Of Vintage

And ….. back to my experiments with home-made printing ink. After disappointing results with a lightweight Japanese Hosho paper, I tried a lovely vintage British paper, J Green & Sons sold by the Vintage Paper Co. Above, I used the ink with a rubber stamp made from a design I did of the artist Käthe Kollwitz, applied with a roller (brayer) and stamped by hand. On the left is a slightly dampened paper, spritzed on the back with a water spray bottle. On the right is one onto dry paper. The damp one is the best.

Then I tried the ink with a vinyl block based on a screenprint I did of artist Frida Kahlo, applied with a roller and the print taken using a traditional Japanese bamboo baren. Again, the print onto dampened paper (right) is better than the one on dry (left). Pretty good results but still one more paper to try. More tomorrow ……..

Culture Vulture

Just back from a culture vulture evening, with the opening of two exhibitions, at Galerie Simpson and Volcano and the monthly Storytelling at Tapestri. Swansea is buzzing with arty shenanigans tonight. Of course, I had to have a bit of a scribble …….

I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. Please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page if you’d like to see more of them. This one is Saint Elfys’ Stone in Pembrokeshire. That’s pronounced Elvis BTW 😀

Scribbling Over And Saving Money

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I can usually only manage to get there for the second half, 8.30 – 9.30 pm when we have one full-hour pose. I drew with white, sanguine and black conté crayons onto brown wrapping paper, it’s about A2 in size.

I did a few quick warmup sketches first to get used to the subject, you can just about see them under the final drawing. I don’t mind drawing over things, it adds an extra layer of interest – and saves money!

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