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hey, long time no write! i was waiting to discuss one specific project on here, and then i procrastinated that one project for months! classic. i've done some other jack-of-all-trades-ing in the last few months so i'll have to write about those adventures as well, but today i'll focus on printmaking. there a few different types, but two i've really gotten into are linocut or lino printing, and kitchen lithography. the latter is the one i had been waiting to write about but it actually sort of flopped, so i await my new bottle of ink i'll do an update after i get it working.
i've been messing around with lino prints for a few years now. the aesthetic of this kind of printmaking relies heavily on a balance between positive and negative space, and thick lines and limited colours make it fairly easy to create a competent piece without much skill or detail work. the image is created by carving or etching the negative space into a block, and then only inking the raised areas of it with a brayer before pressing the block onto some paper. there are also some variations to make more complicated images like multi-block printing and reduction prints (more on that later), but as i mentioned before, the basic method isn't too difficult for a beginner, nor very expensive in comparison to other "refined" printmaking methods like screenprinting. the ink can get expensive if you're interested in a lot of colours, but linoleum is cheap if you get it from the right places, like online, in bulk, or stolen from flooring places apparently. i've never had any luck there though. there are different thicknesses and softnesses, each with their pros and cons, but my favourite was a student grade one caled softoleum. it's soft enough to cut easily but firm enough to render detail, and very thick so you can even carve on both sides if you're careful. it was sold under a few different names but has been discontinued everywhere as far as i can tell :( the esedee artprint linoleum will probably be my next choice once i run out, that one is a bit firmer but won't give you too many hand cramps.
i'll actually link to pictures of my projects today, since i like them so much. the first is just a basic linocut, and the second is a peek at the reduction method i mentioned before. you take a few prints in the lightest colour in your design, and then more is carved out from your block a darker colour is used to print overtop of your first print. the spaces carved out will be left in the original colour and everything else will be covered by the darker one, and this technique can be repeated with as many colours as you like.
this reads like a coronavirus metaphor but i just thought it looked cool
this is a much cheaper and more accessible method of lithographic printmking, a process that normally involves a slab of limestone being etched into with a chemical to create water-repellant areas, where the oil based ink will adhere when the slab is wet and create negative space. this is quite obviously pricey, but the "kitchen" version aims to emulate the technique with a block covered in tinfoil and the chemicals in cola. it's a really interesting scratchy sort of look, but as i mentioned before, i haven't had any success yet. i tried submerging the plate for different lengths of time in cola, tried using different materials for the original drawing, no luck. the only material i wasn't able to change was the ink, so the culprit must be that even though it says it's soy oil based and fit for etching, which lithography is. i won't link a picture of my mess, but here's a tutorial on how to apparently do it the right way:
by the original creator emilie aizier
so my new ink will arrive soon and i'll try again, in the meantime i'll probably try a few more lino prints with the softoleum that i have left. i'd highly recommend trying to make a print or two, even just a block for handmade cards. hope you like mine :)
-atyrfingerprints
