03/10/18
During this workshop we practised drawn and print mono printing. I really enjoyed experimenting with these styles as they created interesting results both from the original print and the ghost print.
This was an entirely new way of working for me. I found the help of others to be invaluable when it came to knowing how much ink should be rolled onto the slab in order to get the desired effect. Firstly I rolled a thin layer of printing ink onto a slab and laid a plain piece of paper on top- being aware of any contact I was making with the paper as this would cause the ink to transfer on the other side. From there, I used both natural and man-made materials to create a print; adjusting the pressure I was placing on the paper with each object to result in varying tones. By rolling, pressing and swiping the objects I was able to make some abstract marks that create a space-like atmosphere.
I decided to sketch a hand on a scrap piece of paper and use that as a motif for my drawn prints. I think this worked really well as drawing the outline onto the back with a biro created a thin, solid line to transfer from the ink. This caused the hand to be prominent in the outcome- almost coming out of the background noise to the foreground.
After trying our hand at drawn printing we moved on to using the press. This was very different to drawn printing as we used different materials directly into the print, allowing pictures from magazines and tissue paper to be transferred onto the paper and final outcome. By laying down certain materials, such as string and leaves, into the ink, this stopped the transfer of the ink onto the paper. This creating contrasting effects in the piece and allowed the ghost print to be quite interesting.
I decided to rub away some of the ink rolled onto the slab and place images and particular words in its place. Glue was placed on the reverse of the cut-outs so it words transfer to the paper when put through the press.
For this piece, I preferred the ghost print to the original. This is because I put too much ink onto the slab, causing the ink to spread in the press due to the pressure of the roller. Meaning that the ink ended up covering some of the images I intended to show through in the outcome. If I was to do this again I would be more careful with how much ink I put on the slab although I am happy with the outcomes of this project as a first experiment.
When using the press I was careful not to trap my fingers or loose clothing inside as this posed obvious hazards. I removed my student lanyard because of this to reduce the risk. When going over some materials, such as a straw that I used, the roller became a lot harder to rotate so it worked well to have someone nearby to help turn the roller and make sure the swan skin and therefore the piece was alligned.
I really enjoyed this workshop as I learnt a lot about printmaking and am definitely interested in continuing to use this method of creating art.
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