Initially for this project I wanted to focus on nature and since we can't go anywhere during lockdown I thought my garden would be the perfect place instead. We have been putting a lot more energy into our garden and since it is currently Spring it's looking really pretty. I began by making the most of the sunny weather and took lots of photo's. Here are just few of them:
However, I am also considering another idea which is Zoo animals. My mark making from the first project really had me thinking of Zebra's and animals with distinctive marks on them. We had a trip to the zoo last year and so I have some photos from that day I could also use. Here's a couple of those:
My third idea was re-visiting my photos from Henstead Exotic Gardens, which I went to last Summer. I took lot's of photos, really focusing on the patterns and textures of all the beautiful plants. Here are a couple of my favourites and I have printed more for my sketchbook:
Photo reference in sketchbook:
(These are all my own photos)
I love the shapes in the banana leaves, the way they unfurl from a twisted leaf as they grow and the vibrant colours and patterns of the leaves.
Succulents are so pretty and the shapes and colours vary so much, I love the shapes of their leaves and the intricate patterns of their centres.
Final thoughts.
For my linocut I chose A5 sized soft cut lino and looked at my previous test cuts from project 5 to see which blades to use. My favourite were 1, 2, 4 and 10.
I didn't have any black paper to test my design so instead used what I had which was grey. Here are my first two attempts. I used white pencil to make my cut out lines.
I went way too detailed on these first ones, made it really hard for myself.
I continued on thinking it would work out and did a tracing, proof and first cuts. I realised it didn't look right so attempted to cut more, proofed and ended up making a mess up.
My tracing paper turned out to be too thick and wouldn't transfer to the lino with the carbon paper properly, which didn't help my difficulties. I ended up sketching it on by hand.
First attempt lino cut using 1, 2 and 10 cutting tools.
I dug too deep in this area and went through the lino.
Proofs:
I used Canson marker paper to create my proofs because it is nice and thin.
Top proof is from my first cuts.
Bottom proof is from my second cuts.
I tweaked the middle of the lino cut an did a further proof of just that area to see if it was improved.
This first attempt at my lino cut was not very successful and so I decided to have another go at it and simplify my design.
Lino Second Attempt:
This time I decided to put my reference photo into Procreate and change the colours, making it black and white so that I could see the shapes much easier. I also reversed the image to help me draw it the correct way round.
Original image.
Reversed and converted to black and white.
This time I made the dark areas all dark and made the whites thicker.
This was much more successful.
Top: First attempts
Bottom: Adding more detail
Final Lino Cut:
I used a mix of Zerkall paper, Winsor and Newton cartridge paper and
Strathmore printmaking paper for these.
Second Colour:
For my next colour I decided to mix a lovely teal green because succulents often have this colouring and I felt it would work well.
I had some initial issues with print quality and slipping but eventually got a nice print.
My best print.
Third Colour:
For my last colour I decided on black to mimic the original image turned into black and white.
Initially I found this project quite hard but I think that had a lot to do with the way I approached it. Once I found a way that worked for me I was pleased with my design and really pleased with the prints I made. My favourite are the green ones, on the Zerkall paper they look really effective. It was good to test the different colours and I enjoyed mixing colours to get the look I wanted. I'm looking forward to doing the next lino print project.
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