Post 12

Some new prints 

As I am learning Italian this term, I have decided to give an Italian name to each separate collection which I have divided according to the type of block used to print them

Insetti  (insects)      – using the insect blocks

Davanti al Mare  (at the bottom of the sea)      – using the two stripe blocks

Verdi dal Mare  (leaves of the sea)    – using the 3 square blocks

Forme Naturali sotto il Mare  (Natural forms under the sea)       -using laser cut and 3 circular blocks

On reflection these names might sound slightly pretentious, but for now I am enjoying my Italian lessons.

I have chosen one of the prints using stripes and circles that I think works the best and I am going to produce a set of variations on this particular print which will all complement each other and follow the same colour scheme.   Some will incorporate more or less elements than others, some busy and others less so.  As part of the set I want to give myself the challenge of printing a 3 metre length of wallpaper on the Columbian press.

Post 11

Reflection on laser cutting

I found that although the laser cutting itself was surprisingly fast, the preparation took a lot longer, which I was not expecting.  I spent three days on preparation and it took only 37 minutes to cut.  It almost felt like cheating after hand carving.  This process could have lots of potential and I will consider using it again, I could possibly use a combination of hand and laser cutting.  It is very effective for doing larger cuts with finer detail, however when carving by hand I sometimes like to change and adjust the image as I go along which is not possible with laser cutting.

I wanted to add something to the laser cutting – my final 3 carvings of this project.  I normally spend a long time carving my blocks, from several hours to 2-3 days, so I decided to try some much faster carvings 30 mins-1 hour. Taking marks from my drawings I carved into blocks of cherry and yew – a jagged rock, a small round coral form and a cluster of pointed star-like anemone.  I like the organic outline of the blocks and I think the simplicity of these could be really effective, I will try combining and overlapping them.

Colour mixing with my new brayer on large glass plate in print room

Galbraith and Paul         http://galbraithandpaul.com/

An American duo specialising in hand block textiles and wallpaper, they must be successful because they have featured in almost every recent issue of House and Garden Magazine.  I think the complexity of their designs are just right, not too busy, not too simple.  I like their philosophy that they care about the process of making just as much as the finished product.  I am especially drawn to the way their colours are blended in such a subtle and distinct way.  I have bought a small 2.5 inch roller specifically to try this.

Here are some samples for my live brief some of which I have tried blending the colours with my new roller.  The live brief has been the perfect opportunity to be more experimental with colour combinations.  It has also given me insight into how my woodblock print designs could be used for an entirely different context.

Post 10

Prints using new square blocks

Laser Cutting

I had previously considered trying the laser cutter to cut my blocks, but felt very apprehensive due to my lack of technical IT skills, however I am eager to compare hand and laser cutting and I will be seeking technical help from the Mac Help Bar in the near future.  I want to cut a more abstract shape that does not repeat so I can be more experimental with the layouts.

Fine artist-printmaker Terry Winters uses lasers to engrave woodblocks for his abstract prints, the blocks are printed with white ink as a resist, and then the sheet is rinsed with black ink – a process pioneered by Pablo Picasso.  The abstract imagery Terry winters uses really interests me, I am eager to experiment with designs that don’t look like conventional wallpaper. 

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=86733

Post 9

Open Access Print Studios    http://www.oxfordprintmakers.co.uk/

Whilst staying at home over Christmas I visited Oxford Printmakers Workshop; an open access print studio offering a range of printmaking facilities which can be used during opening times for £24 a month or £36 a month for 24 hour access.  The technician showed me their 1828 Albion relief press measuring 33’’x22’’ which would be perfect for me to test designs. These facilities could allow me to continue printing after we graduate until I buy my own press, as I know I will feel lost without the Colombian Press which I have come to rely on. There are several other such studios around the country such as the Hotbed Press in Manchester.

I wanted to carve some new blocks, so here is my new set of carvings (below) the two smaller squares are exactly a quarter of the size of the larger one, so they can be combined in a number of ways.  I was not happy with the larger design originally because it seemed too random and I did not think it would be very effective, but while printing with it I have grown more fond of it especially after printing it in repeat.

Varnishing with shellac ready to print

Post 8

Live Brief

I have decided to follow up on a live brief suggested to me by my tutor.  To design a range of greetings/ stationary products.  It will be different working with a much smaller scale.  I aim to choose a different colour scheme for this. I need to choose a company which I would theoretically be making them for, and so this made me think back to Top Drawer – a trade show I visited in September at Earls Court Olympia in London.  It is the ‘UK’s leading event for design-led gifts, lifestyle & fashion accessories’.  Art Angels Publishers who I saw there really appeal to me; they publish a range of cards and stationery products.  The wide collection of designs they use are focused on images produced by printmakers.  Artists they work with include some of my favourite printmakers such as Edward Bawden, Mark Herald and Angie Lewin, all of whom work with wood block/ lino printing.  As my designs are quite pattern based rather than illustrative, they will probably be suitable for gift-wrap and notecards.

Art Angels Publishers at trade showhttp://www.art-angels.co.uk/cat/trade-exhibitions

Notecards by Angie Lewin 

Notecards by Mark Herald and Angela Harding

Post 7

Some scans of my prints so far

To give myself more freedom, I have been using masking tape and paper to block off areas while printing; this has been successful in breaking up the busy pattern and showing more stencilled background.  I realised I could also combine prints this way. (see picture below)

Process of blocking off circles an printing in the gaps

Printing through lace-effect plastic net, 
this was too thick and left a mark in the wood itself

Post 6

I need to consider the scale of the designs I use because so far they might be a bit too small for large areas of wallpaper, especially the insects.  As I am only printing on a small scale I think I have tried to make my woodcuts as busy as possible to fill the space and make it interesting, however over a large area, I understand that much simpler designs would be clearer and stand out more.

I think the wallpaper designer and illustrator Dan Funderburgh gets the scale right because he uses larger main shaper with smaller details inside, therefore it is just as effective from a distance as it would be up close.

http://www.danfunderburgh.com/wallpaper.php#

I have looked at some old printing blocks and I have noticed how the edges curve around the shapes.  Since I have started doing repeat pints, I have found that joins are quite difficult to achieve and I think it would be much easier if the ends are not cut off in a dead straight line, so the joins would not be so obvious; however I have noticed that the joins are sometimes fairly noticeable in Marthe Armitage’s prints, and I think this adds to the uniqueness and could even be seen as a sign of authenticity.

I have started painting the backgrounds with Annie Sloan chalk paint which gives the paper more of a texture. I have also cut stencils to combine with the prints to add more depth and colour.  The backgrounds could potentially play just an equally important part as the block prints, changing the colour behind the print completely alters the mood of the design.

Some more prints using insect blocks

Presentation Reflection

The presentation process helped me to sum up and reflect on my project so far and also to collect up-to-date photographs of my work.  I introduced clearly the inspiration behind my project and how exhibitions and gallery’s I had visited during the summer influenced the direction my work was taking. I clarified that my aim was to produce a collection of hand block printed wallpaper samples and I briefly explained the processes and tools I use to create my work and how my project began with experimental mark making.  I also explained some decision making processes I went through such as the type of wood I found easiest to carve.  I explained the difficulties I overcame such as the choice of imagery to use initially and the problems I had when learning to use the Columbian press this year and how I learned to resolve these issues and how the flaws and imperfections that happen along the way can add to the handmade look which I realised was part of the nature of wood block printing.  I included three appropriate contextual references and I think I demonstrated an outward facing approach by mentioning how I had researched professional open-access printmaker’s studios and how these could allow me to continue printing after we finish without having to buy my own press.

The review point definitely helped me to clarify what I needed to do to progress and what I wanted to investigate, for example I thought that making visualisations of my prints in an interior setting could help me to work out if my designs would be a suitable scale for wallpaper.  I think overall my visual presentation worked cohesively with what I was describing.