This will be part of a series of blog posts that hopefully demystify the printmaking process a little bit and take you behind the scenes of the creation of some of my favourite pieces.
This piece was created using some traditional 'battleship' lino, its hessian backed and leaves a lovely crisp edge when carved. I made this before I got my hands on the tiny Pfeil tool I now mostly use. The tool in the image is the one I carved the whole plate with and was the smallest I owned, but it gave some beautiful lines.
'Glimpse' was created by using a reduction technique, meaning each layer of colour is created from the same block of lino. The process of carving and printing is repeated over and over until the final look is revealed.
At this stage, I have added a bit of blue to the ink mixture to darken it further. I carved away all of the areas that I want to keep yellow before printing.
I love the imperfections and texture that are revealed in the process, I embrace these and enjoy the individuality it brings to each piece!
The plate is gradually getting carved away, and the colour I am using is getting darker in tone to build up the image.
The final layer is the darkest, this picks up all of the shadow values and brings the print to life. The process leaves a beautiful layered effect with the inks, it is a beautiful handmade work of art that packs a visual punch.
I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek behind the scenes! and if you have any questions about the process, please get in touch!
You can see more prints in my shop
