Back to School Update: Print making

Intent Blue jay

One of the things that I appreciate the most about first year Art School is taking a sampling of different studio classes. Printing 103 was a good introduction to print making with plates. We started out with mono prints and then moved on to lino cuts - my favourite. I love the wood-cut look without the effort of carving wood (Intent Blue jay).

We also etched copper plates using various techniques. I think I must have had the plate for Prairie Sentinel in the acid bath at least 10 times.

Prairie Sentinel

Always on the Wrong Side

 Always on the Wrong Side is also a lino cut. In this case we experimented with multiple ink colours (in the end I used three). I tried two basic techniques: "puzzle cutting" the cat's head so that different inks could be applied, and reduction carving to get the light and dark brown on the cat's head.

Longingly

We also experimented with photo etching. In this technique you use a photograph to etch onto a copper plate and then go back into the plate to add further character or detail. Longingly was a photo of an Easter Lilly in a church window in Hawaii. I was really surprised at the difference in the "feel" of the print compared to the original photo. It has a much more forlorn quality.

I really appreciate what I learned in this class and came away with a great deal of respect for printmaking. Not only is there need for artistic knowledge and a lot of practical skill, but a lot of planning is necessary and yet at the same time you have to respond and adjust to what is happening on your plate - it definitely requires a lot of patience. It has also helped me to really appreciate prints as an art form - I was recently at the Victoria Art Gallery and found myself spending most of my time looking at prints, admiring the artists' skill and trying to figure out how they accomplished some amazing images.