Nearly everything I buy comes from the internet; the village has a couple of food shops, but that's it for anything useful to me; I don't drive and what buses there are, are infrequent, expensive and take a long time to get from A to B. Buying something like good paper, which really needs handling, is a problem.
However, handily, there is a brilliant paper merchant Paper Resources, literally just down the road from us. So in search of some really nice papers, I popped in to see them. Unlike a lot of paper suppliers, they are more than pleased to sell small amounts to individuals and the choice is fantastic; hence I emerged with a decent amount of gorgeous smooth, specialist papers, for about ten UK pounds, all handpicked by the merchant and myself, with much deliberation, including a wodge of hard-to-find Mohawk paper from the USA. Happiness!
So commenced another round of remembering how to print. Lino printing seems to be a bit of an ugly duckling in the art world - not regarded as sophisticated as etching, more akin to stamping or potato printing. However, there is a bit more to it than that. For a start, to get a really good, smooth print, the ink has to be rolled just so, the paper chosen to go with the ink viscosity and then the actual rolling of the ink onto the lino block is in itself a delicate operation, to get an even surface. I don't want edges on the print, so it mustn't be too thin or too thick.
That up above is a nice vintage Speedball brayer, which I was trying for the first time; I'm going to stick with it from now on as the roller is nice and densely soft, making the ink go into the block better than the harder rollers on my other brayers. I roll the ink out about an hour before using, to let i
12 Comments on Monsieur le Roitelet and the Birds, last added: 10/15/2011
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That will be where I'm going wrong with my lino prints then - I'm in too much of a hurry :)
Your prints look terrific.
Is there no end to your talents!! Its a long time since I did any lino prints but it is good fun isn't it. x Jo
I love seeing your documentation of the process. Makes me want to get down to business!
I love this!!! now off to google Monsieur le Roitelet:)
I love these posts!!
janet xox
like Janet above, I love these posts too- watching the artist at work.
Thanks for taking the time to photo each step, hope it didn't interrupt your mojo
The prints look wonderful and lino-cuts are definitely as valid an art form as etching!
Oh but I found we have a letter press here at work, so I may be here more often than I already am, trying to get to grips with something I've been hankering after for ages!
How wonderful to see the care with which you produce your beautiful prints. I particularly love the loose graceful lines, compared with the tight control you use to make the right result. Thanks so much for sharing the process with us. As always, it's a joy to peek into your creative life.
Gorgeous!! The little hare is on the wall where I am sitting typing this - he has settled in quite happily!
ps - I'm very sorry abour not liking cats (they just give me shivers!!)
I love doing prints. When I had to stop going to my printmakin gclass (it really was like open studio for advanced printers) I switched to lino prints because they are easier to handle at home and my small little press could handle them. I love yours and if I get this job I'm waiting to hear may go into your etsy shop and snag one. You do such marvelous work. I just love your blog.
Your prints are lovely! I haven't done these in ages and you are making me want to go hunting for my brayer. There is simply too much inspiration out there in the world!
I love seeing the process...maybe I'll do some printing some day. I did Japanese watercolor printing in art school which was fun but tedious and what you are doing looks fun! Of course it isn't all fun though. I have some images that would look good printing maybe and perhaps I'll check into it. It is good to have art work that is more monetarily accessible...