I've been researching different print methods and print artists and am becoming really interested in the look that can be achieved through the use of different techniques. There's so many to be explored but I wanted to start with woodcutting as it's a real hands-on method of printing.
A walk through the town centre lead me towards this first print.
"Little Red riding Hoodlum" combines drawing, screen-printing and wood block carving.
Through experimenting in the printshop I want to find processes to add to my drawing project that enhance the finished images.
I started with a large piece of MDF and drew the image onto the surface using a marker.
The next stage involved 5 hours of wood cutting which I found really satisfying to do, even though the tool I had was completely crap. I left quite a lot of detail to try and suggest textures in the face and hood. I use the gouger as a drawing tool, creating more of the image as I progress.
Using a small cutting tool seems to give more detail in the overall print and renders really fine lines, especially on a big cut like this one and its this detail that builds itself as the craving goes on.
Once the cutting was finished I painted a few coats of shellac onto the wood to seal it then the ink is applied with a large roller. I experimented with different thicknesses of ink and a really thick coating gives a good solid black print.
This is my first woodcut print and its interesting to see the difference in print quality and detail when the print is made with different techniques. After experimenting with the various print beds I found my favourite method is to lay the paper on top of the woodcut and rub it with the wooden block. This is a really laborious job as constant heavy pressure needs to be applied as the block slides across the paper. This technique gives complete control over the thickness of the print and I like the idea of the print being made by hand rather than through a press.
This was the first test print made with no press, just rubbing with the block. The detail made by the small cutting tool really stands out in the print and I'm sure this would have been lost if a larger tool was used.
This image shows the difference in print thickness that can be achieved through different pressures. The darker print was made with the wooden block on thick paper and the lighter image was made on newsprint with just the pressure of my hands. Both have individual qualities of their own but I really like the softness of the newsprint and the way its built up from several separate bits of paper giving it a whole new look.
The newsprint image.
I decided to go further with the print and add some colour using a screen print set up. I made a separate screen and painted out the non print areas with red filler. I then built a jig to register the print for each colour and a separate jig for the wooden block to fit into. Because the block is laid face down onto the paper its hard to register the print and get it in the right place.
firstly I printed an all over grey then red fillered the face area and printed the red of the hood.
The final stage is to lay the wooden block onto the print and rub the image on.
The finished print looks good but I took it further by adding a second grey area around the nose.
"Little Red Riding Hoodlum", Ink on Thick Paper, 65 x 75cm, jan 2014.
By adding this extra subtle grey area the eyes are strengthened as the whites are highlighted.
This has been an interesting image to create using drawing, carving and printing in one finished piece.
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