Who am I kidding, I'm totally going to make this mistake again. It's just so hard to resist making changes when I can tell something doesn't look right.
Fortunately, I had a lovely Sunday afternoon to make up for my poor artistic decision. I carved two lino blocks - a second attempt at my trapezoidal print and an etching-style face image - and then rushed to stamp out some test prints before the Grammys (T and I just love our award shows).
I opted to make the trapezoidal print a little more fractured so that the figures would stand out. I'm not sure if I was successful in this regard, but at least it doesn't resemble the crazy stick figure print I ended up with yesterday after I went all Freddy Kruger on my first lino block.
My face print was less successful, although it was definitely an interesting experiment. I tried to carve the lines as if I was drawing (no easy feat with a less-than-razor-sharp carving tool), and I purposely left much more positive space on the block than I normally do. The ink was a little too thick on some of the test prints, so the fine lines didn't come through. However, I think I've learned enough from this print to do a better job on the next one.
I'm really happy with the lino prints I carved this weekend, although I'm amused that I didn't scratch any goals off my list. However, this post marks a pretty momentous accomplishment anyways because it's my 100th! Holla! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself).
I hope you've all enjoyed the first 100 posts. The blog has evolved somewhat since May, but I think I've stayed fairly true to my central goal of getting my artistic experiments out into the world and connecting with other crafty individuals. And even thought it's tough to post as regularly as I'd like, I'm still 100% dedicated to keeping this blog going and growing it's readership.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!
congratulations on the 100th post!
ReplyDeleteI think the second trapezoidal print came out pretty darn well.
What do you do with the lino blocks that weren't successful?
Hurray! 100 posts, that's huge!! :D
ReplyDeleteI really love the Duchamp-inspired print. I think the figures stand out just enough, without being too central. I also like the face print - it's like a mysterious, ghostly mask from the Orient (or something?)...
I'm so glad T told me about your blog. It's really inspiring to see you churn out all kinds of art in all kinds of media, knowing that you're also very busy at work and such. Please keep 'em coming! :)
Thanks, Ladies!
ReplyDeleteTanya - I still have most of my unsuccessful blocks. When I did my big hutch clean I threw a bunch of old lino cuts out, but it's tough to get rid of them after so much work. I'm always convincing myself that I'll think of a way to use them at some point... even when they're horrible.
Grace - Thanks so much for your kind words and support! It's really motivating to know that other people get something meaningful out of the blog. It helps me feel like I'm not just rambling on to myself :)