Prints, Prints and more Prints

After the very enjoyable experience with the large print earlier this month I have started taking a closer look at the possibilities of overlaying prints and combining plates. I have made overlays before, sometimes just out of curiosity or even by mistake.
Now I am beginning to find the potential more intriguing, especially where I can combine different types of print: relief and intaglio, monoprint, wood and card or lino etc etc. the combinations are endless but I think this may be a way forward for me. There are technical problems. Plate heights to deal with, ink and paper issues and having the patience to LET THINGS DRY. Curbing my enthusiasm and impatience is sometimes very hard.

They are getting bigger too. A2 is actually beginning to seem a bit small!

 

A2 woodcuts ( from the big print) combined with added shapes. Up on the path in the woods the autumn Arum berries are a bright note in amongst the dark tree cover. The woodblocks were made with this walk very much in mind.

A3 prints combining relief and intaglio blocks.

   

A4 Trials

A2 Plates. Wood lino and card plates. They are loosely based on what I am seeing on the path at the moment, dappled light, twigs, stones, leaves etc

I like these.They are an interesting development.  For me they need more consideration in the way of content and composition etc etc.. and of course then there is the issue of colour.. Hmmmm… way to go. 

A Big Print

Following on from the sketches and small print trials from the last post, a large print. My first venture into large scale printmaking. You have to up the size of the marks, get organised, have much more time just for cutting and inking. Then have space for laying out the blocks and the print paper.

All this was made possible by our excellent tutor Katherine Van Uytrecht and the City Lit printroom.

It’s not a good photo but gives an idea of size. The plates were wood and lino and I loved doing it. There was only time for one print so I can only regard it as “ A Start”.  Some things worked some did not but that is what experimental printmaking is all about.

An idea of the surface detail…

The print set up… registration plate, woodblocks and the paper taped at the far end. The print is just over 4ft long. Nice! More to come.

Colour Trials

Following on from the sketches in the wood I needed to try out some possible colour combinations for next weeks printmaking.
Greens and blues for undergrowth, the water of the reservoir, deep russets and reds for dark shadows and fallen leaves, white flashes for birds and insects which catch the light as they fly through the dappled canopy, dragonflies in iridescent blue, red berries and  cerulean sky blues.

First some sketchbook notes.
I am trying to keep the palette limited which will make the printing more interesting and hopefully harmonious.

Then some small approx A5 trial prints using some of the colours.

Limited palette overprintings with colour notes: For once I have actually made a note of the colours on the test pieces. My working practise is improving!

It will be interesting to see what will happen when I start to interpret the sketches and colours on a larger scale. Maybe something completely different, but that is just one of the unexpected joys of printmaking!