I am new to lino printing and this is the first video I have watched which clearly and simply shows me how I might make some reduction prints when I get a bit more experienced. As someone who has sketched for much of my life, I am struggling a bit to get my head around the idea of negative space. As well as the fact that my lino cut will be a reverse of anything I sketch.
Thank you, Sherry! This video answered so many of my questions!! I would love to know where to buy the Mylar tabs and metal hooks you use for accurate positioning. Would you please share a link(s)? Your work is gorgeous!!
Hello! I'm glad the video was helpful. The pins and tabs are available from Ternes Burton : www.ternesburton.com/ In "the old days" we used them as stripping tabs for commercial offset printing, but now they are a beloved tool for printmakers!
Excellent reduction. I'm wondering if the petals left white is going to suit the overall image? They look like need some divergence colour to soften them. sufficient
The petals aren't completely white... they do have some pale tones in them that might not be visible in the camera. One could (and I have) spend a lot of time trying to fuss with subtleties, but the trick for me is always trying to find a balance between the flat, graphic nature of relief prints and my desire for more value range.
I'm using the most shallow Ternes Burton pins. .055, maybe? When I run through the press my paper padding covers everything, including the pins and I use a stiff cutting board over the top instead of blankets. The pins slightly indent the paper padding but not the cutting board, so it seems like I'm good. No problems yet, anyway!🙂
🌺So so gorgeous!!! ❤ I just bought a kit to start block printing and so afraid my klutzyness will show up and I’ll slice my finger open! I used to do Needlefelting and jabbed myself several times! 😂
So lovely! What kind of color and paper are you using? I'm thinking how many color layers is it possible to print without problems. I live in Finland, so the brand name doesn't necessarily help, but the quality. Thanks for a wonderful lesson 🩷!
I use (mostly) the Cranfield "Traditional" oil-based relief inks. On the press I use 240# Rives BFK paper, but if I'm hand rubbing I use one of the Awagami papers... usually the Kozo. The number of layers of ink depends on how thickly you apply each layer, what type of paper you are using, what the atmosphere is like in your work space (dry? humid?) I have made prints with as many as 22 colors, but with a lot of "spot inking"- applying color in only a small area of the block rather than the entire surface.
Hi Sherrie, Just returning to printmaking and really don't have much experience with block printing. I'm curious what is your paper choice, and also where did you get (make?) that amazing drying / hanging system?? Thanks!
Hi Jill... On the press I use 250# BFK Rives paper, but if you're hand printing you'll want something lighter weight. I used papers like hosho and the Awagami kozo for years of hand printing. As for the drying rack... yep... made it myself! It has evolved a bit as I've moved around, but there's a post about it on my blog: brushandbaren.blogspot.com/2016/04/not-so-high-tech-drying-rack-aka.html
Thank you so so much for your generosity of spirit - your print is absolutely delightful and I have learned so much . I look forward to looking at all your work and I will try and attempt another reduction print 🙌 🌸🧡
That was so instructive and beautiful! I am starting back after many years of hiatus from printmaking. Your video was amazing and makes me want to invest in a press (of course LOL). Thanks for putting the time into this excellent video.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! I understand about wanting a press... I printed by hand for... hmmm.... 12 years? 15? before I finally got one. My neck and wrists and shoulders are still cranky, but not as much as they might have been by now! 🙂
Question for our local arts school; the teacher said they have a press but each time they put in a piece of lino it moves slightly so it's hard to align things properly. Is this because the roll isn't balanced properly?
It could be a number of things: too much or too little pressure, too much or too little ink, uneven roller or press bed. If the block isn't surrounded by some sort of support, the act of the roller hitting the leading edge can knock everything out of whack. Difficult to diagnose the problem without seeing it.... sorry I can't be more helpful.
Lucky you to have the space to store blocks! That's part of why I started doing reduction prints, but also... I tend to lose interest in the image once I've done 15 or 20 of them... so I'd probably never go back to the blocks, anyway! 🙂
I’m melting here in awe. Absolutely gorgeous. I really enjoyed seeing all the steps and I have a new appreciation of just how special each print is. All that work put into them, and it shows. Rare beauty! Thank you for sharing!
Your work is amazing! I would love to learn this technique…but I wonder if being over 60 is too late? The process absolutely is fascinating! I see that there are no more videos since two years ago…I hope you come back to share more of your work. Do you have any on-line classes?
Just found this video and I can’t wait to go home and try it. A quick question: what is the best way to clean the linoblock and how long did you wait between color passes?
I am using oil-based inks, so I clean up with mineral or vegetable oil. (I put some mineral oil on my inking glass, roll it onto the brayer, and use the brayer to put oil on the surface of the lino. You don't want oil to get down into your cut areas!) How long to wait between colors depends on several factors: type of ink, how many colors are already on the print, thickness of ink, thickness of paper, and the weather! In the early stages I can sometimes print more than one color pass in a day, but after 4 or 5 layers are printed the drying time slows down.
hi again I have been looking everywhere for the metal pins you use to hold the paper when printing finding it difficult to keep paper in place. Can you tell me where you found them . thanks Jane
Hi Sherri I hope you get this. I’ve been doing 8x10 and 9x12. Lino’s. Never before have I had so much trouble getting the ink to set right on the paper trying better inks. Different limos and now paper after watching your reduction printing I do want to start doing but the ink getting spotty. I was hoping you could tell me what lion and paper you use for your prints I’ve done Xmas cards for yrs and never had issues hoping it’s something simple. Frustrating I was hoping I could send you a picture you see what I mean ☹️
@@JaneCizynski What kind of ink are you using? I use oil-based inks, which I find give me the best results. There are a lot of variables that could be affecting things... paper thickness/texture, viscosity of the ink, thickness of ink application, and condition of the lino. I use regular "battleship" lino... for handprinting I used hosho and other thinner rice or mulberry papers from Awagami. On the press I'm using 250# BFK Rives.
wow ! this is amazing I would love to try but seems confusing I was printing flowers and birds thinking of trying just 3 colors at first I would just love to get this down thank you so much .
Hi Jane... I am overdue for putting together a video for a very simple 3-color reduction image, so thanks for the nudge! But doing single color prints and hand painting them is certainly an option until you get comfortable with the whole carving/printing process!
