Relief Printmaking Skills Set - Colour Reduction Test Plate

 

During term 2 we have been working on colour reduction prints. You can see how the layers are built up in this video from Harvard Art Museums.

I went random with my colours. Sometimes putting lighter colours over darker colours which gives a speckled effect as some of the first layer shows through subsequent layers. They are super bright!

Relief Printmaking Skills Set - Black & White Urban Landscape

This term at TAFE we were working on an A3 print with the theme "Urban Landscape". We took photos of buildings in Perth; mine is inside the TAFE library. To transfer them onto a lino block we took a laser copy, taped it face down on the block and wet the back with turps. The block was then run through a tight press to transfer the image.

Inside the TAFE library

The blocks were carved with lino tools and printed with oil based block ink. In this print (below) I wiped off some of the ink with a rag to give more white areas and the duct pipes.

We also made an embossed print by using wet paper and a tight press to force the paper into the spaces carved from the lino. You can see my block wasn't super clean but I preferred this to a completely white embossing. 

The next experiment was with chine colle (shin-col-ay). This is a technique where paper (in this case coloured tissue paper) is glued and then lain glue side UP on top of an inked bock. When the print is taken the paper gets glued to the background paper with the print on top. 

Relief Printmaking Skills Set - Black & White Test Plate

 

This week at TAFE we tried out our new lino tools to see how many different marks we could make on an A5 piece of lino. The test block was printed with oil based inks. 

Relief Printmaking Skills Set - Introduction

 

This semester I'm studying relief printmaking at North Metro Tafe.  Our first class was all about finding our way around the print studio, becoming familiar with the inks, roller, presses and the clean up. We used simple pieces of open weave fabric to make these abstract prints in primary colours. Some of my prints (like the one above) have a rainbow background where 2 ink colours were applied to a piece of MDF before the inky fabric was laid on top and the whole thing passed through the press.

100 Days Project - 64/100

Remember the mono-prints on fabric I made for this week's Gelli Arts® video? I've now quilted 3 of them using free motion stitch and bobbin work. They're bound and mounted onto canvas panels. each is about 8 inches square. Be sure to check out all three videos in the tutorial.

100 Days Project - 61/100

3 more layered Gelli® mono-prints on fabric today.

100 Days project 61/100

Another 3 prints today. These are multi-layers of acrylics and Pan Pastel on the Gelli® plate.

100 Days Project - 60/100

I've added lots of hand stitch to my felted and printed fabric piece. It's now been made into a sketchbook cover. Have a look at this post for a tutorial on how to sew your fabric into a cover or come along to Contemporary Quilt Group in July where I will be demonstrating in person.

100 Days Project - 59/100

I couldn't resist doing just a few more Gelli® mono-prints on fabric. The pile of fabric ready to sew is growing enormous!

100 Days Project - 56/100

I've been machine stitching into this felt, printed, piece using more variegated, rayon threads. It's almost ready to be made into a book cover; perhaps some hand stitching first?

100 Days Project - 55/100

I had an enforced break from the 100 days project due to back pain. Feeling much better today I started sewing into this print. The print is on fine grease-proof paper so I have mounted it on interfacing so it doesn't tear.  This is just the beginning, I'll add more layers later.

100 Days Project - 54/100

Today I have started sewing onto these block prints which are on a felted background. The felt is multicoloured so I've gone with a brightly coloured variegated thread.