The video tutorial was the first time I had the opportunity to talk to a tutor in person and I really appreciate it. It makes a difference to be in a dialogue as opposed to receiving a written summary for feedback on submitted works. During the chat I made some notes which I will incorporate into my response. My main interest in writing this article is keeping track of how I incorporated (or not) what we discussed into my work, but also to respond to aspects where I disagree with tutor comments.

Project 1: First monoprints

Mark making: Totally agree with the comment that there was not enough variety in mark-making. I remember that I felt very disoriented when I started the exercises, with no idea what kind of output might be expected. A better understanding developed over the subsequent weeks of coursework and from seeing artists’ monoprints. I recently discovered a helpful brief for mark-making exercises which I’m planning to use for the linocutting markmaking exercise. If I find the time, I might get back to monoprinting mark-making as well, just for the pleasure of it.

Painted monoprints from life: I struggled with watersoluble printmaking inks drying too quickly and as a consequence, switched to watersoluble oil paint and Akua Kolor which both have much longer open time and are thus more comfortable to work with. My tutor’s suggestion was to hinge the paper onto the inking plate and to make repeated impressions very shortly after adding paint onto the plate. I think this is a very good idea and I’ll get back to this for painted monoprinting.

Glass vs. perspex inking plates: I have 2 large and 2 small glass inking plates and have used additional perspex plates for inking when I worked with many colours simultaneously. I never run the glass plates through the press for safety reasons, I’m using them to roll out ink and get it evenly onto the brayer. Then I use a second plate for the actual printmaking process. So far this was a perspex plate but I’m curious to try other materials as well, like metal plates, where I’m sure they’d not break in a printing press. The glass plates are nice for inking the brayer because they don’t lift up like the perspex plates do, and they can be cleaned with a pallette knife without becoming scratched.

Project 3: Two colour masks

Backdrawing: My first attempts at backdrawing were indeed from over-inked plates and I had no control over the result. I think I learnt much about backdrawing and handling the amount of ink during work on the shoe series. I’m now much better at controlling the amount of ink that’s on the plate. My Tutor recommended using a Malstick, which is a stick placed to the side of the working space to provide some support for the painting hand. I might try this next time when I feel it becomes exhausting to maintain the hand off the paper.

Project 4:Texture and combination monoprints

Shoe series: The tutor comments couldn’t be more precise in pinpointing the weaknesses of this series: Uninteresting subject and no progression over the prints of this series. I had chosen the shoes as subject without much consideration, just because they stood there and I really liked the shapes of the arrangement. It was only much later when I presented some prints from the series to a colleague that I felt the shortcoming of no personal interest in this subject. I think I described this in the associated blog article. Similarly, it was only towards the very end that I realized that the only directly visible difference between all the prints was their different colours.

Nevertheless, I think this judgement does not do justice to the intense learning that took place while I was working on the series. It was really tough to keep up with the sheer mass of prints and I spent much time with each of them trying to develop interesting textures, balancing the colours and experimenting with overprinting layers. It was also a revelation for me to discover how the black backdrawing finally made the prints appear complete and finished. So despite the ‘uninteresting’ subject, I really like these prints and value them highly.

Leaf series: Tutor pointed to print P1080271 as his favourite from the series. This print is special in that it adds a painted layer made with a pallet knife and watersoluble oil print over the print made from leaf masks. Note to self: might be included for course assessment.

Skyline series: Glad about the comment on recognizable development from experimental uncertainty to focusing on one idea. Feel this is something I need to work on – the ability to start with something and develop it through stages. I suspect that in the past, I tended to start with one idea and stayed with it (like in the shoe series) or abandoned it altogether. Would like to learn exactly this, working through different approaches to an idea, change emphasis etc.

Pond series: Glad about positive comments on texture, and couldn’t agree more with the suggestion to work on larger scale for similarly “busy” topics. Interestingly, I realized the problem after having shown the print to another student and her comments about the interesting markmaking. It dawned on me that the entire print was too densely covered with marks. The “busy/quiet” concept exactly pinpoints this. I think many of my prints are “overbusy”, there’s not enough empty space in them. Not quite sure how I’m going to resolve this but consider it a huge step forward to have realized the problem, now confirmed through tutor comment. Solutions may come with time when I work out my subjects to include more breathing areas in the composition.

Colour: Tutor comments that my use of colour was “hit and miss” throughout assignment 1 and recommends study of selected artists (Matisse, Hodgkin, Heron). I’ll certainly follow up these artists, but think the colour decisions during part 1 reflect that I was experimenting with the many colours I had. The inks worked differently on different paper types – some papers absorbed the inks and dulled the colours, whereas others let them shine. The same ink would look like a different colour on different paper. So I think the “hit and miss” impression is the result of technical experimentation and part of the learning process. I’m quite confident that once the focus turns towards more worked out series, these experiences will help to produce more consistently coloured prints.

That said, I realize from work in other courses that I have a tendency to choose muted colours and quite a few of my drawing and paintings look quite “unhealthy”. I’m slightly irritated why this happens as I’m not colour blind and tend to appreciate nice colour arrangements. I suspect there are some unconsious forces at work. For the moment I would like to follow my instincts with colour choice, even if the results look strange, rather than trying to produce “pleasing” prints. It’s a bit like not wanting to use a thick layer of make up and run around with a false smile, even if that exposes a truely grim facial expression. MIght change in the future!

Sketchbooks

Hatching technique: Was glad to receive generally positive comments on sketchbook work. I think my drawing skills are  improving, compared to what I was able to do in the drawing course. Agree with the comment that I need to improve the hatching technique. This comment particularly referred to the drawing of the interior view (the chair with window in the background). Actually this was one of the first drawings where I managed to produce sufficient contrast with some really dark tones, and also include more details of the scene. I considered this drawing a clear step forward for me personally. It was weird to be aware of this and then receiving a comment focusing on weaknesses in hatching technique… certainly true but missing an important aspect.

Establishing links to reference artists: Not very happy with the suggestion of making the links to researched artists more explicitly visible. I do like researching other artists, but want to develop my own stuff and don’t want people to say “oh look she took this from Matisse, that from Picasso” etc. I guess the idea is to learn technically and let oneself be inspired, but not copy or try to imitate the style of another artist. I’ll keep it in mind for future research and see how I can develop my personal way of doing this.

Learning logs or blogs / Critical essay

Discussion of assessment criteria: My understanding of the criteria is better now, but overall they remain somewhat abstract and cloudy. Will follow the suggestion of not worrying too much about them and just try to do good work.

Personal note: After doing the required self-assessment for assignment 1, I searched the OCA website for more comprehensive information on the criteria, but there was no particular documentation on this. I brought up the matter in the OCA student forum and received helpful comments from other students and contributing tutors. There seems to be a general agreemant  that understanding for the criteria will develop gradually as students are working their way through the degree, by watching the OCA’s video presentations of student work, through forum discussions, tutor comments and receiving assessment feedback.

I still am uncomfortable with the idea of being judged according to criteria I don’t fully understand. It creates a feeling of not being able to influence the outcome because my efforts might be directed towards the wrong goals, and I will only realize it when I receive the assessment result and it’s too late for corrections. I’m perfectly able to ignore assessment criteria and am not overly concerned about particular grades as long as I pass, but I assumed the criteria have an educational purpose in guiding students to produce quality outcomes. So think the situation is less than optimal from a learner’s point of view.

Suggested reading / viewing

Highly appreciated suggestions, will add references to my research on the suggested artists

Useful colourists:
Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)
Howard Hodgkin (b. 1932)
Patrick Heron (1920-1999)

Crosshatching:
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). Look at his etchings and drawings

Strong, simple composition:
Woodcuts of Der Blaue Reiter and Die Brücke groups

More pointers from tutor during the video chat:

“Rayographs” by Man Ray, with reference to the initial prints in the leaves series

Paul Klee and Jean-Michel Basquiat, I think regarding the idea of busy and quiet areas in a composition

Pointers for the next assignment

Lino cutting safety: Very helpful suggestion to use a bench hook. Followed this up and decided to buy a smaller one (12 x 16 inches or approx. 30 x 40 cm) and build myself a larger one from a 60 x 60 cm plywood panel and some wooden boards. Will see how this works out.

Explore and develop several options. Draw with thick line e.g. marker pen or brush. Select a simple, bold image: Yes will do. Will also try to do more interesting mark making and use the above-mentioned mark-making resource.

Use reference artists more directly. Learn from and demonstrate this in sketchbook: Explained my difficulties with this above, but will see what I can do.

Tutor report

Overall Comments

• Electronic submission, followed by video tutorial. [Student lives in USA]

• Work well-organised and easy to navigate.

• Very productive and clearly engaged with studies

• Good grasp of basic print techniques.

• Ability to work with texture. Work with colour will benefit from the use of reference materials.

Assessment potential

You may want to get credit for your hard work and achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment 2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment requirements.

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 1 First Monoprints

Mark-making. Followed the brief satisfactorily. Greater variety of mark-making would have added interest e.g. wide brushes contrasted with thinner brushes; brush handle lines in specific places rather than all-over. Busy and quite areas a recommended strategy.

Painted monoprints from life. You are already addressing problem of ink drying too quickly, also try printing in stages with a hinged sheet as described by myself.

A good, exploratory and productive effort. As a general rule, keep things simple. Complex images likely to need larger scale.

You may wish to replace your thin glass inking plates with Perspex or acrylic sheet. Much safer.

Project 2 Positive & Negative Masks

Good, workman-like approach to the task. You understood the importance of a simple image.

Project 3 Two-Colour Masks

Two-colour print. You have understood the process.

Variations. Lovely exploratory body of work, well done. The clematis images and the textured pattern images particularly successful. You have grasped the interest that can arise from playing with misalignment. Also, you are able to make textures work together.

The back-drawings are often over-inked. Strip off the surplus with a sheet of newsprint before drawing.

Project 4 Texture & Combination Prints

Again, a very productive response to the brief.

Shoe series lacked forward motion and real interest. Consider subject matter – does it have visual interest in the first place?

Leaf series much more open and experimental, some lovely results.

Skyline series began experimentally, but settled into work which made visual sense, so was a good demonstration of your ability to develop a focus from uncertain beginnings.

Pond series contained some interesting mark-making techniques, which you have used intelligently to differentiate the various pictorial elements e.g. foliage and light/shade. A larger scale would have given more room to move

Work with colour throughout Assignment 1 is rather hit and miss. Instead of inventing, use references. See Suggested reading/viewing below

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

These comments include the supporting studies for your print work.

Sketchbook is used correctly as a working tool.

Various pages were discussed. Some good composition on the page. Clearly most comfortable with pencil work. Seek to broaden range of media.

Improvements to cross-hatching technique discussed.

Need to establish visual linkage with reference artists.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

Blog very thorough, well-organised and well written. You value its use.

Content good, covers visual and technical matters, research and reflection. You are also finding your own artists for reference.

You expressed uncertainty as to the meaning of some assessment criteria. These were discussed.

Suggested reading/viewing

Context

Useful colourists:

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)

Howard Hodgkin (b. 1932)

Patrick Heron (1920-1999)

Crosshatching:

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). Look at his etchings and drawings

Strong, simple composition:

Woodcuts of Der Blaue Reiter and Die Brucke groups

Pointers for the next assignment

Lino cutting safety discussed.

Explore and develop several options. Draw with thick line e.g. marker pen or brush. Select a simple, bold image.

Use reference artists more directly. Learn from and demonstrate this in sketchbook.

The first assignment of Printmaking 1 consists in a selection of prints made for Projects 1 to 4. I have put practically all my work online already, so there won’t be anything new to see. This is different from the other courses I’ve done so far, where the assignment consisted in producing additional work.

I appreciate the opportunity of compiling a selection of those prints I think are most successful, because this amounts to a more concise overview and forces me to evaluate. The notes, drawings and sketchbook pages belonging to the selected prints are included in the blog articles to which I refer in each section.

To get a purely visual overview of everything I made during part 1, please see the Blog’s Gallery for Part 1, http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?page_id=12

Clicking on an image opens an enlarged view of the print.

Task 1 (Project 1)

–        Two early experimental prints (mark making)
–        A printed study from life (two objects in a still life)
–        Two later experiments

Two early experimental prints (mark making)

I chose two prints from the third markmaking series, red and black ink on white sumi-E paper, 32 x 24 cm. See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=34

A printed study from life (two objects in a still life)

Zucchini and Onion, A3
See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=132

Two later experiments

Landscape at the Baltic Sea (Germany), A3
My cat Gina looking out of the window, A3
See second part of http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=132

Task 2 (Project 2)

– One positive masked monoprint
– One negative masked monoprint
– Plus supporting work showing the development of the layout to the final print

Positive and negative masked monoprints from the penguin series, A3

See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=198

Task 3 (Project 3)

– Two contrasting masked prints in two colours each exploiting positive and negative shapes
– A selection of prints showing experiments in texture and surface detail
– Back drawn monoprints from life either indoors or outdoors

 Two contrasting masked prints

See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=255

Experiments in texture and surface detail

Multicolour variations of the penguins
See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=265

Multicolour, multimask variation: Clematis flower and leaf
See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=273

Textured surface experiments
See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=347

Back drawn monoprints from life either indoors or outdoors

A potted plant and my cat Gina sleeping
See http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=376

Task 4 (Project 4)

– Four contrasting monoprints of different subjects demonstrating at least two techniques

Project 4 contains one blog article for each of the four series, plus an introductory and a concluding article with reflections on my work process and evaluation of the outcome.

Project 4 introduction: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=420
Project 4 conclusion: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=624

Series 1: The shoes

Techniques: Positive and negative mask, multiple colour overprinting, textured plate, backdrawing
Blog: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=426

Series 2: Leaves

Techniques: Multiple coloured plate, backdrawing, textured plate
Blog: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=490

Series 3: Skyline

Techniques: Multiple coloured plate, masking, textured plate
Blog: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=529

Series 4: The pond

Techniques: Multiple coloured plate, textured plate, painted plate
Blog: http://ocaprintmaking1.blueconcretemoon.com/?p=561

Reflection

Review the assessment criteria and how you have done against them

Assessment criteria points:

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills – materials, techniques, observational skills,
visual awareness, design and compositional skills
Quality of Outcome – content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent
manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts,communication of ideas
Demonstration of Creativity – imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a
personal voice
Context – reflection, research, critical thinking (learning log)

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills: materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills

Materials: I employed a wide range of different paper supports for the prints in part one: Different white tones, different surfaces (rough, smooth), different colours, different paper types and weights. I learned that some inks work better with smooth, bright paper and need no dampening, whereas other inks work nicely on rough paper that is dampened before printing. Later in the project I stayed with the paper I knew worked well for the inks I employed (Akua).

Techniques: I worked quite a lot with all the techniques introuced in this part. I also experimented and explored variations in application, for example using different pressure and drawing styles with backdrawing. I think the prints show the breadth of techniques applied.

Observational skills: This is a big topic. I think it shows up mostly in the sketchbook, not sure how it comes across in the prints. If a measure of skill is how photorealistic my prints are, then I’d fail. If it’s about whether I am able to visually analyze and transfer into interesting marks, less bad, though not perfect. To judge my own drawings, I think my observational skills need improvement, in particular landscape drawing. The difficulties may have to do with my deteriorating eyesight (age-related).

Visual awareness: Not sure what is meant by this and what might be the difference to observational skills. Not sure where it might be apparent in my prints. From unreflected understanding, I think I have some degree of visual awareness but this probably needs improvement.

Design and compositional skills: I’m undecided on this one. My impression is that some prints show a good design, whereas others are unclear and muddy. But my focus was not always on composition, because in some cases my aim was simply to explore a technique. Maybe this aspect should be assessed only for the more advanced prints. Taking those from project 4, I like all my compositions. I could have done them differently but I think they’re strong the way they are.

Overall: Not bad for a beginner, maybe 60 percent? But I’m not sure what 100% would represent – the skill level of best monotype artist in the world? Or compared to the best printmaking students? Not sure against what level we as students are measured.

Quality of Outcome – content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent
manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts,communication of ideas

Content: Well, I realized that as soon as I become ambitious with content, it seems to stifle my creative process. So I prefer to use simple topics for now. This is not necessarily a weakness. But this is another criterion which I find hard to understand without further explanantion. Does the content have to be particularly relevant with respect to political or social issues? Or does personal relevance suffice? What if students pretend personal relevance but there’s nothing beyond pretension?

Application of knowledge: If this means knowledge about printmaking techniques, I think I did ok. I think I was in an experimental mode and applied what I learned from the course materials and tried to improve the results from experiences made with my materials.

Coherent presentation: Yes, I think this is a strong point. I’m still a bit inhibited because I think no-one except me might ever want to read all I’m writing in my blog. But I find my blog interesting and it actually helped me to find my way back after pauses due to other commitments.

Discernment: Difficult point. I think I can judge sufficiently well when applying my own criteria. But OCA criteria are a different breed and I did not find them well explained. Maybe others think I’m not able to judge my own works well, but in the long term I hope that it’ll be my own judgement that helps me to develop into a direction that suits me.

Conceptualization of thoughts: Another difficult point. Does it mean how well I’m able to express what I think? Or how well I’m able to transfer my thoughts into works of art? Who would be in a position to assess this? All I know is that English is only my second language so I guess my writing is sometimes incomprehensible for a native speaker. Otherwise, I’d say that I can develop vague thoughts into more meaningful concepts and make something out of it, but I’m not sure how this relates to printmaking.

Communication of ideas: No clear understanding what is meant by this criterion and why it is important for art making. I think my ability to convey my ideas using words is quite good. Conveying ideas using art is probably underdeveloped or would lead to very blunt imagery. Difficult to assess because I tend to not have an idea to convey, because I focus on visual aspects.

Overall: I think the quality of my prints is quite good at this early state of learning, but I’m not able to relate this to the OCA criteria.

Demonstration of Creativity – imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a
personal voice

Imagination: A point I’d like to develop further. I think I’m too attached to the real world and not very inventive with visuals. Might need to do some extra projects to work on this. Another idea came up when reflected on the pond series of prints and the use of photos. Maybe I should just have a go at working from imagination, instead from nature or from photographs.

Experimentation: Better than imagination, I think. I really like to play around and try new things. Sometimes I realize that I’m dried out and get stuck, but on other occasions I find it hard to even stop. It’s all a bit untamed. For example, I got lost in colour experimentation while working on the shoe series, whereas the skyline series showed me my limits very quickly. Maybe it depends on the topics. In part 1, I think I did a good job and there was enough experimentation to develop a broader understanding of the possibilities inherent in the techniques.

Invention: Yes, not bad. For example, I invented my own registration method. I also developed a process to texture the inked plate using my press. I experimented with masks and stencils using different materials, and employed transparents to help me with backdrawing. So yes, I think this is a good point.

Development of a personal voice: I’m working on this. I think there’s quite some potential because by nature I prefer doing my own stuff instead of following prescribed routes. But in the early stages, I appreciate a thorough technical introduction to help me master the skills. I think the voice is a bit too weak to be recognized for now, but I think I can improve this.

Overall: Certainly not the most creative person ever, but I think a good average level with some occasional peaks here and there.

Context – reflection, research, critical thinking (learning log)

Reflection: I guess this is another strong point. Maybe I’m even overdoing it. My aim is to become more efficient at reflection. Currently my reflections have a brainstorming character. Of course I try to be attentive how I might use my insights for improvements. But often enough I’m not sure where this or the other idea might lead to. Maybe it’s in the nature of reflection. For now I try to reflect on what I do and how I do it and aim to learn from errors.

Research: Moderate. It is not my main interest, although I like looking at the works from other artists. It’s sometimes difficult to not feel distracted by the research points. But I know they’re good for me and broaden my horizon. But with my time constraints, I prefer printmaking over research on printmaking.

Critical thinking: Highly developed negative thinking about self, but not sure if that’s what the criterion asks for. I’m so aware that I’m only at the very beginning of my journey into artmaking that I must take care not to destroy the tiny bits that are like seeds of future development. The other aspect is critical thinking about other artists, as is required in research. Will need some time to build up the knowledge base. Might become more substantial on level 2.

Overall: I think it’s ok for level 1

Conclusion

I feel embarrassed that I don’t seem to understand the OCA assessment criteria well. I hadn’t been aware of this but it’s quite apparent in the above section where I try to self-assess.

Actually I’m self-assessing all the time, while working on the printmaking projects. One of my aims is to not stop at a level of basic task fulfilment. I try to develop substantial and visually interesting prints. I try to vary the technique if I’m not satisfied with a print, and continue working until I feel that the prints are getting better.

I’m also in the process of developing a working method, from approaching a topic to first tryout prints, evaluation, and improvements in approach to get better results. This is quite basic and personal and I hope that it corresponds at least roughly to OCA criteria.

That said, the entire self-assessment exercise is futile, because I’m currently not permitted to have my coursework assessed. This is because the printmaking course does not fit into my chosen painting degree pathway. I was allowed to study printmaking ‘for personal development’ but without formal assessment. I am quite unhappy that I’m not allowed to have my stuff assessed and try to discuss the issue with OCA, but for now I’m running against a wall.

It is quite destructive to know that I can invest all the effort but will not be allowed to gain academic credit for it. I don’t understand why OCA does not permit assessment outside a degree pathway.

There’s some very good news on this issue: OCA has allowed me to apply for assessment of the printmaking course! I am so glad about this! It really makes a difference and is a big turnaround. I’m leaving the above sections in the blog because they demonstrate the frustration I felt. I feel like having received the entrance ticket for becoming a painter and printmaker. It means the world to me… just hoping I can live up to that dream!

The other thing I’d like to add is that I continue to feel embarrassed about my lack of understanding of the assessment criteria. For now I hope that tutor feedback will shed light on these criteria and how they should be interpreted. But I’ll also do my homework and see if there are not some examples to help me getting to grips with them.

I started this research by looking for contemporary artists, and came across the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Conneticut. There is currently an exhibition, the 4^th Biennial International Footprint Exhibition, featuring prints of 1 square foot in size (30.5 x 30.5 cm). The exhibition is on view through August 31, 2014, which is today. Unfortunately this was too late for me to make it there, but I selected artists from the online presentation of this exhibition.

So in a way, I’m making a virtual exhibition visit and combine it with this research point. I will keep an eye on the center because they are quite active and also offer printmaking workshops.

Unfortunately, the images from the exhibition are copyrighted, so I’m not going to include them in my blog, but post the link to the picture instead. I’ll say a few words to some prints that attracted my attention.

Peter Barron: “Among those left behind”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/14434116731/in/set-72157645093656835

This is a woodprint in green, red and yellow with black texture printed on top. I found this print very appealing because of the strong colour contrast and the heavily textured surface. When looking only briefly, the image might pass as a bush of colourful red roses in a green garden, with some adjacent yellow flowers. But actually it shows red faces and the black texture on the green background resembles wire fence or something similarly unpleasant to the touch.

The irregular surface texture in combination with the strong colours creates high tension and the faces are like screaming to the viewer. I find this an intimidating print. Without going into the probably political message, the way the artist has used texture is very successful in conveying that tension “among those left behind”.

From a purely visual standpoint, this is what I was looking for in my final series of project 4, the view on the pond. I wanted irregular, crisp, dark black marks for the leaves before a coloured sky background. Seeing this print made me wonder whether a relief technique would have been more appropriate for what I intended to achieve.

Joan Potkay: Shimmer light; (sunflower monoprint)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/14251037747/in/set-72157645093656835

I admit that this monoprint is not heavily relying on texture… colour and shape seem to be much more important. Nevertheless wanted to reflect on it for those texture bits included because I found them remarkable.

There is some texture in the lower left, created using some type of blue ink. It is very irregular and looks like blotted and accidental, but I found it very effective in conveying natural forms of background elements. The leaves of the sunflower are also textured using this blue tone, partly linear and partly using shapes for shaded areas.

A more linear approach is used for the flower and its orange center. I think the technique is effective to convey the life energy of the plant, but it is not very subtle and for me it does not capture the haptic qualities of the actual surface. But probably the artist did not intend to do that.

The linear technique, maybe a variant of backdrawing, was not used very delicately. I find it remarkable that I realize this because I tend to draw this way and have only recently begun to explore a more sensitive approach to surface texture.

Susan Newbold: Cambodian Memory

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/14457709183/in/set-72157645093656835

This is an abstract composition in purple and orange on white ground, and there’s quite a lot of texture on the surface. The orange areas are almost three dimensional through the use of lighter and darker values. The purple areas seem to use a medium range of tones to create a pattern which is then perceived as texture. The overall effect is interesting and convincing in a way that I’d almost expect to touch a wiggled and bumped surface when touching the print.

It almost looks like a photographic technique, maybe screenprinting was used, but it might also be the result of printing positive and negative on top of each other with slight misalignment, similar to what I accidentally achieved with the first print of five single leaves in grey tones (Project 4, series 2, the leaves).

What works particularly well for me is the colour choice of orange and purple together, and that there’s much of the white paper shining through. The irregular distribution of lighter and darker areas and the seemingly accidental overprinting makes the entire print look very organic.

Sergey Zlotnikov: Summer on the pond

http://ww.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/14250851148/in/set-72157645093656835

I selected this print because of the photographic quality and because of the motif, the pond. I found this interesting in light of my own attempts to create the reflections on the water surface with printmaking techniques in the pond series of project 4.

Looking up the artist’s website I realized that he employed an ancient photographic technique. I didn’t delve into the details but I think like modern analog techniques it is based on a chemical reaction involving light, not a manual printmaking technique. I was wondering how the print made it into the exhibition.

Anyway, of course the technique is very successful in creating the illusion of textured surface, in particular the little wiggles on the water, but it’s unfair competition!

Mitchell Visoky: Navigating currents (black textures on a pale yellow support)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/14436201312/in/set-72157645093656835

This print is the one that relied most on texture, because there’s almost nothing else than textured areas to see. There are hardly any recognizable shapes, only some egg-shaped elements, and the colour range is between pale yellow and dark grey.

The title is quite good because the subject looks like water or clouds or mud, stirred or for some other reason in heavy motion. As in the purple and orange print by Susan Newbold, I’d expect a textured surface and a haptic effect when touching it.

Maybe it’s the choice of colour or missing a white support to shine through, but I found this print less visually appealing than the purple and orange one. There are also some drawn marks, rows of circles in dark colour, that are not very well integrated with the background texture. Maybe these marks are what the artist referred to as “navigating”, as if they were trying to trace the underlying currents.

Conclusion

Looking at textures in prints is actually quite interesting. It’s good to have gained some practical experience myself how to create them, this made me more aware of what happens in artist prints. I also realized the huge variety how texture can be used for printmaking.

References

CCP website: http://contemprints.org

Flickr page with selected works from the 2014 Footprint Exhibition: https://www.flickr.com/photos/contemprints1995/sets/72157645093656835/page2/

Techniques employed

The shoe series was based on a very simplistic motif and I stayed with my initial compositional idea, but explored many colour variations and discovered backdrawing to hold the motif together. Techniques included positive and negative masks, aligning and slight misalignment, multiple coloured plates, multiple coloured layers and overprinting, textured plate, backdrawing. I also used different paper support: From various white tones, different paper weights, smooth and rough types, coloured paper, craft paper, and even printed newspaper.

In the leaf series I used natural shapes to create a textured plate and for masking. I also employed backdrawing and wiped off ink from the plate, and worked on different coloured paper support. Whereas backdrawing helped a bit to give structure, it was the addition of multiple colour what made the prints shine. Interesting was the exploration of variations in backdrawing, for example becoming more generous with the contours and varying the pressure of my implement to create wiggly lines.

I hadn’t been aware of it but this series actually went through considerable changes in the compositional idea: It started with clustering leaves together just to create interesting texture. Then there was the seemingly arbitrary layout of 5 leaves over the sheet which I changed to an orderly alignment and 2-3 grouping. Then finally I made a little wood from multiple overprints of those 5 leaves. This series brought the interesting discovery how single leaves resemble the shapes of a tree.

The skyline series was a difficult one and I felt it didn’t take off quite as much as the others did. I did like the elements – using torn paper strips to create a landscape-like background, masks to make a skyline silhouette, and using multiple colour overprints. But somehow I feel that the idea has more potential than what I brought out in this first attempt. I did not vary the composition beyond some detail. Of course there’s ample room for all kinds of different contour lines, more texture in the elements and so on. But somehow I felt drained and also saw the clock ticking against me, with the assignment due date coming again closer and closer, after the second extention.

Then finally the view on the pond is one which I found particularly rewarding because it forced me to be more inventive with texturing the plate. Maybe only with moderate success but I think the prints look quite accomplished and have a very mysterious atmoshpere. I quite like this series. Techniques included are multiple coloured plate, overprinting layers, texturing the plate with various subtractive methods, plus using a brush to add ink back (additive method). I tried out backdrawing, but it didn’t work here for similar reasons as it hadn’t worked in the skyline series.

Reflections on my learning

Over this series, I became very aware of the inhibitory effect of an ambitious attitude: I think I’d get along much better if I start out with a simple idea and then work out variations from this starting point. This implies developing my own artistic process.

Currently I tend to make an initial choice of topic, then stick to it trying out technical variations and different colours. I think that’s not enough. Maybe it’s not good if I compare myself to other students, but I see them beginning with one idea and transforming this into something different that gets them closer to what they want to express.

In my own practice, I feel that there’s nothing particular I want to express. I’m not a political person, so a political or socially critical message would not be my realm, but I’m actually interested in visual effects. I know that I’ve begun to ask myself when making pictures: “what is it that I find particularly interesting here”, and “how can I bring this out more clearly”. This might be the approach to take when I develop a subject for a print.

I recognize the beginnings of this, because while working on my prints, I’m always reflecting on the visual effect and how I might improve it. Maybe I can extend this towards asking how I might capture the atmoshphere of a scene, or the character of a person, as examples for what I imagine to be substantial in a motif.

I think it was also a good development that I abandoned the approach of producing masses of tryout prints, in favour of producing only a few to start with, then try to develop the idea further. But I don’t want to exclude either approach. Maybe at this point (I’m a beginner) it’s best to just go with whatever inspiration I have and see what happens.

Sketchbook work

While working on the four series for this project, I always carried my brown paper A4 sketchbook with me when I went to work and tried to draw whenever possible. The idea is to help me get over my reluctance to draw in public, but also to just practice. It’s tough because I tend to be elsewhere with my thoughts over the day – totally busy with my day job and there’s only the lunch break available. I try to eat quickly to have at least some minutes left for drawing, but it does not always work. No question that this is not an ideal situation for developing drawing skills. But I can’t change it for now, so am just trying to make whatever is possible.

I’ve included the sketchbook drawings for project four in the gallery of part 1.

Now on to the research point and then it’s time to prepare the submission of assignment 1.

There was also no preparative sketchbook work beyond an initial drawing that I used to create the masks or silhouette outlines to guide the subsequent steps. But realizing all this wasn’t helping me to become more creative, rather the opposite was the case. Quite a few ideas for topics came up, but then I thought through how I might develop them further, found them not substantial enough, and discarded them. So for several days, I just did not get anywhere and felt very stuck. I did some sketchbook drawings but they were ‘just drawing practice’, not related to printmaking ideas. I’d have liked to use one for the fourth topic but found them not suitable.

A trip to Greenwich, Connecticut

After a week had passed whithout me getting any closer to a usable idea, I became totally stressed out and decided to make a trip to the seaside to draw and make some watercolours, in the hope that there might also come up a topic suitable for printmaking.

I was considering a landscape subject and thought this might work well using a painted or textured plate technique. I hadn’t used both of these techniques very much so far in project 4 and thought this might be a good addition.

So I went off to Greenwich, Connecticut, which is a pretty little village in the Long Island Sund, about 3/4 of an hour train ride from Manhattan. The best thing is that the harbour is at walking distance from the train station, so I hoped there would be some nice views for me. I must admit that making art outside is not my strong side. I feel very self-conscious and whenever people are around me, I’m in trouble and feel embarrassed because I find my drawing skills weak, in particular with landscapes. So I’m quite peculiar about finding a spot where I can sit and draw.

I arrived in Greenwich around noon, spent some time just walking around the village, then was hungry and needed to make a lunch break, but then finally, made it to the harbour. I walked around and discovered a little ferry but decided against taking a ride because of the original plan to come here for drawing, not for pleasure… of course that’s irony. It was quite a hot day and I had no shade, most of the time people were around me so I felt very unsafe, but I managed to make three very quick sketches on different locations, with water, boats and people.The first was A5 format, the other two were A6. I remember how I struggled to focus on anything particular of the wide scene I had before me.

It became too hot and I walked back to the village park for a rest, found a suitable bench and decided to make a drawing of my view (A5 format, loose sheet). I liked it and found the place relaxing, so stayed a bit longer and also made a watercolour of the view towards the pond.

All the time, I had also made photographs as references for follow-up work at home. At around 5 p.m., I made it back home. I brought with me sunburnt arms because I had forgotten to buy sun protection cream, and now have feet with a nice sandal pattern of tanned vs white skin. I’m surely going to improve the preparations for the next excursion!

The view of the pond

But the trip proved productive because I chose the view of the pond as the topic of the fourth series in this project. Back home, I switched to working from the photo I had made of the view. I found the composition difficult because the different elements were not easy to distinguish. Everything was more or less green with slightly different texture: The grass of the lawn, the foliage, some reflections on the water, the high grasses at the pond.

Work on the series alternated between making prints to try out technical variations, and making drawings to better understand the composition. The first drawing was an outline sketch of the main elements, the second was a pencil sketch, the third was made with charcoal. They are all roughly A4 format.

I did not change the composition because I did not knew what to do differently. So I focused on trying to make the differently textured areas better distinguishable, by increasing the variety of marks and by using colour.

The basic idea was to make an underprint with just the coloured areas, then overprint with a textured plate to indicate the differently textured elements. The central difficulty with texturing the plate was that I wanted to have light shapes before a dark background and dark shapes before a lighter background, but the methods I tried did not really work well for this. I was able to ink the plate, then wipe away light shapes and create darker and lighter textures, but did not find a really satisfying way to put back black marks on lighter backgrounds.

Exploring techniques

I tried backdrawing, but quickly abandoned the idea because with a thinly inked plate it produced just grey and unimpressive marks. I did not try a more saturated plate for this because I knew from earlier experience that this would give me more black spots but not the marks I intended to create. I guess backdrawing is great when the focus is on adding line, but it is not the best technique to create interesting marks with a graphically clean pattern of tiny deep black marks against a white background. This was what I wanted for the upper region of the composition, to depict the foliage of the foreground branch against the much lighter sky in the background. Prints were made from a 20 x 30 cm PVC plate on 43 x 28 cm paper.

So in the next prints, I experimented with various wiping techniques and instruments, using Q-Tips, corrugated cardboard, pvc foam etc. I also made one plate entirely from textured materials pressed on the plate, then taken away and reworked by hand for the actual impression. I found this worked nicely overall, but not for the sky area. The solution that worked best was to use water-soluble oil paint and actually paint those leaves – or better, trying to make marks that resemble foliage. I think I wasn’t very successful with this but it was as close as I could get to what I actually wanted.

Interestingly, I began looking out for contemporary artists using texture (the next research point) while working on this series, and one of them used woodcut. The effect I saw was close to what I had intended to achieve, so I asked myself whether relief techniques would be a better way to approach the problem. I’ll get back to this in the research point article and am looking forward to working with relief techniques in the next part of the course.

Choice of colours

For the background colouring, I decided to use Akua liquid pigment, which I like because of its transparency. The first prints were very faint despite my choice of bright white, smooth paper, so I increased the amount of ink and indeed this produced more intense colouring. I knew from earlier work with these inks that they work best with smooth paper so I stayed with my chosen paper for this series.

My initial coloured plate had two different colours: One for the sky area and its reflection on the water, and the other for all the green elements. After the first set of prints and trying out backdrawing, I decided to make a third area of no colour for the lightest area of the composition, which is the high sea grass at the edge of the pond in the background. This was a good change because it let the white of the paper shine through in the print. The white began to work as a third colour and increased the overall tonal range of the print.

I tried out different colour combinations: Beginning with a greenish blue for the sky with yellowish green for the rest, I switched to a blue-red sky, a purple sky with blueish green for the rest, an orange-red sky with yellow green, and back to ultramarine blue sky with yellowish green for the rest. Actually I like all the colour combinations, but in each set have a preference for the more intense colour. The difference in intensity was by chance, I just realized this afterwards and think it works better with the black overprint in this composition. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I’d try to achieve intense colours ‘always’, but in this series, I think intense colouring works better.

From the series, my overall favourite is the final ultramarine blue and yellow green one – it has intense colours and I think it also has the most successful textures, in particular the area that defines the contours of the pond. I managed to include some reflections and this area is better worked out than in the other prints. The colour choice supports the interpretation because the blue is more easily associated with sky and water, to the entire image becomes easier to ‘read’. My second favourite is the one with intense orange-red sky, because the overall colours are warm and bright, and I think it’s quite a powerful effect.

What have I learned? What would I change if I had to do it again?

I’ve certainly learned a good deal about texturing a plate. Over the course of the series, I became somewhat more inventive with the instruments and techniques I employed. I also felt that sticking to the difficult composition forced me to look closer how I might visually separate the different areas to create recognizable structure in the print. I feel I got closer to this goal towards the end of the series.

I think if I were to do it again, I’d spend more time at the original location and make more detailed drawings and paintings, also try out different viewpoints, to give me more variety to choose from when working out a scene for the print. As it was, I switched to my photo source as soon as I was home, for all subsequent work, and I think compared to the immediacy and brightness of the watercolour painting made on location, something has got lost. In particular, working from the computer screen where the portrait format photo comes out quite small, wasn’t very helpful in developing more variety with the textures. I did try out scaling up the size on the computer screen but did not work from the enlarged view because I felt this would have lead to overly detailed representation in my print.

Somehow I didn’t get beyond the photo and what it had depicted. Maybe I should resist the desire of taking photographs next time, or at least resist the temptation of using them, and instead rely on my memory of the setting and the works made on location. This is of course not only an issue with printmaking, it is also a recurrent topic in my other OCA courses. Switching working mode from using photos to relying on works made on location is not as simple as it is said, because there’s more attached to it – like my reluctance to draw or paint in public, whereas I have much less trouble just taking a quick photo.

Maybe a different printmaking technique would have been more appropriate for some aspects like the dark foliage against a light sky, or maybe I just wasn’t inventive enough with the techniques I’ve already learnt in the course so far. I might get back the subject as I get further along in the course. Quite sure that landscape as a topic will come up again for me. I’m actually quite interested in texture, so it was probably a good thing to have addressed the topic and try to broaden the “visual vocabulary” I have available for this.

I prepared paper stripes to fit over the plate in portrait format, and started the series very simple by making some prints with yellow ink. The first prints looked interesting. I played around with placement of the strips to include horizontal straight lines or not, and tried out different arrangements. The yellow ghost prints and the prints off the plate without masks were too light so I decided to lay them aside. I continued with a two-colour plate, a gradient from yellow to read, and then proceeded to purely red layers which I printed over the earlier yellows. Over the next day I also printed in blue and blue-red gradients. With these darker colours, the ghost prints and prints off the plate looked more interesting and I kept these for printing additional layers.

Then I took some time to consider how I might further develop the image idea. I was thinking about backdrawing, maybe a still life or a self portrait. So I proceeded with a first backdrawing on one of the multicolour prints. I chose a potted rosemary and drew from life, on the balcony. Despite liking both the coloured background and the drawing separately, I wasn’t overly satisfied with the result, because there was no connection between the background and the drawing.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make out of it and tried a self portrait next, choosing a print with softer colours with the idea that then the two techniques might blend better into another. I found this one indeed better than the first. Actually the print felt very personal, and I was able to interpret lots of meaning into it. It was about “a person in the clouds”, dreaming of being somewhere else and living a different life. I think there’s some potential in this subject, but I did not want to pursue it further for this series right now. I just wasn’t in the mood of drawing more self portraits, it felt too personal.

Instead, I got back to an interesting photo I recently made during a lunch break at work. I wanted to try out my camera and how well it was able to capture dark foliage against a bright sky. I quite liked the idea of using this photo as a source for a backdrawing on a coloured background, and having the coloured stripes represent a multicolour sky.

But looking at the result, I felt again that the coloured background and the black backdrawing marks did not work well together. The subject was hardly recognizable and the black ink looked just muddy. As a fourth subject, I tried a small still life of a pitcher and a bowl of fruit. I selected the most colourful of my background prints and took care to have the plate only lightly inked to avoid accidental smudging. Indeed the lines are very crisp and fine, and I made well defined shadows. Only, they don’t look good on the background because one can hardly see them.

I also pulled prints off the backdrawing plate which looked quite interesting, but they were too dark to be used with my coloured backgrounds. I might have cleaned the plate partially but decided not to because I wanted to see the effect in its entirety. Maybe they’d look interesting with a second backdrawing layer of black lines on top, but I didn’t want to explore that further for now.

At this point I was questioning the entire approach for this series, because nothing seemed to work as intended. I took a day off to gain some inner distance and reflect what I might do with the topic, or whether I’d rather switch subject completely.

Choosing the skyline topic

I liked the skyline topic best and thought it had some potential, so decided to continue with that one. I’m not exactly sure where the idea came from, but I thought making a solid overprint might work better than backdrawing, because the overprinted areas would be strong enough to compete with the colourful background. At first, I used one of the backdrawing plates and cleaned up the sky area, then made a ghost print on top of one of the fainter prints. The result was promising. I then made a mask to avoid having to clean up the plate all the time, then printed the silhouette over all my coloured backgrounds using that mask.

I selected three of these prints to add a backdrawing of the foreground foliage and trees as a third layer.

But I found that backdrawing simply did not work well, and then decided that I’d just leave my other prints as they were. These are the remaining prints of the series:

I find them quite atmospheric and like the dark silhouette against the colourful, textured background sky. The series takes up a subject I started earlier in part 1, skylines. I guess I’ll get back to this subject in the future again. It’s what I see every day when I go outside. Although I’d prefer living in the countryside, I do acknowledge that the highrises have a special beauty to them. Choosing this subject also means to sort of accept that I’m living here.

For this series, I had chosen a new paper: Bright white, 90 gsm acid free printer paper. I bought this paper on the internet because it was relatively inexpensive and I wanted something to try out ideas which wouldn’t fade as newsprint does. The bright white worked well and made the colours shine, but otherwise I wasn’t too happy with my choice. It is indeed good for trying out ideas, but I think I prefer heavier paper for good prints.

Reflections on my learning

I think this series made me aware that I can make nice prints by simply plaing with the techniques and colours, but that I need to develop actual ideas for the image I want to create. I think I got stuck with this series because I started out with a technical idea, but had no concept for the image. As soon as I had decided on the skyline topic, I found it much easier to evaluate the prints and decide on how I might improve them.

Before starting project 4, I was slightly intimidated by the task of having to devise 4 different subjects. In earlier courses, in particular the drawing course, I struggled with overly prescriptive course materials that left no space for developing one’s own subjects – only in part 5 there was some more freedom. Now having to develop four different substantial topics was a big step from there. I highly value the opportunity and think this is vital for development as an artist. But it’s tough!

Now I think I need a small break to get myself together before tackling series number 4 of this project.

Materials
Ink: Akua intaglio
Paper: 90 gsm bright white, acid-free printer paper (too light for my taste)

First prints: Dark green ink on white paper, A3 format

These prints were made off a 20 x 30 cm printing plate, using Akua Intaglio ink (water based). Paper size is A3 format or close to it. I liked the crisp print on smooth bright white paper best (first print in this presentation). The series was actually made with dark green ink, but on the photos it looks more like black. After the initial series, I retained the idea of making a larger project using leaves as part of project 4 and some days later went to Prospect park in Brooklyn to collect more leaves. I placed these between newsprint sheets with a light weight on top to preserve them until after completion of the shoe series. I also drew some plants and greenery in my sketchbook while working on the series.

Since the shoes series took much longer than I had anticipated, the leaves were well dried once I was ready to start. I looked through all the different types of leaves I had and realized they would be too fragile to sustain multiple prints if I used them as masks. I took photocopies of all my leaves grouped by type, just in case I might later decide to make masks, to have something more durable to work from than the leaves themselves.

Second print: Five leaves, A2 format

From the about 5 or 6 different leaf types I had, I chose some with very intriguing shapes. My initial idea was to use the leaves to texture the inked plate, and then print off the textured plate. I started very simple with white paper and black ink. But I took up the suggestion of working on a larger scale which came up during the presentation of the shoe series to my colleague at work. So I used a 30 x 40 cm printing plate, double the size of the first attempts in dark green ink. This meant I’d be using much larger paper sheets too, around A2 size instead of the A3 format I had used all the time until now. The actual paper size it somewhat smaller to make the paper fit through my printing press.

It took me quite some time to decide an arrangement of the leaves. I worked this out on a clean sheet of paper and when I was finally satisfied, I placed the leaves onto the inked plate. I designed my registration system using a large paper sheet with marks for the size of the printing paper and for the plate, centered on the printing sheet. I had no clear compositional idea but wanted the leaves to look natural and well distributed over the available place.

The first print was made with two layers. My idea had been to bring out the leaf structure but somehow through slight misalignment a 3-D-effect resulted. I was not very impressed and took some time to reflect how I would change things to proceed. I have made extensive notes in my notebook on practical problems, discoveries, open questions, solutions found during the entire series. It’s too much to include so I’ll just give a summary account.

With hindsight, the first print looks quite funny, like “drunken men lying on the floor”. I wasn’t so much aware of it at the time, but out of gut feeling decided to bring more structure into my composition by aligning the leaves upright in two groups of three and two, as if they were little trees. This was the most interesting discovery, to see how the little leaf shapes somehow resembled trees.

An imaginary landscape

The remainder of the series built on this resemblance and my idea to create some sort of imaginary landscape. The first prints were very straightforward, with crisp textures and clean outlines. I worked over them so they looked quite differently in the end, but I kept this opaque white on black paper print in its initial state, as a reminder of the pure effect and the finely detailed original leaf texture.

I varied paper types and used different whites, smooth and rough surfaces, and also coloured papers. After a few prints my leaves disintegrated and I could no longer use them as masks or print off their texture. Instead, I made myself a tracing sheet from one of the crisp prints to use for backdrawing.

I was able to keep this series more manageable, compared to the shoe series, by not producing endless amounts of tryout prints. I was more thoughtful and slower this time. As a result, the number of prints to work on was smaller. I was able to focus on each one by one, trying to make the most out of it by experimenting with various techniques.

Techniques employed

I experimented with printing from plates inked with multiple colours, using the transparent sheet with the leaf outlines as a guide where to place my colours and which areas to wipe off before printing. I also tried out white opaque ink on dark paper and used it for overprinting dark ink to improve contrast to the leaf shapes. Almost all prints consist of multiple layers and combine techniques of masking, alignment/misalignment, texturing the plate, multiple colours, and backdrawing. In the shoe series, backdrawing came to be the technique that seemed to “save” every print. In this series, the addition of colour from a multiple coloured plate was the technique that greatly improved the overall impression. Sometimes I used backdrawing to improve readability of the image, but in other prints I preferred to retain the softer contours from printing off masks.

The final print was the one where I let go of the compositional restriction to my five leaves and created a little wood from three layers of backdrawing. This was born out of an accidental misalignment when I meant to correct an error in the backdrawing. To correct the misalignment, I made a second backdrawing using the back side of my transparent, which created a second layer of 5 leaf shapes. The result looked very silly due to the symmetrical distribution of the leaves. So I made a third layer, using a freshly inked plate, and a deliberately misaligned transparent sheet. This backdrawing created the effect of a little wood. The darker ink added a layer of depth and in the end I was quite happy with this print.

Evaluation of this series

Overall, I think this is a more accomplished series than the first because I felt more in control of the process. At the same time I became more experimental by varying not only colours, but also how I applied the techniques. An interesting discovery was that by sticking to the same composition and repeating the basic techniques, I became slightly bored, but this encouraged me to search for variations in the technique. For example, the later backdrawings depart from the exact contours to become more wiggly and less defined, and I also began varying the pressure of my pencil to achieve a different quality of the line.

I learnt that Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) had been known well for the posters he made of Paris nightlife at the end of the 19th century. I was surprised because I knew some drawings and paintings but hadn’t realized the bohemian context. I also hadn’t been aware that he made so many lithographic prints.

Unfortunately I had no prior knowledge about lithography so was rather unprepared what to look out for, but on the other hand I appreciated the situation of no preconceptions. I noticed the variability of line – different thicknesses and different tones. I found the black and white stone lithographic prints very different from other techniques I knew, for example dry-point etching or relief techniques. The posters looked like colorized drawings, but the lithographic process made them appear more massive.

To my regret taking pictures was not allowed and I did not make notes on the lithos I saw. But the MOMA has quite an extensive collection available online, so I am including some prints here just as a reminder.

– At the Moulin Rouge: Rugged! Really Rugged! (Au Moulin Rouge: Un Rude! Un vrai Rude!) 1893
– A Gala Evening at the Moulin Rouge (Une Redoute au Moulin Rouge) 1893
– Jane Avril (1893)
– The Clowness at the Moulin Rouge (La Clownesse au Moulin Rouge) (1897)

What I found very interesting and characteristic for Toulouse-Lautrec were the wiggly lines with which he drew, and how they reappeared in his prints. My favourite print in the exhibition was “The Jockey” (1899). I loved how the horses with their jockeys were depicted from behind, as if they had just passed by in extreme hurry.

I found the litho prints visually quite different from the monotypes on which I had focused during part 1 of the printmaking course. The technique seemed to permit more control over the outcome, and the resulting prints were much more like coloured drawings, compared to the painterly character of monotypes. But I thought this might encourage me to work more freely with line and texturing the inked plate, either directly or using backdrawing.

References

MOMA exhibition site: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1493

MOMA online collection of works by Toulouse-Lautrec: http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5910&template_id=10&sort_order=1&results_per_page=80&page_number=1

Review article in the NY times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/arts/design/toulouse-lautrecs-groundbreaking-prints-at-moma.html?_r=0

I started with a pencil drawing in the sketchbook where I tried to capture the shapes as well as the tonal values. I did a quick second sketch from a different viewpoint, but found the variation less successful, so went back to the first drawing. I made a line drawing on transparent paper as basis for my masks and then created three sets of masks, positive and negative each: Firstly the entire shape, secondly just the soles and the upper leather, and thirdly only the upper leather. My initial idea was to use multiple colours and print in layers to create new colours from overprinting. I wanted to use the primary colours and create secondary colours through layering.

The series developed somewhat differently than I had originally planned. I started with red ink and made two sequences of four prints from each mask of the six masks: 1) Printing the positive shape, using the negative mask, 2) Making a ghost print, 3) pulling of the mask and printing the textured plate, 4) print from the inked side of the mask. I used a variety of different papers – different white tones, weight, surface texture, and also experimented with coloured paper and newspaper. Finally I had from 3 positive and 3 negative mask a total of 2 * 4 * 6 = 48 prints resulting from the first session. This was quite overwhelming, but on the other hand I liked the feeling of taking a systematic approach and having lots of base prints with which to play and explore effects of different colour overprints.

The next printmaking session was devoted to exploring printing with leaves that I had collected during a lunch break. I mixed a dark green colour from black and yellow ink and placed the leaves on the inked plate, then ran this through the press to texture the plate. I pulled off the leaves and obtained the plate from which I wanted to print. I made prints on smooth and rough paper, plus ghost prints. I really liked the effect and thought I might integrate a grassy background texture into the shoe motif. I’m including two examples from that series here.

Then I got back to the shoe subject and continued with yellow, and also experimented with a graded plate from yellow over orange to red. I made some yellow prints on clean paper and afterwards began overprinting some of the red prints. Later I continued with orange mixed from my base colours, then blue, mixed violet, and finally black. Over several sessions during the next two weeks I also experimented with texturing the plate, multiple overprintings in different colours with different masks, and finally explored the effects of backdrawing.

The process got a bit out of control in similar ways as the earlier ‘Clematis and leaf’ series. The main practical problem was that I have not enough studio space to lay out all the prints and look at them simultaneously. I improvised using washing lines in the bathroom and upright paper storage boxes in my office, and attached the prints with little clamps, to be able to look at several of them simultaneously and let them dry at the same time.

The creative problem was that I saw so many prints but none felt finished. I kept adding coloured layers but still the prints felt unfinished. This changed as soon as I employed backdrawing. I devised a technique attaching a transparent paper with a line drawing of the shoes to the back of the print. Then placed the print with attached transparent onto the inked plate and traced the shoes using a sharp pencil. The first backdrawings suffered from too much ink bleeding all over the paper, but later on I developed more control over the effect and with only lightly inked plates obtained crisp deep black lines and only minimal bleeding over the rest of the print.

Backdrawing worked like magic on all the prints I had made so far, and I finalized the entire series which had in the meantime expanded to a total of almost 60 prints. I made several variants with textured backgrounds, using ice scraper, back of spoon, fork, bubble print, Q-Tips and other implements to make marks on the plate. I did not get back to the leaf idea but thought I might explore this in a future series. My favourite background texture was a wavy pattern made with the back end of a fork scraping horizontally over the plate. Other than that, I preferred pre-mixed colours over mixed tones from overprinting, and I expecially liked it when there was still some white left in the print.

I’m quite overwhelmed by the series I created and there are several prints I like a lot for different reasons. It will be difficult to select only one or two for the assignment, because there’s so much variation.

Reflection on the outcome and the creative process

Maybe this series got out of control because of the pause I had made after project 3. I felt a need for experimentation with all aspects of the techniques employed: a set of masks, texturing the plate, and backdrawing, and this experimental approach became much more important than the motif that I had chosen.

A very special occasion was presenting selected prints of the series to a colleague at work. It was about the first time that I showed prints to somebody and it made me see the prints with different eyes. Aspects like technical quality of the print and cleanliness of the paper suddenly became much more important compared to when I had just worked alone at home. By presenting the prints I also realized that my arbitrary choice of subject was a shortcoming because the prints somehow lacked personal meaning.

On the other hand I felt a special quality in the straightforward approach and this reminded me of the Campbell Tomato Soup screenprints by Andy Warhol. I guess Andy Warhol had taken those soup cans because they had been available and straightforward, and a nice subject to work with a particular technique.

So in the end, I’m quite happy with the series but consider choosing a more meaningful subject for my next series. Unfortunately, this has already begun to create a sort of inhibition and hesitation. I already have several ideas for the next topic, but I’m feeling quite judgemental at this point, questioning the adequacy of each subject and somehow this feels detrimental to a creative exploration. This is also affecting my sketching. I had begun to loosen up a bit and finding pleasure in just sketching anything appearing before me whenever I could afford some time. Now it seems I’m back to the old critical me that “doesn’t want to waste time on trivial subjects”. So maybe for now it’s better to abandon the ambitious approach and rather stay simplistic and just get going. One of the ideas was to explore further printing with leaves. A more ambitions project idea is getting back to the skyline topic of an earlier project. I’m not yet decided.