Lino block printing (thinking about it)

I am preparing to do the next step of this textiles design degree - I am gathering my tools and materials. I will create a print from lino but not sure what the image will be yet. I have the lino, cutting tools and paint but need to get some more different types of paper to experiment with.

Masking

This is the remainder of work I had to do for project 1: masked monoprints. Here I have used acrylic paints - much easier to work with than oils as they can be thinned with water. I also decided to use linen as my canvas because I intended for my degree course to be in textile design.
First I drew freestyle onto cardboard, cut out with scissors to create a positive mask and used a bunched up sponge to apply the paint - I liked the texture this gave but it bled out under the mask making the outline not so clear (image 1).
I then decided to use a paintbrush imagining that this would give a cleaner outline but it actually seemed to come out worse (image 2).
This made me realise that cardboard is probably too thick as a mask - the mask needs to be very close to the canvas so that paint cannot seep underneath so I tried paper but this time I also chose paper for my canvas and decided to try the negative mask method by painting around the cut out. I used the sponge again and then the paint brush (image 3 left and right respectively). The outline on both of these was quite clear (apart from the bottom where I tried to lift away the mask).
The next part of the masking project was to create a two colour masked piece - I decided to add a second lighter colour green by mixing with white to put some lights on the tree. I made a positive mask from paper and a hole punch and dabbed the medium on with the paint brush (image 4). The outcome was ok - maybe the paint was a little too thick (image 6) - something to think about if I attempt this again.
Image 5 shows my negative and positive masks made from cardboard and paper.

If I decide to do mask work on fabric in the future I will try to use a mask made from acrylic sheeting and also on thinner fabric. The material I used here was old hand woven linen so was heavy with an uneven slub weave and hard to iron so probably didn't help in getting a clean outline to the image.

Pink

Ok, been a little while but I have completed my first assignment and had it returned a few weeks back. I need to do a few things I'd missed for masking techniques which I'll hand in with my next assignment.
Creating the monoprints for my first assignment wasn't all that much fun - it seems too straight forward. The results were ok but not fantastic - I wasn't expecting to be doing something so basic - more like linocuts and screen printing.
Before I start my next assignment I need to do 'positive and negative masked monoprints' and 'two coloured masked monoprints'. I think I will enjoy doing the masking effect. The teacher has suggested using a slightly less textured paper this time which I will do with oil paints and I would also like to do the same on fabric with fabric paints. The colours I have in mind are my favourite at the moment (similar to below) shades of rose pink inspired by the traditional colours used in Japan from plant dyes.
For the fabric I may hand dye it one shade and mask/paint the second shade.
I am not sure what the shape will be yet but I've had in mind for a while to create some pieces with just a simple circle so it will be along those lines.

Stuck

It's been a little while and I'm just stuck on an idea - I know what I need to do but I don't know why I need to do it. I need to apparently paint a picture from a still life and then create a monoprint from this next - it seems pointless but I will get round to it shortly. I don't like painting still lifes and didn't think I had signed up to an art course!

First printing

 

 

So, here is my first attempt at monoprint making.
Image 1 is a drawn biro sketch of my Cloud Pruning trees photo from Japan (the image I want to concentrate on). It was quite difficult to draw and I didn't finish it but I decided to just use the shaded in tree for my painted prints.
Image 2 - to the right of the picture is my first print - I made this with a large wide flat brush very quickly and decided to just use one colour to start with. I realised I hadn't used enough paint and so repainted over my original image on the printing plate with more ink and a smaller round brush - this gave a stippled 3D effect quite like a real life tree. It also created holes in the image also like a real life image of a tree so I was pleased with both of those outcomes.
Image 3 - I decided to add shadows with another colour. I repainted my image the first colour again with the small round brush and thick paint and then used a small flat brush to add the red under the pods of branches - I just did this roughly and quickly and the outcome was ok but I didn't want so much shadow as it came out. I decided to print a few more ghost images from the same plate in the middle first then the left - I quite like the second ghost image as it looks like there are branch networks on the left side of it.
Image 4 - this is a picture of my used plate after the ghost images.
That is all for today. I may experiment with other colours and try to paint some more of the trees into the image to get a fuller picture later this week.

Update

I haven't painted anything yet but I have now gathered all of the materials that I need to start making monotypes. Took a little while to find an appropriate printing plate and decided on just using a plain piece of plastic cut from the cover of a book I had.
I have chosen to use oil paints and have selected only a few colours to start with.
I have started sketching the image I wanted to concentrate on (Japanese Trees) and would like to complete that before I start painting.
Here is a plan of what I want to do over this weekend:
1. Finish sketching Japanese trees in biro.
2. Paint just one of the trees roughly into my sketch book.
3. Paint the same tree onto the printing plate and create a monotype print in my sketch book.
4. Take images of all of these and post here.
5. Write notes on all of the images - thoughts and feelings, what I expected and next ideas.


Also just clarifying terminology: monoprinting is a type of printing done using a plate with has some type of
                                                permanent feature, e.g - lines, textures.
                                                Monotype printing is a drawing or painting which has been created on a
                                                smooth non-absorbent surface and printed once, possibly twice but as a
                                                ghost image - the second use of the image can be amended with additional
                                                painting, e.g - shadows, extra colours - so that it is not exactly the same as
                                                the first.

Monoprint prep

Ok, so far I have been learning about monoprints - I don't fully understand the concept of it because it seems to be the method of just painting a picture onto a plate and then printing it onto paper or fabric. The image can't be reproduced (possibly only once afterwards with a 'ghost image') so why not just paint your image straight to your paper or fabric(?).
In any case, it's part of the course so I will do it and see what I learn.
I have also been trying to choose an image to work with over the printmaking course and decided on this on last night. It is my own photo taken of Japanese cloud pruning of garden trees - I took the photo in Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture in April this year.
I am currently sketching out an image of this in my sketch book also just to get the feel of it and while waiting delivery of the necessary materials to paint and print. When these have arrived I will paint this image onto a plastic plate and transfer to paper - I'll upload the outcome on this blog next.

Intro

My name is Sarah Matthews and this is my learning log for my degree in textiles with the OCA starting on 22nd June 2013.
The first module I have chosen is Printmaking.
I will post images which inspire me - both borrowed and created by myself and notes to accompany.