Summative Statement

My CoP3 dissertation looks into the image of 'the witch', questioning the origin of the stereotypical depictions of 'the hag' and 'the seductress' and asking why these images endure to this day. In an attempt to answer these questions, I researched the European witch craze of the 14th to 18th centuries, and the potential factors that contributed to its cause. My findings centred around the themes of repression and control. The image of 'the hag' was found to be a result of the repression of pagan traditions by the Church. The image of 'the seductress' was a repression of female sexuality by misogynistic views, provoked by the Church and by publications of the time, e.g. the Malleus Maleficarum. The second section of my essay looked into the endurance of these stereotypes, using theories by Jung and Campbell to analyse examples from historical and contemporary art, literature and film.

Through the images I was looking at in my research, and the exploration of the medieval time period, my practical work became an exploration of traditional printmaking; using linocut to emulate the aesthetic of the old medieval woodcuts. Reading about the persecution and torture of witches led me to research medieval torture practices and tools. I wanted to move away from witches as I didn't want my practical work to illustrate my essay. However the themes of evil, repression and control still remained.

The intention of the practical work was a primary research project into printmaking, which would develop my skills and broaden my understanding of the medium. I aimed to illustrate the objects as something beautiful and really well crafted. It was my intention to reflect the theme of distorted truth and altered perception, illustrating the idea that something can look beautiful but be truly horrendous.

Through the textual and practical research, this module has taught me a lot. I've developed a strong contextual understanding behind the project, and my practical skills have improved greatly. I have learnt that linocutting is a challenging process, but one which is really rewarding. It is incredibly time consuming and in order to create well considered, well crafted work, a serious amount of testing and trial and error is involved. Although challenging at times, this module has been an eye opener for me in many ways, helping me to understand more about my chosen method of working and where my tone of voice fits in.

Presentation Boards

Selected Examples from Project

Final Prints

Yesterday I got in the print room and did my final prints. 

I chose black ink in the end because I felt it was the most appropriate to the context and also because it has the most impact, especially when you stand back from the illustrations and look at them from a bit of a distance. The details were lost in the bronze. 

I added a border, as I had done in my mock ups, because I felt this reflects the style of the old woodcuts, which would usually always be contained in a frame. 

Problems & Solutions:

- The frame was kinda hard to ink up because it was so thin - so I tried to put another piece of lino in the middle of it to keep the roller flat and maintain even application all over. 

- There were really small areas that weren't supposed to pick up ink, but which pressed onto the prints - so I tried to cut these down as I went, and cleaned the lino several times between printing. What worked better was to use a cloth to rub away areas of ink that I didn't want to end up on the paper

- I needed to avoid getting any fingerprints, ink or oil on the paper - As this has happened to me before. So I set down a large sheet of paper to put the good Somerset paper I'd bought and prepared on, to protect it. I also switched between wearing gloves and taking them off, or wiping them / changing them regularly to avoid leaving marks.

- I only had a limited amount of Somerset paper to work with - So to avoid too many mistakes or misprints, I practiced on scrap paper first before moving on to the good stuff. 

Evaluation:

Overall I'm happy with the way that the prints have come out. I'm really pleased that I used a frame because I think it focuses the illustrations. It stops them from looking as though they're floating in the middle of a big page. 

I think that if I had given myself a bit more time I could have cut the frame neater to the point where it didn't have any areas to accidentally pick up ink. 

I chose to include the Holbein cut that I did, almost like a front cover to the prints. This is because this was absolutely my turning point, where I felt as though I learnt so much. It challenged me and forced me to really push myself. It's also relevant to the project because it represents the old medieval woodcuts that I've been aiming for, it symbolises death, and also the old woman represents a hag like character. I think it demonstrates how far my linocut skills have come and I regard it as being really really important to this project.

Taking into account a range of feedback I got from peers, I chose not to include text in this series of prints in the end. Although it could have added another element, and explanation, I feel as though the purpose was to present the objects as they are. It then triggers a sense of interest, intrigue and wonder from the viewer, as opposed to them being told 'This is a torture tool and this is what it does' and them seeing only that. I want the viewer to look at the print, the process, the detail, the object.. instead of just seeing an iron maiden and that's all. I love the concept of cabinets of curiosities, which weren't actually cabinets but rooms of wonder. Where people would have objects and items, not necessarily knowing their exact origins or uses, which would spark off this intrigue and they would discuss their thoughts and opinions. I think that presenting my prints in this way is effective. Some of the tools are more obvious than others, so once it is apparent that they're all torture tools, it's down to the viewer to consider their purposes.

I definitely think I could have managed my time better on occasions, but the whole point that I've found in this module and the main thing that I've learnt is that the linocut process is a lot more time consuming than I first considered. Like I've mentioned before, coming up with 31 linos for inktober had given me some confidence to do this, but they weren't anywhere near as detailed as what I wanted to achieve this time around. I've realised the importance of getting initial sketches dead on, before cutting. Also that printing the linos is a completely separate challenge.

I've learnt so so much this module, about the lino process, about my interests and the way that I work. I've come to realise more that I want to keep pushing this printmaking practice, and that my work needs to exist as physical illustrations. I've fallen in love with the linocut process and I want to keep pushing what I've learnt in this module, into Extended Practice, and further, beyond the end of my degree.

Presentation:

I originally wanted to use something like leather to wrap the prints in, but after visiting the fashion rooms and speaking with staff, I chose black linen. The leather that they had was very thick, and they only had offcuts. But the plus side of linen is that it's easier to wrap as it's thin enough, but it still has some weight to it. Reading about things like medieval clothing too, in Europe, the main fabrics used were leather, linen, wool, silk and fur. 

I used 3 strips of the linen to braid and create something to bind everything together. The prints are then separated by layers of tissue, and wrapped inside of the fabric. 

I'm not that happy with this presentation. I don't think it looks that professional at all and I wonder if it would have looked a little sturdier with leather... but maybe I could look more into different presentation methods in Extended Practice if I continue with similar work.

Scold's Bridle

I tried to get a final print done to make a total of 6. I know I had aimed for 12, but due to the time consuming process and my battle with my own skill development, I had to change tack and go for fewer, high quality prints.

I felt a little rushed with this one and was really conscious of the fact that I need to get in to print. So this one did not go well.. Urgh. Again, I really struggled.

I really wanted to include a scold's bridle or shame mask of some sort. But I struggled with trying to capture a sense of texture as I had with the others. This one was a challenge and so I know I kinda just settled for one of the sketches I did and got cutting.

I cut it far too quickly and ended up with something I wasn't happy with. It doesn't fit in with the other prints at all. There is a lack of texture, the shading isn't totally right, the line work isn't clean and crisp, the attempt to add a mid tone is rough and not precise enough..

Overall, when it's put next to the other illustrations, it sticks out as almost comical. It doesn't work because it doesn't look like an old medieval object, it looks far too figurative. I had really wanted to include it but in the end it just didn't work.

Therefore I've made the decision to take it out of the final group of prints and submit it as a test print. I think it would drag the quality of the other prints down, as well as it sticking out like a sore thumb.

Thumbscrews - Revisited

I've decided to revisit the thumbscrews image, because I really want to make it work and I don't want to quit on it.
The other cuts have proved that I can do it if I stick at it and get the initial sketch right.
I started by trying to redraw the same old image I'd been using before, but figured it might work better if I change up the angles a bit.

Sketching it out on an angle, I came up with the final design and transferred it onto the lino.
Cutting after that went surprisingly well, and I finally felt as though I was getting somewhere.
I did find some of the angles challenging, but used a ruler to help me achieve the really clean straight lines.
I'm hoping that adding the sense of depth and three dimensionality to the image will ensure it fits in with the others.

Overall I'm miles happier with the outcome, although it was a loooong process getting to this point.

Friday 6th Crit

Presentation boards:

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For this crit I presented my boards, along with my test colour prints and my sketchbook. I wrote the following questions and left them with my work:

The feedback was mostly positive with lots of recommendations for alterations to boards etc. e.g. including more textual sources or books, reducing font size or reducing text, linking font with the work, adding name / course / module details.

Other suggestions included:

Blog all finals and catch up on any blog posts I've missed

Create mock ups for final work in context (I don't think I'll do this only because the context is a set of prints as opposed to anything else) It was also a suggestion to mock the designs up on t shirts, books, postcards etc but I think this is getting away from the authentic, original prints.

Answering the questions I left:

The feedback suggested the bronze ink as its a more modern twist on a traditional skill

Wrapped in leather or some fabric would stand out

Maybe propose a description that could sit alongside the artwork, don't actually write it on the prints.

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SELF EVALUATION

Tutorial 5/1

Aims:
- Finalising formatting / referencing / list of illustrations etc.
- Communicate the amount of work involved
- Don't need an acknowledgements page
- CH4 - Use key images
- Organise formatting
- Communicate the process: that's what's significant
- Wrestling with the process
- Can i finalise another 2-4 prints?

Pres boards could be: 1 board having 12 roughs on it & next board having 6 - 8 finals

Evaluate that it takes longer to linocut than originally thought

Important to resolve & present it really clearly

Take struggles across into Extended Practice: Reinvestigating
- Can I maybe identify another text to illustrate using this print process?

Test Printing - Colours

Today I got some printing done but tested out 2 options: Black or Bronze colour

- Bronze is interesting

- Relevant to illuminations in old manuscripts that often used gold leaf

- Black is relevant to the old woodcuts

- Shows up the details more when at a distance

- Has more impact

- Gives a cleaner print due to contrast

I'll ask for some feedback from different people and decide which to go for, although personally I think I'll be going for black.

Doing these prints has also made me realise how challenging it is to get them perfect. The pressure was an issue when I was printing, and it took me a long time to figure out how much padding to put in the press and how hard to press them etc. I think the bronze ink was slightly thinner than the black because it didn't respond in the same way.

Iron Maiden

Once again, I spent a long time trying to get this cut right. All in all I spent a good 8 / 9 hours getting it done. I had a similar problem to the others, and I started the cut 3 times over as I wasn't happy with the quality of the first 2 attempts.

This process is making me realise how difficult and challenging linocut can be. The medium is unforgiving and the marks made are permanent. Once I go wrong, depending on the extent of the mistake, it's hard / sometimes impossible to rectify the problem. So starting over is sometimes the only option.

It's making me consider the importance of really taking my time with cuts to ensure that everything goes right. I can rush a sketch, and I can rush a digital piece of work, but I can't rush a linocut. Also the actual printing process takes a long time and impacts on my organisation and planning. The facilities here at college are brilliant for printing, but they're limited to some extent because of the fact that lots of people are sharing, and sometimes there are things timetabled in that can't be moved.

The iron maiden was a challenge but I'm happy with the outcome. I feel like I made the right decision in scrapping the first two attempts as they weren't heading in the right direction.

Garrote

I'd attempted this several times before but revisited it after the successes of some of my other prints.

After I'd originally hit a wall, I took a break, warmed up and tried again. This time I aimed to achieve some miles better textures, cleaner lines and more depth and form.

I'm so much happier with the final outcome. It fits in with the other cuts that I've done so far.