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.