Hello World!

Today I learnt how to make fancy schmancy print with linocut and experimented with various techniques. I decided to focus on one part of my assignment – rice and how they made me feel (but a full story on that another time).

I began  experimenting with different mark making methods, starting with manually pressing the rice onto newsprint by hand, then by using a roller. The results were very faded and sometimes the rice shifts around and it printed twice. It created this ghostly effect that I was initially not fond of as it made the rice spooky.

I then decided to experiment with the pressing machine thing (which I now do not recall the name of, so let’s call it a linocut pressing-inator) and this created a more solid print which really shows the rice’s shape, and also crushed some of my rice grains (rest in peace my little friends).

Row 1 by machine, row 2 by roller, row 3 by hand. 

I started to appreciate the hand-pressing method as it conveyed my mood better and that faded look seem to tell more of a story than a solid smashed rice look. This three prints, of course, came after many trial and errors – there were various other exploration with chinese ink, acrylic and block printing paint, which are in my sketchbook.

Secondly, I experiments with linocut. I have not been the best at crafts, but I guess that’s the fun of experimenting – you’re allowed to be bad at it… right. But I created little rice prints on it before putting in under the linocut pressing-inator the result is a little splotchy stamp with loads of negative space – at first I was a little irked by the little splotches of white and the parts that did not transfer properly, but my professor said to embrace the little flaws. and eventually I came to like it.

My classmate said it looked like raindrops (when I kinda intended for it to look like rice) but then, same same lah.

I learnt to about various other mediums that can create interesting print and how there are so many variables that come into play when mark making – firstly the tools are not just confined to brushes, pen and markers – some of my classmates experimented with leaves, branches, sponges and even their own fingers! I learnt that mark making is as wide as your imagination and with that I learnt to be inspired by things around me a little more – how seashells have their own unique markings and how leaves when pressed create prints that resemble fireworks.

I also learnt that the material you work with also affect the look – newsprint is a lot more absorbent than drawing block. I was also suggested to experiment with white cloth or paper towels – which I think will be really cool. Understanding how each and every base reacts to your material lets you create more beautiful prints too!

Lastly I learnt art is about having fun. As a child there was always a curious and creative side to me that is lost over the years from trying to create interesting and aesthetic art. I really like this project cause it lets me go back to my childhood days where art was play and not as stressful.

It feels great to be excited to create again. 

Okay bye.