In Week 2, we had to bring our own mark making tools and experiment with them, creating cool-looking marks and designs. It was hard at first to come up with different designs for the same tools, I thought too hard about it and ended up being too careful with my work, which was supposed to be experimental and instinctive. But after a while, I simply let my hand do all the work instead of overthinking it. The result of that? Designs that got people saying “Cool!”

 

It was fun allowing my instincts to take over and not think about what I’m creating. To end up with marks that I would never have made before this class! Here are my works!

After getting used to the roller and playing around with it for a bit, I started making use of some mark making tools. Over here, I used a silicone pot mat with a waffle pattern, some string on a toilet roll, a net of some sort and a tiny fake rose. I also used a fork and the palette knife to create designs on the roller before rolling it out onto the newsprint. While this created some nice designs, I was told that it looked too careful, so i moved on to my second piece:

My favourite pattern on this is the third one from the left. I like the different weights of the pattern, which was a result of me dabbing the spring onto the paper using varying degrees of pressure.

 

 

We then had to crave our own lino. I didn’t have a specific idea in mind while I was carving, and was simply seeing where it takes me. As i carved the first part of it, it started to resemble angel wings so I decided to make a stream of wings. But when i turned it sideways, it started looking like fishes. So i started carving wavy lines to create waves and mountains. For my first print, it turned out quite nice: the ink was spread out really evenly and it came out really black, although the ink seeped through some parts. I then decided to try it out again and used a fork to create more lines on the lino. My second attempt came out really well and I thought the lines I created using a fork resembled the wind. My third attempt was done right after the second attempt, without re-inking the lino, creating a more faded effect.

 

Overall, I had a lot of fun in this class as I got to experiment with everyday objects that I never thought of using as mark making tools. It was interesting to see how these objects created such unique textures and patterns.