A Whole Load of Samplers! The Process, Part Two

Having constructed my new stencil from heavy cartridge paper, I have been putting it to the test on all kinds of different fabrics. Looking through the bags of fabric that I have picked up over the years from charity shops, generous friends, and some of my own old clothing, I picked out about 20 different kinds of fabric. Some with stretch, some with fur pile, some plain, some printed. I've been using a combination of my blocks, stencils, and two new tools. Somewhere along the line, the idea of printing the fabric in several different layers - each with a different variety of foliage - came to me. Accordingly, I picked another of my favourite plants, a curling fern motif, and experimented with making a simple design that would enhance the leaves in the foreground. I settled on using a triangle with three fronds on that I could rotate to create rows of prints. Here's a picture of the first fabric experiment with this block.
 

The second tool I made for this section was one I hoped would work for a sort of vine pattern, to be overlaid on the bamboo leaves as the top layer. My idea was to have a fairly dark colour fabric - maybe a blue, maybe just a darker green, and to print onto it with the ferns. I would then use my bamboo stencil to paint in lighter green leaves for the mid-ground. Then I would use the stamp to create an interesting foreground in a green-yellow colour. I used a piece of extra thick lino, and plenty of PVA glue to make some scrolling vines with packing string. So far, it hasn't worked wonderfully, so here is a picture of the stamp, and a print on paper that includes the stamp. Because the stamp doesn't work brilliantly without a substantial amount of paint laid on, I had to apply it with a brush, rather than a roller, and so the surface is quite untidy.

As you can see, the stamp isn't too useful initially. Perhaps by building up some layers of paint on the string itself, the printing surface will even itself out and provide a crisper image. I like the dotted lines it makes currently, but over the ferns and leaves, I doubt it will stand out. In fact, I'm not certain it'll look deliberate.

Here are some images of the bamboo leaves layered over ferns. These are printed on green drill and light green calico.

Getting the right balance between visible ferns and invisible leaves is tough. Here's a close-up of the slightly more successful print on the right.

As you can see, whilst both prints have come out quite nicely, even the slight transparency of the top layer means that they are not distinct enough to be called a success! For the moment, I'm sticking with my original bamboo block and new bamboo stencils, and trying out a variety of printing surfaces. Perhaps a combination of correct print and correct fabric will render additional layers in the design unnecessary.

A Whole Load of Samplers! The Process, Part One.

After finishing my linocut block, it was time to practice. Firstly, I thought I'd try out some prints in Georgian Oils, mixed with a block-printing medium from an old set. Accordingly, I tried them out on some suitable paper. First, I tried a small sample, then a larger one to ensure I needn't trim the block to make smoother joins between repeats. Here's my very first print:

It's A3 sized, and I don't mind saying that I'm pleased with it. Of course, it's not a perfectly even covering of paint - it's sometimes a little dappled, in fact. But the outlines of the leaves came out a treat, even in the large leaf 'clumps'. I actually ended up using two rollers - one wide, one small. Looking for the oil medium, I actually came across a roller, having bought one earlier at the same time I purchased the lino itself. I used the larger roller to apply the paint, and the smaller to press it down without making a mess on the back! Here's a picture of my next sampler on paper, A1 size this time. 

This time, I'm very pleased with it. The pattern is random enough, the gaps between the blocks aren't too evident, and those that were, I could partially paint over. I hoped that in the gaps made by the black spaces decorated with smaller leaves, there would be an illusion of distance. In fact, that's worked a little, and the denser leaves do look like a kind of foreground, but the more obvious... well, it's more of an effect than an illusion - the more obvious effect is a feeling of a breeze scattering the leaves. When I put the different sketches together to make the design that eventually became the block, I wasn't overly concerned with the fact that in the reference photos of the bamboo that I had taken, almost all of the leaves pointed downwards at varying angles, whereas in the design, they pointed whichever way they felt! Across this A1 sheet, I joined the blocks with further oil paint, though - and this is partly due to the help of a handy wooden spoon - filling in the 'dappled' spots in the black became less necessary.

The next thing was to find a nice, simple, plain fabric that was an acceptable green to use as 'bamboo'. After a quick trip out, I selected a few metres of dark green drill cotton. Not having a great deal of room to print in, I used a couple of large flattened cardboard boxes over an A1 drawing board to print with the (I suspected) far more porous fabric. I repeated the experiment on the drill.

It was obvious that I would have to find a stronger surface to print on! Ideally one that didn't show up every fold and valley! I would also have to work on applying a thicker layer of my experimental paint mix for a bolder print.

At this point, it would probably be wise to say why I wanted to make this linocut this way. That is, it doesn't work as a stamp, more to create a background. It shows the negative space around the objects depicted. I wanted to be very clever, and create a piece that crossed the genres, by using the blocks to make a kind of framework for the fabric painting that would be the focus of the material. With this in mind, I got out some plain scrap cotton in black to test the opacity of my new paints. Should the blocks slip, or some paint create a blemish, I would then be certain that the specialised fabric paints would cover any mistakes I made. I also wondered if it would be possible to water down the paints to achieve transparency, or whether I would need to buy a new set, in order to add more leaf 'clumps' to ensure more random 'pattern repeats'. Seen here is the scrap cotton, with a test of my new stencil, used with fabric paint, both painted and 'sponged' on, painted on boldly, then shaded with white, and painted more realistically, all on the same scrap!

I'm very happy with the central three clumps - they look very neat and clean. I'm also pleased with the way the sponge-applied paint (the darker green one, top row, second from left) created it's own fluctuations in tone. I like the look of the realistically painted leaves very much, but they are very... time intensive? Not entirely suitable for this project, for which I would like to make a design that could be used across the width of a roll of fabric.

However, the sampler applied with the sponge had very quick and interesting results. As the colour coverage is inconsistent at best, it's perfect for a natural subject. I could even apply different colours of paint in layers to embolden the colour of the leaves and blend them at random, for a wider range of shades. The paper stencil I made to transfer my design to the lino blocks was only on standard budget paper, so it wouldn't be too tiring on the fingers to cut through. It's not suitable for use with paint, of course - it'll get sodden! Perhaps, with the advent of one completed block, I can print a new image on some thicker card and cut it out. That way, I'll have a good, accurate stencil, which I can overlay on my prints if necessary. I'll go and try it now!

My First Lino Block is Complete.

Seen here is my newly finished lino block, along with most of the trimmings! I'm very pleased with the smooth lines, and only a little disappointed by the way the blocks fit together - they don't quite meet in the middle. I suppose that's the disadvantage to buying the soft lino - it's not so accurately cut by the manufacturer, and then you, carving into it, warp it's sides further! However, it's not too bad! I'll be printing first on paper, then stretching some fabric later on.

I'm Cutting my First Lino Block!

Seen here are the stages to cutting a lino block in my very 'DIY' way. Looking online for hints about easy transfer to the block, I found only people using inkjet printers and acetone transfers, so I decided to take the plunge, time-wise, and make the block my own way.

In the centre, the drawing to be copied to the block(s). On the right, a tracing paper stencil made from that drawing. On the left, the block coloured in with a 'sharpie' plastic marker. A couple of notes: the lino I was able to get hold of is apparently considered to be 'soft' lino, for easy cutting. After asking the shop assistants why this wasn't the only type of lino on the market, if it was so much easier to carve, and them answering that there was no real difference in result, I decided I would buy both A4 sized 'blocks' and cut them to match my near-A3 template. I begin cutting later today, as I've found a place to get some woodcarving tools from - the supplied lino cutting tools being too flimsy, even for this 'easy cut' material.