Block Print Magic: The Essential Guide to Designing, Carving, and Taking Your Artwork Further with Relief Printing - Softcover

Howard, Emily Louise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1631596152 ISBN 13: 9781631596155

Verlag: ROCKPORT PUBL, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

Block Print Magic is an essential guide to the techniques of linoleum block printing, including 17 captivating step-by-step projects and the works and insights of talented printmakers for inspiration and visual demonstration.

Block Print Magic is the perfect reference for a wide range of printmaking enthusiasts. The easy-to-follow illustrated instruction takes you through every step of the process, beginning with choosing and caring for tools and setting up a studio, through design essentials, carving techniques, and printing techniques. Those techniques include multi-block printing, reduction cuts, puzzle blocks, and rainbow-roll printing. Advanced carving techniques for creating textures, crosshatching, and three-dimensional shading will give you the opportunity to expand and strengthen your expertise.

Among the visually stunning projects you'll learn to create:

• Colorful, multi-block hex sign
• Reduction cut sunflowers print
• One-page pocket zine from a single block
• Fabric wall hanging embellished with embroidery

Along with author Emily Howard's own work, artist spotlights feature interviews with and examples of work by five other contemporary artists—Lili Arnold, Jen Hewett, Kelli MacConnell, Derrick Riley, and Aftyn Shah—as a means of clarifying how each technique can be used in different ways.

Block Print Magic is a must-have addition to any printmaker's bookshelf.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Emily Howard is the heart, hands, and mind behind The Diggingest Girl*—the name of her print business, popular instagram account, and Etsy shop. Along with selling her work online, Emily shows her work throughout the year at print, art, and craft exhibitions from Michigan to Georgia. Emily was born in Vermont, raised in Kentucky, and educated at the University of Kentucky, where she received a BFA in painting. Emily went on to get her MFA in painting and her MAAE with K–12 licensure at the University of Cincinnati. She carves her blocks and prints her work full time in Erlanger, Kentucky.

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Block Print Magic is an essential guide to the techniques of linoleum block printing, including 17 captivating step-by-step projects and the works and insights of talented printmakers for inspiration and visual demonstration.

Block Print Magic is the perfect reference for a wide range of printmaking enthusiasts. The easy-to-follow illustrated instruction takes you through every step of the process, beginning with choosing and caring for tools and setting up a studio, through design essentials, carving techniques, and printing techniques. Those techniques include multi-block printing, reduction cuts, puzzle blocks, and rainbow-roll printing. Advanced carving techniques for creating textures, crosshatching, and three-dimensional shading will give you the opportunity to expand and strengthen your expertise.

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Block Print Magic

The Essential Guide to Designing, Carving, and Taking Your Artwork Further with Relief Printing

By Emily Louise Howard

The Quarto Group

Copyright © 2019 Emily Howard
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-63159-615-5

Contents

Introduction, 
CHAPTER 1: Essential Tools and Materials, 
CHAPTER 2: Essential Techniques, 
CHAPTER 3: The Basics, 
CHAPTER 4: Targeted Techniques, 
CHAPTER 5: Waste Not, 
Glossary, 
Resources, 
Acknowledgments, 
About the Author, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND MATERIALS

In this chapter, you'll learn about the basic materials needed to take you from bright idea to successful linocut print. Linocut printing is a form of relief printing, the process of pulling a print from a carved block, where the ink is deposited on the remaining (uncarved) areas of the block. One of my favorite things about relief printmaking is that you don't need expensive equipment to make studio-quality prints, and most tools are relatively affordable. There are lots of brands of tools, papers, blocks, and inks to try, so research and experiment to find what works best for you.

ESSENTIAL TOOLS

Blocks

CARVING BLOCKS

Though printmaking encompasses many different types of carving surfaces, this book focuses on the use of linoleum and rubber blocks. Soft rubber is often a good choice for younger, less experienced printmakers as it is easy to cut with beginner's tools. I also prefer soft rubber when printing on fabric. The sturdier linoleum is harder to cut and requires sharp tools but its density holds detailed cuts beautifully, and it is less likely to accidentally squish and bleed during printing.

LINOLEUM BLOCKS

Made of linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, and pine resin, linoleum is a medium that many artists choose to work in because of its renewable composition. It comes in a variety of small-to-medium standard sizes as well as in large rolls, and due to its flexibility it can be cut into any shape. Many professional printmakers prefer the unmounted "battleship gray" linoleum.

Linoleum sometimes comes mounted on thick blocks of composite wood and although these can't be easily manipulated into different shapes, the wooden backing provides extra support and protection for your carving. The weight of the mounted block also helps to keep your carving stable when you peel off the print.

Linoleum (mounted or unmounted) can be heated to help carving tools move through them more smoothly: you can do this by covering the block with a towel and gliding over it with a clothes iron on a medium setting. Or you can simply warm it with a hairdryer. I personally find that sitting on a block heats it up just enough. If you keep your carving tools sharp, however, you may not need to heat your block.

Linoleum should always be stored flat, away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Light, extreme temperatures, and time will eventually cause your linoleum to become hard, warped, crumbly, and infuriating to carve. I don't keep much linoleum on hand because fresh linoleum cuts best.

RUBBER BLOCKS

Rubber blocks such as Soft-Kut, MOO Carve, and Speedy-Carve are a good alternative to traditional linoleum: they're generally much softer and easier for the blade of your carving tools to bite into. It takes only a fraction of the power necessary to push a blade through linoleum. The softest of the blocks, like MOO Carve, require only the lightest flicks of your blades so a steady hand is very helpful. Rubber blocks are great for detailed work and won't get crumbly as linoleum sometimes does.

Carving Tools and Tool Care

Most starter kits come with a variety of blade widths and shapes, ranging from the narrowest veiners to the widest U-shaped blades. Veiners are for making very thin, fine lines. V gouges are formed at either 45- or 90-degree angles. U gouges are — you guessed it — shaped like Us, and are great for scooping out lino cleanly. You should also consider the size of your hand and the type of handle that will give you the best grip — full-size tools can be harder to wield but provide greater leverage for more power behind your cuts. Mushroom-shaped palm tools can provide a more comfortable, stable grip for carving fine details.

Though I keep many tools at hand, I usually end up reaching for the same four tools over and over again: a 1-mm U gouge, 3-mm U gouge, 1-mm V gouge, and a 0.5-mm veiner. Those are my workhorses, suitable for most projects with fine details under 11" x 14" (28 x 35.5 cm).

The density of your linoleum has an impact on your tools. Dense battleship gray lino will dull a blade much faster than its soft rubbery counterparts. Because your blades will take a beating just from regular use, it is worthwhile to buy the best quality blades you can afford. However don't discount the cheaper starter sets — they are perfect for beginners and some have interchangeable blades that you can conveniently store in the handle of the tool itself.

Sharpening Your Tools

Over time, the blades of carving tools lose their edge and become dull. A dull blade is a printmaker's nightmare, because it is more difficult to push through linoleum. This will cause you to tire quickly and also makes the blade more likely to slip or tear the linoleum. A good practice is to sharpen your blades regularly to keep them free from nicks and burrs, which are rough little bits of metal that can form on the edge of the blade. And to any art student who had to endure the struggle of carving with a raggedy tool used by a hundred other students that semester, this one's for you.

Using a Slipstrop

Here is how to hone your tools using the Flexcut SlipStrop.

1 Start with sharpening the outside of the tool. Rub the yellow honing compound (included with the set) onto the flat side of the slipstrop, applying it to the leather surface liberally.

2 Hold the tool at about a 15-degree angle and place it on the leather, pointing away from you. Pulling it back toward you, gently push the outer edge of the blade against the leather. If you're sharpening a U gouge, start on one side of the gouge, and roll it to the other side as you pull it back toward you. Rolling the tool gradually from side to side ensures that the entire edge makes contact.

3 If you're sharpening a V-parting tool, do one side at a time instead of rolling. Don't rub the tool back and forth; pick it up and place it at the top of the slipstrope for each stroke.

4 Flip the slipstrop over to reveal the funky, ridged side. These curved and steepled ridges correspond to the shape of most gouge tools. Select the ridge that matches your blade and rub the yellow honing compound liberally along it. Repeat the same process for the inner portion of the blade as you used on the outer edge.

Using a Whetstone and Slipstone

1 Submerge the whetstone in water for 5 to 10 minutes before use. Place on a paper towel.

2 Hold the tool against the blue side of the whetstone at about a 15-degree angle (or so that the cutting edge is flush with the surface of the stone). If you're sharpening a V-parting tool, gently move it up and down against the stone about 5 times or until you see the edge start to sharpen.

3 If you're sharpening a U-gouge, rock the tool by turning your wrist as you move it left to right.

4 Run a slipstone, also called an Arkansas stone, along the inside curve of the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: ROCKPORT PUBL
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1631596152
• ISBN 13: 9781631596155
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 144
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar