Lino Prints

                                                              

Purpose:

• To become familiar with basic printmaking history, processes, and artists
• To make connections between the Expressionist Art Movement and artists who worked in that style, including artists from our past and present;
• To respond visually to artists who work(ed) in the style of the Expressionist Art Movement, by creating a work of art in this style.
• To print 2 editions of 2 different drawings/designs, demonstrating understanding of the printmaking process.

In my first print I struggled with many aspects of both the design and print aspects of the project. In drawing my first design, I had a hard time using two values to create a good use of positive and negative space. I ended up with too much negative space and a design that was barely identifiable. The ink was also a challenge for me because it dries so quickly, so it often got sticky and pulled ink up from my block before I was done printing. In the first printing round I didn’t think much about contrast, so the colors were not as solid either. In my second design I worked much harder to use the positive and negative space effectively. I used diagonal lines to give it motion and left the edge of the block on as a sort of frame. I also chose my paper and ink colors very carefully, which resulted in more contrast and texture in the print which I’m very happy with. These really helped me to create a better, more solid print in the end.

I’m very proud of my improved use of negative space. I struggled a lot, in the beginning of this project, with using two values to create an interesting design that had a balance of positive and negative. In my final design I feel like not only does it use them effectively, but I used them to create other design aspects that lend to the mood of the piece. I also really like my use of lines in the project as I feel like the give it motion. I used accent lines beside the stand and head of the microphone, as well as lines to show shadows and highlights in the base of the stand. I feel like the addition of these lines add some depth to the piece, and I’m proud of how they worked together to give it unity.