Lino Prints

I bought a load of Lino of varying sizes (some I cut down to be smaller- which I forgot to trim before I painted which was a mistake because they looked less professional and more wonky as prints - for example the yoga pose print). 

I decided to do a range of 3 prints based on the 3 general themes in my India Brief. The first was a reportage style image based on one of my photographs from the Kerala Backwaters. This print really focuses on setting the scene; a fluid combination of nature and people living within in; how I feel this part of India interacted with nature. The second was an image inspired by some already existed artwork of gods which I then drew into further adding patterns and details like flowers and the peacock- everything added was also inspired by what I remember seeing a lot of in the artwork in South India. The third was a small print of a yoga pose. The reason I plan on doing a set of these and why I think they are so good to produce in print form is because the poses in reality are all about balance and stability- something I feel Lino cuts will reflect well because of the secure and stable media. Balance and symmetry will look affective in the prints and should look more visually appealing than if something was 'off' not in the line of balance etc- it's human nature to find this comforting/visually appealing. 

The Printing Process 

I spent the morning in the print room experimenting with colours and combinations. Prior to this I had bought a range of coloured card and paper that I thought would work to an Indian colour scheme - bright, rich colours like yellows pinks and vibrant greens. Because some of my prints were so cut into, some of them were slightly less pressured in parts so came out a bit faded but I just added some more layers in the press and this fixed the problem.
[INSERT SLIGHTLY FADED IMAGE -PURPLE GOD?]

With some of my prints the colours didn't come out as well as I wanted on the coloured card. For example on this gold and black print the edges look blurred. This was because initially I used gold Lino on the outer part of the print and red in the centre. The red failed to show up on the black card so I set the print again on top in gold- I hoped to line it up perfectly but this was almost impossible so it created a blurry effect on the edges with a clear centre. This was a mistake but I think does look quite cool even if it doesn't look as professional. 

[BLURRY GOLD AND BLACK?]

In another print I experimented printing two colours - red and purple- on top of each other which actually came out really well because it added to a sense of mystery and other-worldliness on the gods print. Sometimes the colours over lapped and in other parts they came through as single clear reds and purples. 

[OVERLAPPING RED AND PUPRLE]

I like to use the roller to add different layers of ink and different colours on one print- this stops the blurry effect which happened previously yet still achieves a variety of tones and colours on the initial print. 

[PRINT USING MULTIPLE COLOURS]

I liked the symmetry and simplicity of the yoga pose print. It meant that it could be rotated or paired with others without changing its meaning. Such as here in my set of three purple prints on white, and my rotated/symmetrical pair of gold on black prints. 

[YOGA PRINT]

I really enjoyed using a larger Lino plate than usual for my Kerala Backwaters print. It gave me more freedom in my illustration and worked really well for the trees and background, mid ground and foreground in the image. 

[BACKWATERS PRINT]

This is a process which worked really well with the themes, atmosphere and visual quality I wanted to produce in this brief. For this reason, and because I enjoy the process, I will be continuing to create and print Lino. I think the next thing for me to focus on will be a set of Lino prints based on yoga poses. These can then be applied to multiple other things e.g. tea towels, yoga matts, yoga bolsters, coasters etc. 

During this time I will also aim to create a set inspired by my favourite photographs from my travels and a set from Indian gods - perhaps just focussing on a selection of the Hindu gods.