Block Printing
Title:Time
Size:30cmx23cm Medium:Block Print on Paper Completed:October Intentions:With my block print I wanted to demonstrate my obsession with time. What I am most afraid of is death. I see clocks in every room, on my wrist, and even begin my day with looking at a clock. This constantly reminds me that my time is running out and that I need to focus on making the most of the time I have. I connected this to American mid-western teenage culture and the artist Kathe Kollwitz. Found or Made:Made |
Artist & Culture
Self-Portrait by Kathe Kollwitz
"Kathe Kollwitz and German Expressionism." Jwris Blog. N.p., 11 June 2010. Web. 1 Oct. 2015. |
Gordon, Taylor. "10 Slang Phrases Used by Black Twitter That Have Been Culturally Appropriated by the Mainstream - Page 3 of 5 - Atlanta Blackstar." Atlanta Blackstar. N.p., 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
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"The Concept of YOLO." Flickr. Yahoo!, 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
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The artist Kathe Kollwitz from the German Expressionism art movement best fit my piece, because visually they look very similar. There is a harsh contrast between light and dark in both pieces. She also uses the same process of block printing/ printmaking. I chose the American Midwestern teenage culture to represent my block print, because I have observed, through my experiences, that the teenagers I am surrounded with are also obsessed with time. The abbreviation "YOLO" which stands for, "you only live once" is on t-shirts, social media cites, and bedroom walls all around me. It's something that I have seen shouted before a youth does something they wouldn't normally do, but are trying so they can make the most of their life.
Process
I immediately thought of incorporating something into the iris of an eye to symbolize the theme obsession. In my experiences seeing something visually plays a large role in becoming fixated with something. I began my planning sketches with the steps to drawing an eye. Then I tried to determine what I was obsessed with. My first sketch was an eye filled with a number of things I was passionate about, for example, boys, grades, and my family. However, this made the eye look too crowded. I decided to reevaluate my approach and thought of something that has a negative connotation that I am obsessed with, death. My second sketch had an eye with a clock in the iris. I chose roman numerals, because the looked more elegant than regular numbers. The pupil became center point on the face of a clock where the hands are attached. The hands were set to 6:36, when I was born, when my time began running out. Behind the eye are two hour glasses which are just another symbol for time running out, which also took up some of the white space I had left over. I began carving all the white background first and continued with the white part of the eye. I chose only to carve out the roman numerals, the hands of the clock and the shine of the pupil, because it was what was simplest in terms of carving. The first time I carved out the my eye I forgot to switch the placement of the three and the six, as well as the little hand and the bigger hand. This resulted in having to carve the piece all over again. In the second time around I added a border and some shadowing in the eye.
Tools
Linoleum- the material that was carved in to
Baron- A husk bound, circular tool use to apply pressure during printing
Plastic Paint Palette Knife- Use for transferring ink from the container to the cookie tray
Cookie Tray- used as a location to spread the ink
Small Rubber Roller- Used to spread the ink on the cookie tray, to get an even coat off in on the roller, and then spread the ink on the block print
Newspaper- Used to prevent the surface surrounding from getting dirty
Sheets of White Paper- What the block print printed on
Wood Carving Tools
Small Curved Tool- was for carving clean, thin strips off the linoleum
Large Curved Tool- used for carving wide strips out of a large space of linoleum
V-shaped Tool- Carved thin, straight, detailed strips off of the linoleum
Baron- A husk bound, circular tool use to apply pressure during printing
Plastic Paint Palette Knife- Use for transferring ink from the container to the cookie tray
Cookie Tray- used as a location to spread the ink
Small Rubber Roller- Used to spread the ink on the cookie tray, to get an even coat off in on the roller, and then spread the ink on the block print
Newspaper- Used to prevent the surface surrounding from getting dirty
Sheets of White Paper- What the block print printed on
Wood Carving Tools
Small Curved Tool- was for carving clean, thin strips off the linoleum
Large Curved Tool- used for carving wide strips out of a large space of linoleum
V-shaped Tool- Carved thin, straight, detailed strips off of the linoleum
Printing Process
1. Lay down newspaper where you are going to work
2. Using the plastic pallet knife, transfer the ink onto the cookie tray
3. Using the roller spread the ink evenly on the cookie tray
4. Spread the ink evenly on the block print
5. Carefully place the block print, ink-side down, on the white sheet of paper, cover the back with another sheet of white paper
6. Using the barren evenly apply pressure onto the back of the block print for 1-2 minutes
7. Take off the sheet of white paper covering the back of the block print, and then slowly separate the block print from the paper on which it printed on.y
8. Repeat all the steps as necessary
2. Using the plastic pallet knife, transfer the ink onto the cookie tray
3. Using the roller spread the ink evenly on the cookie tray
4. Spread the ink evenly on the block print
5. Carefully place the block print, ink-side down, on the white sheet of paper, cover the back with another sheet of white paper
6. Using the barren evenly apply pressure onto the back of the block print for 1-2 minutes
7. Take off the sheet of white paper covering the back of the block print, and then slowly separate the block print from the paper on which it printed on.y
8. Repeat all the steps as necessary
Reflection
The block print was definitely one of the more challenging mediums I've had to work with. I had to develop my carving skills, which were nonexistent, until this project was assigned. I had never used them before so trying to determine what pressure, angle, and depth of the cut was best, was difficult. I also had several mistakes when trying to incorporate the roman numerals and the hands of the clock, because I had to carve them backwards so the print would be correct. These mistakes resulted in having to recarve the entire image on a different piece of linoleum. It was also very challenging to get a good print that transferred all the ink onto the paper. It took about twenty attempts till I got the level of craftsmanship that I wanted. If I were to do this project again I would have carved less out of the linoleum. Creating more surface for the ink to cover, which I believe, would making the printing process simpler. However, now that I have these new found skills and am proficient in carving, I will be able to apply these skills to to other pieces. For example, I could make a series of posters, with the same central, theme that I could hang around the school. They could be trying to create change or promote a movement. I am satisfied with my block print. I believe it clearly expresses my obsession with deep symbolic meaning.