I had my first real art class yesterday, and we made and printed our first prints. As I mentioned before, we are starting with linoleum cuts. Our first assignment was a small image so that we could get the hang of it.
I was surprised by how much work, physically, it is. It didn’t take long at all for my arms (especially my elbows) to get tired. It’s also quite difficult to not cut yourself with the carving tools. I only cut myself once (although it’s a fairly deep cut), but others in the class cut themselves several times. No one was seriously injured and none of the cuts required more than a band-aid, but I wasn’t expecting it to be that difficult. I was also surprised to discover that both of my arms are sore today, not just my right one. That said, I really enjoy the process. I like repetitive motions, and making the cuts is definitely a repetitive motion.
I have never done printmaking, so it was interesting to learn the inking technique. I made 5 prints (which is my “set”) yesterday, but they had to dry so I was unable to take a picture. I will, however, share the linoleum cut I did, which is what the ink is applied to in order to print the image.
Our next assignment is similar, just to bring in a sketch or idea for an image, but we’ll be doing larger prints (I think 9″x12″ or something similar). If I’m allowed to, I’m going to do a typography print with the quote, “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”
Have a wonderful afternoon!!
The Oke Den 