INKtober 2016, Day 30!

INKtober 2016, Day 30: Barn Owl Linocuts
5x7 linocut prints on Utrecht American Master's Multicolor printmaking paper

Speedball brand Speedy-Carve block. It's even better than Blick's version!

Test print at left; inked linoleum on inking plate.

Obligatory desk shot!

Another series of linocut prints I made to celebrate one of my favorite birds: the barn owl!

Tiger a la Richard Parker linocut!

 On Sunday, I finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I felt inspired to create another linocut print, this one based on none other than Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger Pi lives with for 227 days on the lifeboat.

I picked out a scrap piece of linoleum I'd saved from a 2009 college final. 

Rough sketch from imagination.
This scrap has a tear in it, so I attached
Gorilla Tape to the back to strengthen it.
Cutting begun.

Jaws fixed using reference.
Cutting continues using a #4 Speedball gouge.

Cutting complete! Gouges #1 - 5 used.

Inked linoleum.

Below are proofs I created by rubbing colored pencil on pieces of paper laid over the linoleum.

Below: two Moleskine test prints.

Sketchbook test prints.

More sketchbook test prints.

Yet more sketchbook test prints!

I printed in sketchbooks, on postcards, and on watercolor paper.

Finally! This paper is truly suited to printmaking.
It's a remnant from my 2009 class.

Last but not least, closeups of the four prints above:

I had fun with this print, but if I could do it again, I would add the tiger's missing cheek tuft (on the viewer's right). Its head loses some dimension without the opposite cheek. Nonetheless, this was another good exercise to get myself back into the printmaking spirit.

Expect more to come!

Post 200: barn owl ink-over!

For a fun experiment, I decided to take one of my eight printed barn owl cards and ink it by hand to resemble an evenly inked print. This technique is similar to making a monoprint or monotype.

One of eight cards printed on December 19, 2012.
I chose this card to experiment on because the
Arches watermark is plainly seen.

Stippling ink back into the areas that I want solid.
Here, I am using a #4 Rapidograph technical pen.

Angled photo to show where I've stippled ink by hand:
it has a slight sheen.

Inking complete!

Here is my first post to welcome the new year - on my birthday, no less!

Christmas Card 2012: Barn Owl linocut!

4" x 6" unmounted linoleum; cutting begun on bench hook / inking plate.

I can turn the linoleum as I work for easier cutting.

Closeup on the owl's face!

Linoleum scraps. They add up quickly!

Detail of the number 5 Speedball cutting tip, which I used to
remove the large background areas.

Background fully cut! Now adding the details.

The owl gains its feathers.

Different lighting, just for fun.

Sketchbook drafts and finished linoleum side-by-side.

Two sketchbook test prints and inked linoleum.

Closeup of inked linoleum.

First Christmas card printed! I made eight in total.