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.
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| Rough sketch from imagination. This scrap has a tear in it, so I attached Gorilla Tape to the back to strengthen it. Cutting begun. |
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| Jaws fixed using reference. Cutting continues using a #4 Speedball gouge. |
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| Cutting complete! Gouges #1 - 5 used. |
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| Inked linoleum. |
Below are proofs I created by rubbing colored pencil on pieces of paper laid over the linoleum.
Below: two Moleskine test prints.
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| Sketchbook test prints. |
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| More sketchbook test prints. |
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| Yet more sketchbook test prints! |
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| I printed in sketchbooks, on postcards, and on watercolor paper. |
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| 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!
