#projectwasp

Oooo, it really has been a while hasn't it? It's been a busy summer - well, a busy end to last term where I did very little arty stuff, and then I had a wonderful two weeks away in the Lakes *heart*. Since then I have been pottering on #projectwasp. #projectwasp started when I found a dead wasp at my parent's house around the time I was doing Siskin, I put it in a little box and kept it. That sounds really weird doesn't it?! I did start drawing it, a very big drawing of it, which I am still part way through, and I had a kind-of-deal with myself that I'd do a print of it once I'd finished the drawing. However, I went back on my own deal and started the print; I felt the need to get printing again! I will finish the drawing at some point.... I now have a little bee in the box along with the wasp. I'll try not to collect any more dead things.

At the end of July I went to 'Art in Action' with mum and dad. I am sad to say it was the last year of it, we had a lovely (very hot) day wandering around looking at the different artists and I had a chat with a couple of lino cutters/printers there about techniques and inks. I have a few more ideas I'd like to try in my head, but something that I picked up that has proved useful in this project was the idea of masking areas. Strange how something so obvious sometimes needs pointing out to you....

I decided that I was going to try printing using lino as well as the vinyl I usually use. I have mixed views on it. I liked using the lino, and it printed well, but it didn't give the sharper edges in some places that I get with the vinyl, especially on the 'cut away' background. This could be due to the lino, I have another piece which has been kept under wraps more, and this may be less brittle. The piece I used may not have been stored in the best conditions in the shop I got it from in hindsight and after reading a bit more about 'real' Lino. Still, I enjoyed cutting it, it was softer too in some ways. I have just printed from the lino print, I still have the vinyl one, and might do some experimenting with it soon. This was partly why some of the initial parts took me longer as I was cutting not one, but two, linocuts. (I am still getting a hang of the terminology).

I will however aim not to leave it so long before my next print. I have an idea already, and now just need to make sure that I don't get caught up in the hundrum and chaos of the start of a new term and not get stuff done.

Another thing I tried was over-rollering colour, this worked well to give the body some shading, although it worked better on a couple of the prints than others. I made five prints in total, with each one actually altered slightly as I played around a little with the background, and with the fact that some of the ink, on the lino, kept bleeding and creating a fuzzy effect, so I had to cut more away. The masking was used to cover the wings while I printed the yellow, I found sellotape worked well to keep the yellow colour off the wings. I then took the tape off before I printed and then cut into the wings again to put on the final black layer afterwards.

The black and white print was done before I cut more of the wings away for the final print, I might try hand colouring a couple of these too to see how they turn out.

In readiness for #inktober (the thing that started my art journey again - thank you Michelle) I already have my sketchbook.... as a photo of a doodle I put on to instagram says 'It doesn't matter how many sketchbooks you have if you're not drawing in them' I will be keeping up in preparation for this, and have been over the last few days. I have a deal with Dave (hubby), each time he goes to practise his guitar I have to pick up my sketchbook. I beat him to it yesterday and didn't need the reminder :-)

OK. Need to get the slideshow of images sorted to show the different stages; I'm hoping that if there are any potential lino-cutters out there that doing a slide show helps to show the processes involved; or you might just enjoy being nosy ;-) Well done if you've got this far through my ambling.

​I'm not going to leave it so long next time. alix x

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