Table of Contents
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Name: Min Lim
Date and Time:
Location: Making & Knowing Lab (Chandler 260)
Subject: Linocut Creation (Part 1)
Aims:
To cut out design on lino block for printing
Materials:
Lino block, 6 x 4 inches (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter, #1 & #3 size (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter Handle (Making & Knowing Lab)
30cm Wooden Ruler (Making & Knowing Lab)
Chung Hwa 2B Traditional Pencil
Pentel Staedtler High-Polymer Eraser
Printed Design #1 (Cat)
Initial Thoughts:
I wanted to choose a design that didn’t have much fine details, with less negative space to carve out, so that I could pay more attention to my technique/how I held and used the tools.
I also wanted a more organic image to carve out (less straight, precise lines) to see how the lino-cutter might move across the block.
In order to get a replica of the design, the inverse of the design would have to be carved out. I thus tried to avoid writing text onto the block, given its difficulty.
I anticipate this process to be rather straightforward, given my experience with art/crafts, and am confident that I will be able to free-hand it and carve directly onto the block.
Procedure:
11:45pm: I started drawing a border 0.5cm away from the ends of the lino block with a pencil. I then used the linocutter (fitted #3 size) to carve out the border from the lino block. Noticed some resistance when pushing linocutter through the block, which lessened when the angle between the cutter and the block was reduced.
I then used a pen to trace out my design, so that the ink bleeds over to the back of the page, which would produce an inverse of the image for me to trace out.
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I then used a 2B pencil to copy the design onto my linoblock. While the design (cat) itself was straightforward, I found it difficult to transfer it exactly onto the linoblock, as I couldn’t get the proportions of the cat’s body/head right. I realise that while a design may seem straightforward, the process of copying/imitating the lines is also a skill. Organic lines may seem easier to trace out than straight lines, but depending on the nature of the design (eg. humans, animals), sometimes it is not possible to approximate the lines as it might not preserve the proportions. I tried erasing my errors, but noticed that the pencil lines smudged onto the linoblock instead — it was difficult to get it back to the pristine linoblock that it was before.
After three attempts, I decided to scrape my design and sketch one out freehand, basing it off the Great Wave off Kanagawa. While the design I chose may seem more complicated than the former, I had sketched a similar version of it a few years ago, and am still familiar with the technique of producing a facsimile to it.
12:30pm: This was a much easier process. After sketching the design out, I used my linocutter, fitted size #3 blade, to carve out the outlines of my design. This would create a border that would prevent me from cutting into other parts of my design. I would then carve out the negative space inside. As I did not plan out which parts I was going to carve out (and assumed I was going to carve out the entire background sky), I was initially not as careful with carving out my outlines.
1:45pm: I realize that I was not going to carve out the sky, and had to carve out a thicker outline to cover up my mistakes. I also realize that I was not going to carve out the body of the waves, but the lines instead… And decided to just rectify this with the remaining waves. I then used a size #1 cutter to carve out the tiny details of the sea foam.
This was a much harder process as I found that more force needed to be applied to the size #1 blade to get a visible indent into the linoblock. It was thus easy to misjudge whether or not the parts that needed to be cut were already done. I tried my best to make short, shallow strokes so that I would not accidentally carve into my design. This also allowed me more control with the direction of my linocutter, and I found that it was easier to carve away from the design with this method, which was safer for my hands.
2:00pm: I checked out the linocutter and size #1 and #3 blade to continue carving out my design at home. While it took longer than I anticipated, this was because of the errors I had made, which made me carve out more of the block than I needed to. I anticipate myself to require another few hours.
Thoughts/Observations:
I was so focused on the process and on getting the technique right that I had forgotten to take pictures for my field notes. In the reconstruction process, we not only have to assume the role of a craftsmen (or at least, someone who is engaging in craft work), but also that of an observer (taking field notes) and historian (relating this back to the past). This really emphasized the complexity of historical reconstruction, and the rigor needed to constantly note down our actions.
Name: Min Lim
Date and Time:
Location: Personal Apartment Bedroom
Subject: Linocut Creation (Part 2)
Aims:
To complete cutting out design on lino block for printing, ideally by 4:30pm
Materials:
Lino block, 6 x 4 inches (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter, #1 & #3 size (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter Handle (Making & Knowing Lab)
30cm Wooden Ruler (Making & Knowing Lab)
Chung Hwa 2B Traditional Pencil
Pentel Staedtler High-Polymer Eraser
Procedure:
3:00pm: After having some time to think about the schematics of my design on the way home, I continued on my linoblock design, more purposeful of the places I was going to carve out and the overall design. As I had a train to catch at 5pm, I knew I had limited time to finish my design, and was more decisive in my cuts. After having a few hours of linocutting experience, I found it much easier to handle the tool. When working on the small details (eg. sea foams), after carving out a sizeable chunk, I shaded that portion of the linoblock to see how it would look when ink is applied.
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4:30pm: Managed to complete a significant chunk of the design. The process was slower than expected as I got absorbed trying to create more details and shadings using the size #1 blade, rather than focus on carving out the general design. Packed my linoblock and the materials into a ziploc bag, and brought it with me to New Haven.
Name: Min Lim
Date and Time:
Location: Friend’s Apartment, New Haven
Subject: Linocut Creation (Part 3)
Aims:
To complete cutting out design on lino block for printing
Materials:
Lino block, 6 x 4 inches (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter, #1 & #3 size (Making & Knowing Lab)
Linoleum Cutter Handle (Making & Knowing Lab)
30cm Wooden Ruler (Making & Knowing Lab)
Chung Hwa 2B Traditional Pencil
Pentel Staedtler High-Polymer Eraser
Procedure:
10:00pm: I continued carving out the remainder of my design, shaving as I went. This again went smoothly, and I had some leftover time to fiddle with the shadings and details as I wanted.
11:00pm: After completing, I used a 2B pencil to shade the entire linoblock to see how the design would look when printed, then made a few more minor adjustments for detail.
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Observations/Thoughts:
I really appreciated the portability of the lino block and its tools, and how I was able to bring it with me to New Haven to work on.
Having said that, there are also limitations. I wanted to continue working on my lino block on the way to New Haven, but found it impossible without a working, stable surface. The train also induced motion sickness. I was also conscious about the mess that the cuttings/shavings would create in the train. This made me realize that in order to understand the craft itself, we need to consider not only the tools, the craftsmen, but the environment and surfaces in which the craft is completed.
As for linocutting (and probably similar for etching), questions include: how portable was it in the past? Given that it was usually part of a larger printing process, while it may be easy to transport the tools and canvas, it is difficult to transport the whole process to another location. How then, would the movements of freelance craftsmen/etchers differ from those who belonged to a particular press/working in the same workshop as the larger printing process?
I also realize the difference between copying and drawing. Both use similar techniques and tools, but the skills differ. While I was stronger in drawing (and found it much easier to free-hand designs), I struggled with copying (producing an exact replication). The strokes of my lines also differed - the former I was more free with the movement of my tools, improvising as I went, while I was more hesitant with the latter, and my gaze constantly oscillated between the design and the lino block. The former thus allowed for a better focus on the lino cutting process itself.
Further, while a design may seem complicated to some, it may be straightforward to others. I only found sketching out the waves easy because I had experience doing it before (almost muscle memory?). I’d imagine for craftsmen with more experience, even if it is a new image, their hands would be familiar with the lines used to create similar designs. For instance, if a lino cutter is used to cutting out plants, even if they receive a completely new image, they would be familiar with how the leaves are supposed to look, the technique of sketching and shading out the veins, etc.
With regards to small details, I found that the size #1 blade allowed for precision, but it was also harder to see how accurately I managed to follow my sketch given how thin the blade is. I also found it much easier to visualize and keep in mind the larger picture of the design (when working with small details) when I shaded the lino block as I went (to get the contrast of black/white).
Name: Min Lim
Date and Time:
Location: Teachers College, Columbia University, Printing Workshop
Subject: Printing linoblock
Aims:
To print lino block
Materials:
Lino block, 6 x 4 inches (Making & Knowing Lab)
A4 Newsprint Paper (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Print Roller (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
A4 Watercolour paper (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Felt (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Paper towels (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Printing Ink (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Printing Palette Knife (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Dish soap (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Ink roller (Printing Workshop, Teachers College)
Procedure:
12:20pm: After printing my copper and zinc plates (see procedure in my etching and engraving notes here), I went over to the other workshop with my lino block. The inking process was completely different from the zinc/copper plates. Here, I used the palette knife to scrape some ink onto a surface, before using a paint roller to spread the ink across the surface and at the same time, coat the roller with ink. I then gently rolled over the surface of my linoblock with the roller, rotating the block to get a homogenous layer of ink onto the linoblock. Here, I was instructed not to roll over the design too many times, as that dries out the ink.
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After 1-2 rolls on each side, I placed the block onto a sheet of newsprint on the base of the print roller.
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12:30pm: I then placed my printing paper onto the linoblock, pressing it down firmly. I then placed another sheet of newsprint on top. I kept my hand on these layers to hold it in place as I laid the felt cloth down, and positioned the sheets with the block to the middle of the rolling machine. With Naomi’s help, we rolled out the linoblock and retrieved the impression from the other end. This impression was much stronger than my etching/engraving ones. In fact, there seemed to be too much ink applied to the block, as I noticed some bleeding.
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I therefore tried rolling out the linoblock a second time, without applying any further ink. This created a fainter impression, though there was still some bleeding.
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I was told that this was due to the nature of the ink — some tend to bleed more than others depending on the materials used in creating the ink. I set these two prints onto the drying rack, and brought my linoblock over to the sink to remove the ink from it. I used a wet sponge to gently rub the ink away, then ran the sponge under running water to remove the ink from it. I then scrubbed the linoblock again, until all ink was removed. I noticed that it was still rather grey (vs. the original colour of the linoblock) - this was probably due to the granite from my pencil shadings before the ink was applied. I was told that the linocuttings could chip if too much pressure was applied when removing the ink, so was extra careful to be gentle at this stage. After which, I patted my linoblock dry with a paper towel. I then returned to the first printing workshop and wrapped my copper and zinc plates with newsprint. I then stored it in a ziplock bag along with my linoblock, and packed up for the day.
For a comparison of my lino block with other printing processes and outcomes, see my etching and engraving field notes, entry 2018.10.23, 9:15am
For field notes on other printing processes, see: