Linoleum Collographs

Printmaking with our Linographs:


- ink linos up
- when spreading the paint onto the roller, paint should have a tacky sound, with an even layer of printing ink and surface of the linoleum
- the first 2 prints are exploratory
- remember to pay attention to the edges while placing paint onto the lino
- a painting station has been set up where students can take their paints to the station to paint their linos, and then bring them back to their seats to make the prints

Need to:
- make 4 sets of prints to play with (side by side, in a line by 4s, different configurations, overprints, etc.)
- see what kinds of extensions begin to form
- remember to get bits off of the linoleum
- pinkys help to guide the linos for an overlay or side by side prints
- do one print to start and see if you need to do other kinds of things to it.

Problems I ran into:
- the paint wouldn't come out thick enough the first couple of times because the linos wouldn't absorb the ink and print onto the paper
- had to try multiple times for the lino to absorb the ink

Linograph

Today, we took a window and a piece of the collograph that seemed interesting. We then decided how big we want the linograph to be. Conceptually, we were creating an interesting discovery and moving forward with it.






- Took a pencil, freely marking the surface of the linograph, indicating the ideas of our square.
Things to keep in mind:
- negotiate your way through the surface
- linograph is an acquired art
- surface of the lino is shiny, skiddy, and plasticy
- lino tool: fits in the palm of the hand so it's comfortable cutting through and continuous pressure to help keep cutting
- practice to get the angle right, taking out a line of the linoleum
- be careful of it skidding and cutting hand
- the hand that you don't use keep out of the line of the hand that you do use
- tough to use when cutting but keep practicing



Practiced lino cuts:


Practiced Product:


Lino cut from my sectioned collograph:

Printmaking from our collographs

Materials: Rollers, Tray, Plate, Paint, Long Brown Paper to lay on the table



Getting paint on plate:
1. Put dab of paint on tray
2. Roll roller into paint, back and forth gently by not spreading it too thin and apart
3. Aim for a pad of paint in the width and length of a roller
- you need to have tacky surface, without lump, flat bed of paint that's even on the roller

Now onto the collograph:
4. Put roller slowly over the plate or you can pick up the objects off the plate. Ink will dry within ten minutes so you need to work fairly quickly
5. Put paper over it and very carefully print what is underneath with your hands. The first print absorbs the ink and the second print will most likely create a better print. Make sure to pay attention to the ends and edges by pressing hard.


Now:
6. Choose one color and make three to four prints each with the same color
7. Then, ink over again, swapping with another person's color and do an overprint of the original or make a side by side print in order to create one large print.


Students' works:




When you think about objects to print, build a repertoire and think about which kind of materials to give that may be easier or harder to work with.
- What materials would you give to older or younger kids?
- Spongier brayer is easier to use.
- 4 prints in one color allows them to see what you have and play with those. How much paint is used? How many different ways can we turn the plate around and create a new design?
- There are many choices to explore, giving many options but pacing those options

Clean-up Time
- You should allow at least 5-15 minutes of buffer time for cleanup.
- Divide up tasks to students and create a rotation
- Set up table with certain color and have students bring plates to roll color and bring the plates back to their own seats to do the transfer
- Consider what age this is appropriate for
- Provide materials for them and narrow choices down

Response to what we have already done...

1. Choose a section of my drawing and frame it.
2. Looking at collograph, construct on the board, a design that builds on ground plan that distills design. Think about relationship of patterns, textures and surfaces that may be part of collograph. (Opening shape rather than filling it up.)
- Collograph: plate using a board to construct a collage, based on forms from drawing.
- Materials used are significant in that the feel and touch of certain materials. Deliver the design and image of the drawing.









-What made me choose the part of the drawing that I chose? From playing, I found the section interesting...
-At what point did it start to become itself? When I saw the fabric with the cross hatches, I felt like it depicted the feel of the drawing.

References: Kurt Schwitters