Preparing an image for printmaking

Preparing an image for printmaking

Wood and linocut for beginners

One of the great things about printmaking as a discipline is the flexibility in the types of source images which can be used to create an original work. Although I like to draw, and my process usually begins with a few study sketches, sometimes it isn't feasible according to the desired product. I photographed a dragonfly's wing for a linocut as drawing it was a waste of time. Sometimes beginning with sketches to better understand subject matter is useful, but a photographic image is a better option for transferring. This is how I have approached my current work on crystal clusters. Sketches helped me look at structure and tonal variations in the shadows and reflections, but images showing variety in cluster forms were best sourced through the internet.

Transition, 2013 (second edition)
Drawing the original image would not have added anything other than labour to the finished product.

Untitled, 2016 (work in progress)
Images for the series have been sourced primarily online to access variety in cluster forms. The end result is significantly different from the original 'borrowed' photographs.

Is it okay to use someone else's image? Yes. It will be transformed by the process. If you are going to make copies of specific images - that is, they look just like the original - it's fine as long as the original artist is credited in the title.

Photographs and outsourced images are also good for people who lack confidence in their drawing skills. They provide a framework for something that might not be attempted by hand as well as a reference for decisions regarding tones, textures etc that will be developed as the process dictates.
The different strengths and limits of the printmaking process used is something to consider. Wood and linocut are better suited to a stronger, graphic quality as fine detail and shading can be hard to achieve. The image will need to be interpreted in terms of contrasting areas, lines and marks to show forms, tones and textures. Digitally editing images can be especially useful for experimenting with contrast and other effects before they are carved on a block.

With many printmaking processes, relief printing included, the finished product will be a mirror image of the design on the material you have printed from. Everything will face the opposite direction and any text will be backwards. This needs adjusting before transfer by flipping digitally or either tracing or photocopied onto tracing paper which can be laid right side down.

Even with a drawn design, I prefer to transfer onto the block by placing a sheet of carbon paper between it and the image and tracing. Some are confident enough to draw direct. Some like to tint the surface of the block with a colour, such as red, which will make cutting marks more visible without impacting the visibility of the transferred image. This is a good idea not only because the amount of cutting can be seen, but also because areas of dark and light are shown as they will be in the finished print.

Sandwiching carbon paper between the lino surface and image for tracing around. The surface of the lino hasn't been tinted. If were to do this, I would choose a colour the dark blue of the carbon paper transfer was visible against. The original image now acts as a guide to  cutting out lines and tonal areas.

The source image may have points of reference or clues to the kinds of marks most suitable to bring out its features and qualities. Line qualities such as thickness, spacing and direction might show form and dimension of an object than stippled marks which could be used for texture and soft changes in tone. Different tools will make a different range of marks, so it's worth experimenting with direction and pressure. picking at the surface with the blade, rocking the blade as you cut and changing the amount of pressure as you push the tool forward.

Linear cuts show the angular form of the cluster. All marks were made using a single V tool using more pressure for thicker lines. The wedge shaped cuts resulted from applying more pressure toward the end of the mark.