Trials...

...and the odd tribulation.  You may remember that I had some printing ink left over, so I decided to test print the two lino blocks I've managed to cut.  Test printing shows you all the little bits and pieces that you haven't cut back sufficiently, so they print, as well as the actual subject.  Just inking the block throws it all into sharp relief, allowing you to identify the areas that need to be carved away.

Here's the first of the blocks: the other one printed really well, no additional carving required.  This one, though, shows quite a bit needing to be done, mostly round the edges.  How did it print?  Well, I printed on some white cotton; here's the result.

It has printed pale; I think that's about my lack of energy.  I used the lower table, thinking it would improve the print...but it has made little difference.  Might not have used enough ink, of course, but don't think that's the case.  Should have used the press...or even stood on the block (I'm certainly heavy enough...). 

This is now sitting next to me on the sofa.  Overall, it's not a bad design or print, but I can see all the flaws.  I've trimmed a couple of the spear heads; I knew at the time that I didn't make that good a job of them, but the one on the far left is really unfortunate.  It's a bit better now, I think.  I also noticed that a couple of the individual spear shafts are wonky.  That's pretty predictable; I can't draw or cut a straight line to save myself. 

Are these things real problems?  They're irritating, certainly, but I'm not printing in order to make prints as standalone entities, but rather to use as the basis for stitch.  I can redefine any areas I'm not happy with by stitching carefully.

Incidentally, I looked again at the first of the monoprints I made last time, the one I said was irredeemable.  Here it is. 

It's not overly interesting on this side, which is why I rejected it on sight.  But as I went to throw it out, I turned it over, and found...

I had drawn into the ink through the paper with the end of the brush.  That doesn't show up particularly well on the darker side, but the marks have seeped straight through on the other.  I suspect that, stitched, these will make interesting book pages.  So I've set it aside, and will make some more in these stronger colours (stronger compared to the monoprints I showed you earlier, which were made on similar paper, in much lighter colours).

The jury is out on printing, though.  I will set up the press, but what I've always enjoyed about print making has been the directness of hand burnishing or rolling the print.  It's not the same, using a press; the immediacy is lost, along with the ability to print selectively, by choosing areas of the plate, and placing a particular area of the paper or cloth onto it, to take a small print.  I do that quite a bit with monoprints, I'll show you, tomorrow.  Looking at these results, though, I'm not convinced that the game is worth the candle.