Linoleum Printing- Endangered Species

Essential Question:

How do texture and repetition help create movement and unity in a print?

Artists Studied:

Rockwell Kent

Tim Christensen

Questions:

When using only one color of ink on a print, you lose the ability to add highlights and values with various colors. Therefore it is much more important to carefully plan and consider how you are going to add depth, highlights, and values while carving. Texture and repetition help create movement in a print because they help create depth. They transform a flat, 2D surface into one that is visually complex. Texture and repetition can also help make a print interesting for the viewer to look at. In my print I see texture and repetition in various places, some even have both. In the forest that falls in front of the mountain range, each tree has small subtle lines in it to create texture. The repetition of the tree forms helps create unity in that area of the print. The mountains use the repetition of white lines and blocks of color to show the varying landscape in the mountains. The river uses the repetition of wavy lines to show unity as a single flowing river.

I presented a completely different view of my animal in my print design and focused on showing its greater ecosystem. I believe that my print design shows the minute size of the animal in contrast to its environment, and how much it depends on the ecosystem in which it lives. I also showed the animal in its daily “state of affairs,” about to drink water from the stream. I think this shows the dependence of the Woodland Caribou on the health of its surrounding environment. My tile design I believe was more successful in illustrating the specific parts of its ecosystem that they rely on. When looking at my tile you can tell that the animal is a forager, due to the many plants highlighted. I highlighted the dense forests that the Caribou feed in, the leaves and shrubs they feed on, and the pine forests they live in. My tile design also reveals the cold climate Caribou live in, with snowflakes falling throughout. Collectively, I believe my tile is stronger design wise. But I believe my print effectively shows the Woodland Caribou in its natural habitat while making the viewer realize the the minute size of the animal in contrast to its environment.

Both the tile and print required carving, although different kinds of carving the process was very similar. With the tile you scrape off the areas you wanted to be white, while with linoleum you carve out the areas you want to be white. Both techniques require careful planning and execution. With the sgraffito, you could always see what your tile really looked like. But with linoleum you do not know exactly what your print will look like until you actually print it. I enjoyed seeing my tile develop and form into exactly what I had imagined, my linoleum print on the other hand did not develop into what I imagined. The sense of “safety” that came along with sgraffito Is something I enjoyed, especially that you could always put a little more black glaze on an area of white you didn’t want to carve out. Both linoleum and sgraffito are difficult mediums to work with and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Although their processes are similar in many ways, the end product is extremely different looking. Linoleum prints are often bold and graphic while sgraffito is very organic looking. I have more experience with linoleum but thoroughly enjoyed working on clay. I hope to do more sgraffito in the future.