4 Linoleum Prints

For this art project we made our own prints. We carved our designs out on a linoleum square. For my design I did a sun flower. We were instructed to make 4 different prints: A solid color, a multi-color, an extended print, and a print on a non-traditional surface. The materials we used for this project were blocking ink and linoleum. First, after we drew our designs or chose a photo, we were instructed to use a 6b pencil to color what you wanted to be white, or to draw your design with. After this, we taped our picture or design face down against the linoleum and transferred it on by drawing on the back of the paper with a 4h pencil. Once our design had transferred we could start to carve in the linoleum. This was the hardest part of the whole project because this was a new material I hadn't used yet. I did two different linoleum squares because I wanted to re-do my first carving because it was a little bit rough when it was printed. When I started to re- carve I made sure to make my carves smooth and a even as possible. I also played around with the different sized blades. Once I had my carvings I started to print. I wanted my solid color print to be yellow so you could tell it was a sunflower. This print didn't take me that long. The multicolor print I played around with fading my prints, and using multiple on on piece of paper. These prints I'm really happy how they turned out. The extended print I thought of my flower as the life for the little flowers and colored the background to fill my negative space. Finally for my print on a non traditional surface I chose this picture from a magazine and printed the flower on it to look like it was on a stem. This is my favorite out of all my prints. Overall, I am happy with the out come of my prints, but I i were to do anything different I would make sure on a non-traditional surface I chose the same texture to practice, so my print would have come out less smudged.