Block Printing

For this project I had to create four self portrait prints. Those were a black and white, an extended print, an alternate background, and one of my choice.

Before I even got to deciding what to do for those I had to create my printing block. I was given a piece of linoleum to use. First, I chose a photo of myself and photoshopped it so that it was only black and white. Then, I printed it out and colored the black with pencil so when I traced it onto the linoleum it would show. Once I finished with that then I carved out all of the space that wasn't shaded in.

Then began the process of printing. I rolled ink on a piece of glass until it got the right texture and then rolled it onto my printing block. Then, I put the block upside-down on a piece of paper and rubbed it with a wooden spoon to get all of the ink on. It took many tries but I finally was able to produce four nice looking prints.

On two of those prints I used watercolor. Those turned out to be my favorites because I liked the color. I am pleased with the way my prints turned out although my alternative background print has a few smudges and I would want to change that.