Section 1 - Finished Artwork
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Title: Last Ticket
Size: 1.2 x 1.2 ft
Date of Completion: 11/4/22
Quote: I'm getting on the bus to the other world, see ya!
Ideas: To be able to utilize the meaning of my quote using an organ and another object to portray the meaning of death.
Materials: Linocut, sharpie, linocut paint
Processes: Linocutting to be able to create the shape for printing, a sharpie to outline the shape on the linocut, and linocut paint to be able to use for printing on the paper.
Section 2 - Planning & Practice
We first researched what a linocut is. After looking through a variety of artists, we were to choose one linocut artist and create a mini presentation about the selected artist. I chose Victoria Aström because I enjoyed looking at her neatly made lino prints. And she had a distinctive style that would be easily recognizable.
Everyone had to linocut a little image as a test print before beginning the project; only to get a sense of how lino cutting works. In 30 minutes, I was able to lino cut a cat and produce a clean cut of the animal. I was able to make the decision that I should aim to cut deeply enough so that the paint wouldn't smear onto the paper thanks to this practice.
After deciding on my quote about death, I began to consider which organ I should utilize for my project. Naturally, my first thought was a skull. I was quite scared to apply it because I did anticipate that many others would be using skulls. But I made the decision that it was prominent in order to convey my feelings about this project. I came to the conclusion that if the skull were surrounded by flowers, it would look quite elegant. In my opinion, death may be both tragic and beautiful.
I then had to look for potential reference images so that I could draw out my objects. In the end, I was given the chance to select a skull that was facing a corner and a few images that had hyacinths and forget-me-nots. These flowers are used to honor the deceased, and each bloom has a special significance.
The drawing of the skull and forget-me-nots looked like this. But I didn't choose this flower for my project since I believed it would be too tough to linocut.
The skull and hyancinths are depicted in this drawing. Even if I had decided on hyancinths, I would still have had to make numerous revisions to my designs because of how intricately precise I drew the lines. The last drawing I was able to utilize was the one that became the final image.
Section 3 - Experimentation
There were three aspects of experimentation that I considered:
Paper type
Print color
What to add onto the final project
The various colors I tested on the paper are shown in the photographs. Purple, crimson, pink, dark blue, and turquoise are among the available hues. I also arranged the paper in order of thickness, starting with the thinnest. I discovered that thinner papers printed more easily and produced clearer results than thicker paper did. However, I refrained from picking the thinnest paper because I thought it would be very simple to rip. In order to add additional items to the background, I chose a paper that has a very thin quality overall but is thick enough.
When designing the project's background, I had three ideas.
The first concept I had was to make a collage out of things I frequently recalled seeing that either had an impact on a certain aspect of my personality or elicited strong feelings in me. Airpods, luggage tags, medications, bandages, a note, pencils, etc. are a few examples. I just intended to complete that task in pencil.
The second suggestion was to use actual bandages to cover the corner. However, I believed it to be unrelated to my own phrase and that it would not go well with the print.
The final concept was to cover a number of bus tickets in black pastel chalk so that they would blend in with the scenery. The bus ticket made a more pleasant visual representation and is pertinent to the quote. The bus tickets had more flavor and impact because of the contrasting hues. I believed the white gaps on the print would stand out more against the black background.
Section 4 - Process
Day 1:
For this assignment, we were required to select our quote. I had originally intended to use a life-motivational quotation, but I worried that I wouldn't be motivated enough to complete the job. I then listened to the songs on my playlist that made me feel the most connected. I had a lot of songs in mind, but I decided on this one since I thought it best reflected my emotions. I related to the song's lyrics on a personal level. So I picked a phrase that was the song's title. which read: I'm getting on the bus to the other world, see ya!
If anyone wants to listen to the song, I would recommend the official mv song (Japanese), since it has better translations.
Day 2 & 3:
Working on our print drawings took up the majority of our class time. We concentrated on creating an engaging print that has room for a linocut. I was able to create two different designs for hyacinth and forget-me-not flowers. After giving it some thought, we believe that the hyacinth was a better choice because it is simpler to linocut. I drew the details too small, which required me to do numerous changes, therefore the skull and hyacinth have different designs. Fortunately, I drew this on my iPad so that I could easily or quickly make changes. It would be quite challenging to linocut with minimal details. However, the last modification was able to make the cut.
Day 4:
The time to linocut was today. I was able to begin lino cutting after watching numerous instructional films and receiving instruction. I moved extremely cautiously, making sure there were no mistakes. Although I made a few mistakes, they were all very minor, and I was still able to salvage the print. To ensure that the finished print had a tidy appearance, I had to continuously refine the edges while cutting multiple layers at once.
Day 5 &6:
I was able to begin printing with the side for the bottom layer. To determine the kind of paper and paint I like, I experimented with several shades of each. To print without the paper having a gritty feel, I had to make sure I had enough paint on my roller. Some of them had a smooth print, while others had some roughness. I chose red unexpectedly since I tried out several different colors, which surprised me. I changed my mind after deciding to try printing in colors more than only cool ones. I decided to use the red print for the final since I really liked how it turned out.
The upper side was later printed after that. Some of the prints closely matched the outline of the flowers, while others were completely out of place. But I followed the same procedure for each paper print I made, just like I did for the bottom layer. I tried to make sure I alighned my paper as I did before. I altered the color of several of the prints so that they would contrast or complement one another.
Day 7:
I was certain that I would mix bus tickets with colored chalk after the experiment. I made an effort to evenly distribute various colors around the page. Therefore, neither warm nor cool hues are overused. While emphasizing certain color characteristics, I would add one color at a time, blending the ticket into the black pastel chalk as I went. But because I want the print to be the project's primary component, I did make sure that the color wouldn't be any brighter than the print itself.
Section 5 - Artist Statement
I think my technical expertise on this project was really limited. I've only ever used linocut once, and it was in a single class. I eventually moved on to the final after watching tutorials and practicing linocut on the practice. Because I knew that if I made a mistake, I would have to start over, I was really anxious and tense. I became better at lino cutting once I got used to it. My bottom layer side is definitely smoother than my top layer side, in my opinion.
While developing this project, I gave it a lot of thought. I found it tough to choose a quote when we had to. I wanted my quote to have a special meaning for me. I want to be able to comprehend and be aware of the significance of the particular quote. I had to reflect on my past experiences to determine what kinds of feelings genuinely stayed with me. And I believe that the most intense feeling I can recall having was intense hatred toward myself. The linocut is based on a song by the musician TUYU called "I'm getting on the bus to the other world, see ya!" It's a Japanese song that addresses some really serious, depressing subjects (which include self-harm). I would think back to when I was a young child and the lyrics of the song really struck a chord with me. Ironically, these songs were the ones that would actually make me feel at ease because I noticed a lot of people relating to, encouraging, and giving helpful advice to individuals in the comments of videos. Thankfully, I was able to start accepting myself more with the help of my family.
But why am I using this grim subject in this particular artwork? To be honest, even as I write this, I'm wondering if I should have toned down the death theme. But I persisted in my belief that this subject was crucial. And I wanted people to understand how serious and real these issues are. Some folks I've dealt with wouldn't believe me and disregarded the fact that I experienced these thoughts and emotions. A "happy" kid like me, they would say, wouldn't have these harmful ideas of harming yourself. Additionally, I came across individuals who claimed to "know" what I am going through despite the fact that they do not. I would be quite frustrated at the time and keep my feelings to myself. Someone may not appear to be going through a difficult moment, but it does not necessarily mean that they are not. When I listen to the song, I think this might be comparable. Because of its uplifting rhythm, many people believe it to be a cheerful song. But this person's sentiment is what the music is genuinely attempting to communicate. I wanted to raise awareness about these issues and the fact that we shouldn't dismiss or minimize them.
The skull in the print is a general representation of death, but I also want to use it as a metaphor of reality and how we are all human. These dark phases might affect even regular people. Death frequently relates to the thoughts that one experiences during trying situations. I've also come dangerously near to passing away. The hyacinth can have lovely symbolic implications. However, it also has other connotations like profound regret, grief, remorse, sincerity, loneliness, and praying for loved ones. The idea of dying is quite contradictory. Hyacinth, in my opinion, best captures these nuanced and varied emotions. I agree that when I had to cope with circumstances involving myself, I undoubtedly felt alone and begged for forgiveness.
However, ultimately, I had a great time carving; it was quite enjoyable. And I'm happy that with this project, I was able to represent a little bit of myself.
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