Reductive Print

Section 1: Finished Artwork

The Aegis

Dimensions: 21 cm x 29.7 cm

Date: February 13, 2024

Idea: Inspired by the story of Medusa and Athena's shield in greek mythology. The print was created with two colors through a reductive print.

Materials: Lino print, ink, pencil, pen, carving tool, Ipad

Process: After sketching my final idea digitally, I printed the photo the transfer onto a clear paper then back onto the lino block. Then, I carved the empty spaces of the block, created multiple prints, then carved out the outlines to create a reductive print.

Section 2: Planning & Practice

One of the two ideas I had was a sketch utilizing religious symbolism with a lamb, both seen as the follower of god but also the one most often sacrificed.

The second idea was based of greek mythology. Medusa was attacked in Athena's temple and asked for mercy, but Athena turned her into a monster to send Perseus to kill her and used her head as a shield.

These where the two initial ideas I had for my print.

My final sketch for my print

This was later transfered digitally to clean up

Section 3: Experimentation

I began testing the prints with blank A4 paper and green ink for the snakes on Medusa's head. From the few test prints, these two were unsuccessful for two reasons. The one on the left did not have enough ink onto the paper, which I learned I should check by lifting the corners of the paper to make sure the ink as fully pressed on to the paper. The second had ink on areas outside the wanted lines which was caused by the ink getting onto the mat when I was rolling it onto the block.

These came out to be my more successful prints. Because the green print's main focus was the snakes, I prioritized getting that area of the print onto the paper properly over the outlines that would evenually get covered in black. I found a different paper that I felt suited nicely with the print and also experimented with fire and how it may add to a more aged look for the piece. I also used a more muted and darker toned green rather than a more vibrant tone to match the aged sigil-like look of the print, mixing green, purple, and a bit a red to create the color.

Section 4: Process

This piece was the most confusing so far, especially when I inverted carved and un-carved lines between the two sides. I started with the simple outlines first. On the brain side of the print, I carved out all areas that were not lined, beginning wit the background and center, where the colored heart would go. Then I drew on small details and carved around them. Then I went through a similar process for the other side, but instead carved the lines and details so the uncarved area would show in color.

Untitled_Artwork.mp4

This is my digital process of creating the cleaned sketch for my print. I made the drawing more symmetrical and drew outlines along the sketch lines so they would be easier to manuver around when carving

Final digital outline

Section 5: Artist Statement

I made a lot of connections and comparisons with this unit and the printmaking unit last year. Through those previous experiences, I was able to build onto the skills I had learned and continue to develop them with this piece. A notable difference was that last year, I made a multi-block print in order to have multiple colors in one print. The piece this year used a reductive print, which saved me a lot of time but also meant I had to be prepared enough for possible errors. The reductive print has me print out the initial colors in the back, then I would go back and carve to create the top outlines, so I had to prepare all my previous prints in order to successfully have a piece that had the two colors line up harmoniously.

Another development in my prints in comparison to last year was adding more elements apart from just an outline. I created various patterns in the piece, hatching to emulate shading, detailed lines that provide a expressive background, and filled spaces that would stand out with color.

With these learned skills and techniques, I created a print based of greek mythology and the story behind Medusa and Athena's shield. Medusa, when she was human, was attacked by Poseidon in Athena's temple. However, when Medusa asked for safety and Athena's aid, Athena overlooked the attack as it was done by another god, and instead punished Medusa for bringing such action into her temple by turning Medusa into the creature we now recognize her as. Athena then sent Perseus to kill Medusa, then used her severed head as a shield to petrify enemies who looked into her eyes. With my piece, I aimed to portray Medusa's petrified and perturbed expression through the carved piece, as well as creating a balanced pattern with the snakes to contrast the seemingly entangled look towards the head.

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