I’ve been continuing my focus on relief printing, somewhat sporadically as the schedule has been pretty busy at the studio. I’ve tested a couple of different ceramic inks, with more specific mixtures, some of which work well and some that aren’t as good. A big part of practical testing is eliminating what doesn’t work, and creating repeatable results. These I’ve tried out over different clay bodies/layers of slip, also experimenting with embossing the lino and wood cut with little or no ink, and monoprinting too. A few test pieces have been created by applying slip to newsprint, pressing onto the woodcut so the slip goes on the raised areas, then transferring the image to a clay slab.
So I tend to approach drawing (whether on paper or on clay) in a fairly experimental way, layering up like collage and combining a few different techniques into one piece. I envisage ‘finished’ pieces being more layered, with the print being an integral part of an overall composition than an individual/complete lino print in itself.
