Printmaking Project – A turtle and a tiger
Printmaking Project – A turtle and a tiger; Stereotypes, paper and pigments; 31 cm x 21.5 cm; 2017
These were a turtle and a tiger by printmaking. I made the pattern on a stereotype, and printed it onto paper. The advantage of printmaking was shown at this point – one could print many times with many colours with one pattern.
Printmaking originated in China after paper was invented. Relief printing appeared in Europe in the 15th Century. Printmaking was still popular nowadays. Firstly, I sketched the pattern on a paper. Then I carved it onto the stereotype with carving tools, such as block cutters, tiny and big knifes, bent and straight blade and so on. At last, I chose some colors and printed it onto the paper.
Carving itself was difficult, but the most challenging part was the printing part. I tried the mixture color of red and yellow on the tiger and make the pigment wet on the turtle. They both did not show well on the first time, but the effect came out after many times of trying.
I will improve my carving skills through practises. Next time I will try more ways to apply these patterns onto the paper and get different effects.
