Old Carvings, New Prints

Several years ago, when I still had some extra battleship gray linoleum lying around from my school studio days, I carved several blocks of it and never printed them because I didn't have a press big enough. Recently, I was watching a video online from an artist who prints all his linocuts by hand rubbing (even with multiple color registrations). It inspired me to drag out some of these old blocks and once again try to print them by hand. I had tried once before, but the final print was spotty and poor.

This time, I was determined to use a better application of ink (slightly thicker) and a wooden spoon (which the above-mentioned artist also used). I dug out some old Rives Infinity paper from years ago - it's not as thin as rice paper, but it was easy to rub because it's thinner than most classic printmaking papers. I was surprised that I was able to get really good print quality on my first try. I printed two companion works - both are 14 in x 11 in - and I have a larger print that I'm going to try next.

It was really nice to finally see these prints in black and white and not just cut into the linoleum: