PRINTS – LINO AND WOODCUTS

Since I bought a print bench for etching, lino and woodcuts, I have experimented quite a lot with it. This is some of the initial observations on a possible process:-
1. Do a full scale drawing and the drawing must work. (I must say at this stage I am in such a hurry that I have to go back and do proper drawings – again and again!
2. From this drawings do some kind of design – simplify and try and “design” the drawing – alter it into simplified forms that will be easy to engrave and cut out or chisel out.
3. Get the mirror image of this design and transfer that on your medium – (wood/lino/copper plate/ etc.)
4. Do the engraving or carving or etch work.
5. Make test prints on scrap paper.
6. Make corrections based on the prints – don’t overwork – go slow at this stage.
7. Make prints.
Basically three quality areas-
1. The drawing or design work
2. The engraving/carving or etch work
3. The print work
If anyone of the three above fails, the finished product fails. I have without extensive studying made this observation from experience and would like to record it from the outset.
Obviously all the other detailed stuff that other people rave about is also true – the quality of the paper, the ink, the adjustments on the etch press and lots of other details in the carving process or etch process but these three listed are control points. All three are equally important – if you fail one, it fails; and only when all three are good work, the end result is good!