A2 Lino Cutting - The Longest Task in History

With my designs finally transferred on to the lino, I could begin cutting. I was excited to use my new (and very expensive) tools and confident that purchasing them was the right way to go, as with so much lino to cut - i needed the tools to be as comfy to use and as sharp and reliable as possible. Also the sizes I got were great because for me detail is everything - especially to make my compositions work aesthetically, but I also got some large carvers for the larger areas which helped so much and saved a lot of time when wanting larger areas of the lino to be cut away. This would have been a nightmare if my lino cutters were only tiny in size and the whole process would have taken ever longer.

New tools:

As with anything - it takes a little time to get used to cutting and get into the process. I made sure I practised on a smaller piece of lino to loosen up a bit before each cutting session and this was extremely helpful. I was able to see what cuts and which tools would work best and having this reference - I could decide what tool to use for a specific part of my design/composition and practice. Unfortunately I had only purchased enough sheets of hessian backed lino for my finals (to try and save money), so my practise sheet was the softer lino with a rubbery texture. These two types of lino are completely different in every way when it comes to cutting, but it was good to be able to see the kind of marks and sizes of cut my tools could make.

'Classic Hand Tools' cutting edge guide (circled in red are what I have purchased):

Lino test sheet:

Throughout the process of cutting my lino, I quickly learned that my attention to detail and my strive for perfection was what was going to hinder me. The reason I chose such a large format for my designs was so that I could add detail and cleaver/intricate composition - but with this came some time consuming problems. 

Problem 1: Cold Lino
First of all the hessian backed lino was extremely difficult to cut when cold. When my lino first arrived and I started cutting, it actually wasn't so bad as the lino had been made fresh for me. Freshness is key as it seems to be more pliable and less likely to crack even when cold, but as time went on throughout the process the lino itself began to dry out and it really did become almost impossible to cut without heating up.

To combat this I used a hairdryer. Whilst researching into lino cutting techniques there were various other ways to heat the lino (a common problem it would seem), some practitioners would suggest leaning the lino against a warm radiator, using a hot-water bottle or even putting the lino in a panini press. The hairdryer worked the best for me - but the lino did have to be re-heated every few minutes meaning the cutting process took even longer and the stop/start rhythm of working was frustrating at times.

Problem 2: Cutting Details
Another problem I encountered was that using the lino cutters themselves was not going to give me the amount of detail and perfection I was after. It was extremely difficult to cut straight lines and get into the tiny parts of my design especially cutting round circles and edges.

Throughout my research into lino cuts and the artists that create them (see earlier post), one practitioner mentioned using a scalpel for detail and cleaning up edges. Using this process saved me in so many ways. When the lino was heated, the scalpel cut through it really easily and I was able to get the clean finish I was after. I also rummaged around in my many art tools and came across a sharp 'scorer' used for dry point etching. This was also a helpful tool to prise out small parts of the lino in my design as well as a set of pin tweezers. The cutting process began to feel more like a surgical operation than a carving but overall these tools enabled me to complete the designs and add the detail I wanted.

Problem 3: Crumbling
Whilst cutting it became clear than the hessian backed lino was worlds apart from cutting the soft rubber lino I had been used to using in the past. Once my design was cut, the lino itself produced crumbs in the layers beneath. I was so worried that these crumbs would jeopardise the final print, so to hopefully overcome this, I carved my design as deep as I could (right down to the hessian layer in places), removing as much as much of the lino inside, eliminating the horrible crumbs the carving produced. With this came more problems... 

Problem 4: Peeling 
In my designs, the lines and detail were so fine and so much of the lino had been cut away that parts of my design began to peel off. This was a horrific nightmare and the only thing i could think of doing to help strengthen it was to use PVA glue to stick parts of my design down. I really hope this holds up in the printing process and isnt just a quick fix. When it comes to cleaning the lino in between prints, I must make sure to treat the lino with care and a delicate touch. I just hope the printing ink isn't too tacky and doesn't pull off parts of the design when I peel my paper/card stock from the lino.

Cleaning up:
Cleaning up the lino for print was a nearly impossible task. I was worried that parts of my design that had the permanent marker lines drawn on it, would somehow transfer onto my stock during the printing process. I bought some lino roller cleaner and used this and a Q-tip to remove what I could and will take this along with me when I go to print. I will also take an old toothbrush with me to get into all the small spaces of my design to removing as much printing ink as possible, as well as a hairdryer to dry out the lino once cleaned in between prints as the hessian stays wet for a while.

Time and thoughts:
The cutting process itself took an unreal amount of time. I began cutting on Christmas eve and finished cutting my lino's on the 16th of January. It is no exaggeration when i say that I cut every single day during this time including on Christmas and New Years day. At the expense of spending time with my family and having a rest to overcome my health issues, I powered through in the hope that the hours I put into cutting would help make up for the time lost previously and help me achieve some impressive final prints. 

I had absolutely no idea that the cutting process would take this long and have never attempted anything as difficult as these A2 lino cuts. Some days (especially when back at uni at the beginning of this second semester) consisted of 18 hours straight cutting. I wasn't making the progress I had hoped for, so more and more hours were put into completing the task I had set myself. Developing bronchitis slowed me down considerably and the stress of completing this module kept me ill, as well as cutting my left hand to ribbons when my tools would slip unexpectedly and the carving itself causing my right hand to swell and throb so much that I could no longer hold my tools and would have to soak my hand for over an hour every day before cutting. 

I slowly became caught in a catch 22 - I was so poorly I could not attend uni as much as I would have liked, and instead of resting I had to put so many hours into these lino's in order to finish and have something to show for all the hard work that was keeping me ill. This is something I regret more than anything and I wish I could have attended uni a lot more throughout the process. I have so much faith in my designs and so much determination to do well and create something I am proud of, but in the future I will try and stick to creating what is achievable instead of striving for something so mind-blowing difficult.


The cutting process (in images):

Baucis

Despina

The final cut linos:

Baucis

Detail:

Despina

Detail:

Strengths:

Overall I am proud of what I have attempted to achieve. My designs cut into the lino have come out as close to clean and perfect as I had envisaged. I hope my designs and their complexity help reflect the amount of work I have put into them and will help me when it comes to creating my animation.

Weakness: 

As a result of the cutting process taking so long, I regrettably ran out of time to complete my 3rd A2 lino cut 'Octavia'. This was hard to accept as I think the set of 3 A2 prints is a lot stronger than the 2 I have completed. There is no way around this at this late stage, but I hope to complete the 3rd lino cut in my own time and try and sell my 3 lino cut prints as a set in the future to make back the hundreds of pounds i have spent on this module. I hope my attempts at trying to complete my third lino cut will still be taken into consideration for this module.

Unfinished lino:

Next steps:

• Now that the lino cutting (of my two plates at least) is complete, the next step is to print. Due to the size of my linos, I will have to print at the Vernon Street campus on their A2 hydraulic printing press. I really hope the designs and details hold up during printing and help make all this work feel worthwhile.

• Once printed I will have my 2 printed final lino prints and I can then set out to create the 2 digital versions suggested to me my Ben during my progress review. I will scan in my final prints and edit them digitally, adding the colour I had mocked up previously. 

• Scanning in my prints will also enable me to begin my animation and animate certain elements of the hopefully strong final design and printed composition. Using my prints for my animation will hopefully help to create the 'Cross-platform' element of this module and I look forward to trying to make my printed design move.