Cork, linoleum and everything else!

There is life after wood in relief printmaking!

Last Leaf, 3 block lino-cut

Linoleum

Aside from wood, any surface that is fairly easy to cut and takes ink is suitable for relief printmaking. In experimenting, I wouldn't (and haven't!) discount anything that's laying about and looks interesting. I think almost everyone that starts printing "woodcuts" does so on linoleum. Lino, as it is familiarly called, is very easy to cut and somehow less intimidating than wood. There are various grades and types, battleship linoleum (called battleship because of its gray color, not because it comes with anti-aircraft cannons) being the most commonly found in art supply stores.

After paying for mounted linoleum I decided unmounted, by the roll, is much more economical in the long run and allows for more flexibility of block height. Linoleum has gritty stuff that will dull delicate wood carving tools so I either use the lino-designed tougher tools or use my cheaper sets when cutting linoleum. Really easy to cut, fast prints are possible so it is very suitable for working in series and with larger prints.

Cork

And then there's cork! One of my favorite surfaces because it just yields results that are quirky and unexpected. Cork is readily available as tiles or rolls in craft stores and home improvement supply stores.

Cork is tough to cut, not because it is hard but because it crumbles and woodcut tools really aren't any use. The tools of choice are X-acto knives, craft knives or even box cutters or utility knives.

I use cork to add a sort of an irregular "shimmer" to the color blocks in some of my newest prints. I must say that it is frustrating to use and unpredictable at first, tough to carve, impossible to keep together and...well, that's enough bad rap!


I do like the results which is why I continue to use it. I get cork squares online or locally at craft stores and roll cork from fine woodworking stores; I think it's used for backing and dampening vibration.
I transfer key block to cork block using stiff transparency such as for projector presentations (well, before PowerPoint).
I print the key block onto the transparency sheet usually with water-based ink. The transparent sheet is pinned down.
Then lift transparency, remove key block, slip the cork block into the registration jig, and transfer carved image to cork block.

I usually transfer to several blank cork blocks even though I will only use one.
This is because the cork is fragile and prone to crumbling and carving/cutting errors. Or I may just make two prints with different color schemes such as shown here.

Puzzle Prints

The cork blocks are easy to cut with x-acto or craft knives and therefore very suitable for "puzzle" color blocks, where each piece of the puzzle is inked separately and assembled prior to giving it a once-through the press. The cork blocks are not easy to carve. If the cork is thin, I glue to a foam-core backing board to give it stiffness and the right height for printing--the same height, ideally, as the key block. If the cork is thick enough as in the tiles shown above, then I usually roll a thin layer of PVA glue all over the back to aid in holding together during carving and printing. I assume a layer of acrylic would work equally well.
The above block kept losing little pieces as I printed. The second block shows a big hunk missing after printing the edition of 46 or so. This print taught me to  not try to cut such thin pieces because they tend to crumble away from being taken apart and put together so many times. Cork is really more suitable for large areas.

Printing Cork

Exciting things happen when printing cork

This picture shows three variations of what happens during printing. When printing, cork acts like a sponge, whether using water or oil inks, and collects ink between the grains. This ink tends to accumulate and then squeeze  out when pressure is applied so it gives very interesting effects. This also means that the cork block has to be completely cleaned off every ten prints or more often, otherwise the grain fills up completely and the grainy effect is gone.
You can also spritz the cork block or the paper (if using water-based inks) with water and get an effect much like watercolor. After a few practice prints, the effect is actually quite consistent and controllable throughout the edition.

Puesta de Luna, Cork Print by Maria Arango
(detail below)

After going to a Nature Printing Society workshop, I really learned that ANYTHING can be printed! Various surfaces give different results and many unusual daily objects can give some awesome prints. Don't forget to have a blast.

Papers for Printmaking Part 2

Following are some of the papers I have tried and how they behaved for me.
Generally I look for how papers behave for woodcut prints, but I have grown to love many papers that I use for sketching, watercolors and even painting.

Two more suppliers of awesome papers:
for a huge array of Japanese papers http://japanesepaperplace.com
and to enjoy the feel of handmade papers, learn a boatload and support smaller manufacturer
http://www.twinrocker.com

And more book recommendations, of course, here are three GREAT BOOKS on papermaking, from a historical and craftsmanship perspective.
 

Dard Hunter's  Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft is the book to get for printmakers that want to delve into the history of paper. Really fascinating stuff!

A bit pricey but a Timothy Barrett's great book on Japanese Papermaking with great illustrations and photographs Japanese Papermaking: Traditions, Tools, Techniques

And an out of print book, I confess one of my favorites, about the Craft of Japanese papermaking by Kiyofusa Narita with woodblock illustrations Japanese Paper-making

Maria's sampler of printmaking papers:

Arches 88

This paper is one of the best I have found for all types of printmaking. It is thick and soft and snow white. The surface is very smooth with no grain. Tears or cuts remarkably well. It works well wet or dry, shrinks evenly (so it registers well), and takes much abuse so it is equally suitable for hand or press printing. Definitely use it for black and white oil based prints to achieve a most dramatic effect. It embosses well because of the thickness, but behaves otherwise much like the strong but thin Japanese papers  like Hosho. It works equally well for woodcuts and wood engravings.

Arches Black

Delicious to print on. Not sized, that's why it likes the ink so well. Black paper presents a special challenge because you have to think your print in reverse/reverse. Whatever you cut out will be black.  Arches Black is thick and soft. The surface is a bit more grained on one side, I usually use the back of the paper. It tears and cuts very well. Scuffs easy so be careful when handling. Gives a very crisp impression but you have to remember to use very opaque colors or you will end up with a much darker image than you intended.

Arches Tan

Much like Arches Black. Same behavior, same feel. It gives prints a wonderful "warm" look and acts like a mid-tone. For some reason, the tan likes the ink the best of all the Arches family. By "liking" the ink I mean that the impressions are crisp, the ink lays evenly and layers well.  Print damp or dry. It is a bit too "spongy" for wood engravings, but can be made to work well.

Bangla-Desh Handmade

This wonderful thick and spongy paper I bought at a place called "1,000 Villages" in a small town in Kansas. It is unsized and will stick to the block unless an additive like Daniel Smith Miracle Gel is used. Too wet and it will desintegrate back into pulp. When dry it is cardboard hard. It tears well, cuts better, embosses deliciously and absorbs as much ink as you want to roll out. Gives clear and "stamp" like impressions. Every sheet is different. See the notes on Printing On Hand-Made paper for recommended procedures.

 

BFK Light

This is a very affordable and versatile paper. It comes in white and buff, which are very similar in color. This paper is lightweight and accepts both woodcuts and wood engravings (although somewhat fuzzy on the wood engravings). As all Rives papers, it seems to be thirsty for ink and works well damp or dry. Tears very easily and handles well. An extremely gentle and forgiving paper to work with and warmly toned.
I am told some folk even use this very successfully for moku-hanga, Japanese water-based, prints.

Canson Me Teintes (Red)

This is a paper made for pastel and drawing work. What I like about it is that it comes in a wide variety of bright colors. The "pastel" side is toothy. The reverse is smooth and ideal for printmaking. Canson is thinner than the Arches family, it prints well dry or wet but I recommend dry. It likes the ink despite being made for drawing. Second and third layers of ink will shine unless Set Swell Compound is used on earlier layers. Tears and cuts well but it is fragile when dampened.

Daphne

Daphne hand-made papers from Nepal come in three weights.  Lightweight is feathery, transparent and suitable only for special projects. My Life of a Tree Series was printed on Daphne. It's a bear to work with, tears easily but not where you want it to. Medium weight is suitable for woodcuts. It is sized but not too heavily. Being very strong, it doesn't tear easily, but using a brush and water makes it pull apart easily. Heavy weight is a wonderful paper resembling parchment and can look like leather. It looks a lot like the background of this page. It works better dampened but becomes fragile. It is heavily sized but not consistently from batch to batch. Sometimes fibery inclusions can dent a cherry block so it's not for the faint of heart.

Graphic Chemical Heavyweight

For being so affordable, this paper surprised me in its ability to take ink well, layer well, tear well, dampen well...there is very little that this paper can't do. A sturdy Western paper with a light cream and slight toothy finish, it embosses well when dampened.  It is ink thirsty, so it will take several layers of ink without complaining. A bit rough for engravings, but also surprising in that function. Did I mention affordable?

Hanhemulle

This is really a pastel paper, a bit softer than Canson and also available in a wide array of colors. It is lightweight and accepts ink very well, one side being toothier than the other.  The main advantage is the color range. Dampening makes this paper very fragile as it was meant for dry media. Tears well, use it dry. Inks seal the unsized paper quickly, so the top layers will shine.

Ingres/Fabriano

Another questionable choice by yours truly, but it works so well! This is really a drawing paper, thin and meant for dry media. Lo and behold, it takes the ink so well and comes in such warm unusual colors like "tobacco", "maple", "crimson", and "chocolate," among others. Fibers are shorter than on traditional printmaking papers so they are fragile if dampened but work great dry. This is also a nice affordable choice for the explorer in you.

Kaisuri

This paper is randomly scattered with inserted material. It is a difficult paper to work with. It is thin and unsized and will tear under the pressure of a baren unless backed with a strong backing sheet. Will not work wet, tears poorly and cuts fairly with a very sharp blade. The inserted materials are random and large pieces, sometimes they have already torn the paper fibers. Printing around these intrusions will leave a lighter mark all around them. Why did I use it? It is exciting and lends an individuality to every print. It also lends a distinct quality to an otherwise simpler image if used well.

Kitakata (Kitikata)

This paper is light, translucent, strong and absorbent like many Japanese papers. It truly loves the oil based ink and my fellow Hanga-printmakers tell me it works very well with water based inks. The warmth and underlying texture of this paper is hard to beat for adding a nice warm tone to a print. Only complaint is that it comes in small (16"x20") sheets and it is expensive. It works equally well for woodcuts and wood engravings. In fact it might become one of my favorite wood engraving papers.

Next blog post, more papers!

Papers for Printmaking Part 1

Paper is beautiful and magic. Over the years I have developed an appreciation of paper, not only as an medium for art but as an art itself. Having said that, these notes about paper will not tell you anything about sizing, paper making, fiber composition, weight and traditional size or definitions about paper terms. You can find all that in the first section below, About Paper Sources and Resources.
What I will discuss in these notes, however, are notes on how the paper feels and behaves under the attack of this artist. I say "attack" because often times we artists tend to abuse materials in many ways. As an experimental printmaker and lover of papers, I am guilty of paper use and abuse.

How to Get to Know Paper

Here is what I do to get to know my papers:
Buy paper samplers! For one thing they are so cute, little tiny squares of paper in a neat little book...
For another thing, no matter how much you look at a picture of a paper in a catalog or in the web, you cannot get to know a paper until you...
See the paper. Hold it up to the light, all kinds of light, natural, fluorescent, incandescent; heck take your papers out to the campfire on a still desert night and look at them there. Turn them over and do it again. Notice the fibers, the weave, the patterns of the molds, the hills and valleys, the watermarks, the little chunks of inserted material.

 

Feel the paper. Touch it on both sides, learn what size feels like, feel the difference between papers and the likeness. When papers "behave" the same under your baren or press or charcoal stick, chances are they will feel similarly when touched. Close your eyes when you feel them.

If you can afford it, of course, buy full sheets of paper and actually TRY the paper in your daily business of drawing or printmaking. Learn from the book sources above, all about sizing and uses for papers. Purchase the large (full-sheet) paper samplers, or buy one sheet every week and by the end of the year you will have tried 52 different kinds of paper. Start out by purchasing the papers made for whatever medium you happen to be "arting" in, then move on to...

Experiment! (my favorite word). Learn all the rules first, then break them. Print on pastel paper, draw on watercolor paper, paint on printmaking paper, wet the paper, use it dry, paste it to cloth, prime it with gesso... This is how you get to really know paper, because you will learn how paper "behaves" under different whimsical treatments.

It is this paper "behavior" that I am looking for when I use a paper. I can look up the sizing and recommended uses and light-fastness and weight information in a chart. I can make sure (please make sure) that the paper is actually acid-free and will hold my art dearly for centuries to come. I can listen to recommendations from others, I can look up the most suitable paper for a particular use.

Next blog post I will post about various papers I have tried and how they behaved for me. In the meantime, here are a selected few selected sources and suppliers.

Few Selected Paper Sources and Resources

Sylvie Turner's The Book of Fine Paper is an incredible resource for papermaking, history of paper, types of paper, and it even comes with a mini-sampler of fine papers from around the world. I highly recommend it if it's the only reference book on paper in your personal library.
The Book of Fine Paper: A Worldwide Guide to Contemporary Papers for Art, Design & Decoration

If you must have two books, the next that I recommend is the classic Jules Heller book Papermaking:
Papermaking: How to Make Handmade Paper for Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Relief and Cast Forms, Book Arts, and Mixed Media

Shereen LaPlantz's Cover to Cover is a great source for bookmaking and I liked the book because of its respectful treatment of paper.

Cover To Cover: Creative Techniques For Making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums

Faith Shannon's The Art and Craft of Paper is a beautifully illustrated book on papermaking that will leave you with a great appreciation for the craft.

The Art and Craft of Paper

Graphic Chemical & Ink Company has a great catalog with a paper chart. They are also one of the least expensive sources for Western papers, especially if you like to buy bulk. In fact their catalog will teach you more about tools than any other I know.           http://graphicchemical.com

Daniel Smith Art Supplies http://danielsmith.com publish a catalog that is worth getting even if you never order anything. Periodically they also publish a paper chart that lists a good quantity of papers with all the specifications (sizing, uses, sizes). Their printed catalog has thoughtful explanations of all their papers, with pictures.

McClain's Printmaking Supplies http://imcclains.com has a beautiful catalog that lists a wide variety of Japanese papers and their uses. If you request their paper sampler you also get a description of their papers in a neatly printed sheet.

Hiromi Paper http://hiromipaper.com has an astounding web site dedicated to Japanese papers, their making, history, much more. Do request their printed catalog even if you print out (like I did) their Adobe Acrobat version.

History of the Woodcut

I thought maybe I would begin my 1000 Studio Notes with a brief history of the woodcut, shamelessly lifted (with due credit) from Ross and Romano's "The Complete Relief Print". I highly recommend the book to any woodcut enthusiast.

Here is the text from my website, which is now one studio note "thinner":

The Woodcut: Introduction and History
(Verbatim from Ross & Romano's The Complete Relief Print, 1974, The Free Press N.Y.)
"Of all the forms of expression in printmaking, the woodcut is the most ancient. Its early beginnings in Egypt and China came from the use of wooden stamps designed to make symbolic or decorative impressions in clay and wax. With the development of paper on the Chinese mainland in the second century A.D., the stamping devices gradually evolved into wood blocks. As plank wood was utilized by the artist and the craftsman, he was able to cut and print more sophisticated and complex designs. Many of the earliest images were for popular Buddhist religious use. The woodcut came to Japan from China, in the wake of Buddhism, in the sixth century A.D. The early Japanese woodcuts were also religious in subject matter. It was not until the 17th century that a more highly developed art began to come forth. The Japanese printmaker's concept of the symbolism of subject matter, asymmetric composition, the use of flat color, pattern, and line were a great influence upon the work of Gauguin, Van Gogh, Lautrec, Whistler, and others.

The woodcut in western art evolved as a later expansion of the utilitarian printing of textiles from wood blocks used extensively in the early 14th century. Though paper from the east was known in Spain in the 11th century, it was not until paper was produced in large quantities in France, Italy, and Germany in the 14th century that the art of the woodcut began to unfold. In southern Germany, woodcuts began as primitive religious figures. Their directness, simplicity of line, and economy of means made them very powerful. They were handbills for veneration, sold for pennies to pilgrims visiting holy places and to the populace on religious feast days. Woodcuts of Christ or the Virgin Mary were often pasted inside traveling chests or onto small altar pieces and frequently sewn into clothing to give protection from evil forces. As the invention of printing from movable type became a reality in the mid-15th century, the woodcut began to appear in more highly developed forms as illustrations for religious books. By the late 15th century the great artists of the time, Durer and Hans Holbein in Germany, Lucas von Leyden in the Netherlands, and Titian in Italy were using this new medium with great eloquence. After the mid-16th century, the woodcut began to decline in importance as a vehicle for aesthetic expression. The richness and flexibility of line engraving and etching attracted most of the major artists dealing with the print.

The woodcut and, later, the wood engraving became a means for reproducing popular painters and was used extensively for book, magazine, and newspaper illustrations. It was not until the revival of the woodcut as a sensitive, personal art form in the late 19th century, that it regained its place as a major expressive form. The prints of Gauguin, strongly influenced by the Japanese prints being exhibited in Paris, the prints of the German Expressionists who were returning to the simplicity of the early German Medieval woodcuts, and the prints of the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch greatly helped to renew interest in the woodcut as a serious contemporary art form. With this revival of the woodcut as a fine print medium came a new spontaneity and creative use of the material. Until the late 19th century the woodcut was in a sense reproductive.

The woodcuts of the German Renaissance, including those by Durer and Holbein, had often been cut by highly skilled craftsmen from drawings made by the artists directly on the blocks. The prints became very fine facsimiles of exquisite pen drawings, having little relation to the quality of the wood. Line became the important element, mass or wood grain was rarely used. However, the artist-craftsman system, with the artists doing the creative work and the craftsman the cutting, enabled Durer and his contemporaries to produce a tremendous number of prints.

 Japanese printmakers also developed the same system. The artists designed the images, and the skilled craftsmen cut and printed the blocks. In succeeding years, with the artist so removed from the wood and creating in less gifted hands, it was inevitable that the print became a reproductive image until the new approaches of the late 19th century artists. Because the contemporary artist uses the wood more freely with a real sense of the material and usually cuts and prints his own blocks, a more complete knowledge and respect for the material's potential comes forth. The aesthetic freedom of the 20th century artist has enabled him to make new discoveries through experimentation and given him a richer utilization of the medium."

  NOTE: This book is by far one of the best I have read on Relief Printmaking. It is out of print but it sometimes becomes available from various vendors, live link follows:
 The Complete Relief Print: The Art and Technique of the Relief Print, Children's Prints, Care of Prints, Collecting Prints, Dealer and the Edition