My Little Chickadee

Introduction

Black-capped chickadees are such adorable little community builders. There's so much to love about them and their impact on the world that I've been inspired to give them a starring role in my next printmaking series. Before launching into such a large project, I decided to focus on three areas of my process that had been frustrating me, while also getting a better sense of the palette and marks I'll use for the collection. If you follow me on Instagram (@thimbleberrystudios), you've already seen some of this experimental project, but here's a more detailed summary of what I did and what I've learned.

Experiment #1

Problem: Over the last few years, the amount of planning I was doing before even pulling out the linoleum was taking quite a lot of time and possibly deadening the resulting print.

Method: Grab a piece of linoleum and just start drawing on it and carving without drawing everything beforehand. 

Results: The marks I made because of this approach definitely breathed more life into the block and print, but I got bogged down for months during the process. I carved and printed the chickadee, and then I set it aside because I was too nervous about figuring out the next step. I had already started growing attached to this little fella, and I didn't want to ruin him. Finally, after reminding myself that this was just an experiment and that I can draw and carve as many chickadees as I want, I got back to it. I cleaned up the chickadee itself, added the tree, and got printing.

Just above is the final print. I'm very pleased with this six-layered beauty. In fact, I think it's the best linocut I've ever created. There's so much texture and detail; I feel like I could reach my hand out and he might jump onto my finger. Having said that, I see parts where a little more planning could have helped, mainly with shading.

Conclusion: While this approach (i.e., drawing a rough sketch directly on the linoleum and letting a lot of the carving just happen without any prior drawing) did bring more spontaneity into my work, it didn't in the end speed up my process. Plus, more planning probably would have improved some shading. So, I think a Goldilocks approach is a better idea, at least for the artist I am now. In other words, instead of swinging from overplanning (Papa Bear) to no planning (Mama Bear), I'm going to try to channel Baby Bear and find a middle ground that has just enough planning coupled with just enough spontaneity. Honestly, I'm not sure what exactly that means, but I'll figure it out.

Experiment #2

Problem: In my printing projects before this that included multiple colors / layers, the drying time could take 2-3 weeks between each layer, even when I put the prints in a small heated room with a dehumidifier. That time lag slowed the momentum of the projects, and I would get so frustrated when I would see other printmakers on Instagram who also lived in cold, humid places printing multiple layers and seemingly not struggling with that problem. Was it the paper I was using? Was it the ink? Did I need to use a drying additive to my ink? If so, which one?

Method: Test paper and ink combinations with different drying additives to find which ones worked best for my situation.

Results: For an initial black layer, I tested seven different printmaking papers, two kinds of ink, and three drying methods. I was looking for a combination of the three components that required the fewest inkings and runs through the press and dried the fastest while still showing the luminosity of the ink. (As a former teacher who specialized in academic writing, I recognize that including a table here would probably be helpful, but frankly, my research wasn't that disciplined and I don't have the time for making tables, so I'm just going to share my winning combo. If you want more detailed information, you're welcome to send me questions.) 

Winning combo:

Cranfield's Caligo Safewash oil-based ink on either Legion Somerset paper or Shin Torinoko paper with Grumbacher Cobalt Drier oil got me beautiful coverage with a quick drying time. Dusting cornflour on the print to pick up extra ink and help the print dry did work, but it dulled the luster of the ink and sometimes a stray molecule of inked-up cornflour would get caught in my brush and make a streak across the print. Also, I found the coverage and luscious finish of the oil-based ink so much more desirable than that of the water-based ink I was testing that I only used oil-based ink for the next experiment. 

Experiment #3

Problem: During my printmaking practice of the last few years, I've depended quite a bit on opaque white ink to lighten the colors that come in the tubes. That's resulted in a lot of pastel colors in my work, which sometimes I just don't want. I know other printmakers who are able to lighten their ink colors by letting the white paper show through more, and they use extender and light layers of ink.

Method: Try using extender and rolling the ink layer very lightly onto the plate.

"What is extender'?," you may understandably be asking. Extender is the substance to which colored pigment is added to make printmaking ink. Therefore, if you mix this colorless extender into some of the base with color (i.e., ready-made printmaking ink), you basically spread out the color molecules, making them less densely packed together, and allow the paper to show through the ink more, or at least that's how I understand it.

Results: Using extender and rolling the ink on very thinly worked! Yay!

Can you see the lighter ochre amid the darker ochre? I know it's subtle.

Conclusion: I don't know why I resisted using extender in my oil-based ink for as long as I did, nor do I understand why I kept laying ink layers on so thickly when doing it lightly gives you more lovely texture. I guess sometimes we just cling to what we know? I think that's part of it, but three unplanned factors may be contributing to the success of this experiment.

1. I worked the ink (i.e., mixed it with my spatula) a lot, which I was told you should do and never really did until now and boy, what a difference it makes.

2. I got a spiffy new Japanese soft roller, and it does the job of laying ink on linoleum like a pro.

3. I blotted off the first layer (on the block) in order to get it light enough.

So, when looking for a really light layer, adding extender to my oil-based ink, applying light layers with this kind of roller, and blotting ink off the plate seems to be the way forward. 

Summary

I've learned a lot from this experiment in terms of what materials work for me in my climate and what methods get the results I want. There's still some work to do on the color and mark-making "palette," but I'm happy with the start I've made. I hope this blog post has helped you if you're a printmaker and that it's been interesting to you if you aren't. I'm always happy to get nerdy about printmaking, so drop me a line at hello@thimbleberrystudios.com if you've got any questions or suggestions. Thanks!