Today is a momentous day... kind of... in that my gocco arrived. Eeep! This week I've been working on my first print design and I've been surprisingly happy with it. However, now that I see the gocco with its four bulbs and two screens (just enough supplies to make my one rather ambitious two screened first design) and its unfathomable (to me) japanese instructions, I am filled with trepidation and self doubt. Have I been over ambitious? What if I break the gocco the very first time I use it? Will I ever get more bulbs and screens? When will I stop feeling like I'm about to start hyperventilating? Pant pant pant.
To distract/reassure myself I have decided to share my recent more low-tech experiment in printing, lino printing to be precise... or imprecise, as it was actually a slightly softer than lino substance that I carved this from and I'm not 100% sure what it's called...? Anyway, I hand carved the image from a lino style substance (!) and printed a number of images from it.
For those of you who didn't spend your childhood Saturdays watching large men in leotards, this is Big Daddy. Graham is quite a fan of British wrestling from days gone by and I designed and made this print for his recent birthday. I also gave a print to Claire as a thank you for the cups she gave me (again for Graham's birthday).
This close-up shows (as well as reflections from the frame) the paper I printed on. I used the blue insides of recycled envelopes that I had been saving up for some time. This particular envelope pattern was probably my favourite but many others also turned out rather nicely. I printed quite a lot (and may go back and print more) and have a plan for them to be put to good use... More on that mysterious snippet soon!
I'm confident nobody would argue with the fact (please don't) that this Big Daddy print proves I am surely a natural born printer. My gocco will love me.
greetings from your fairy godmother! you know, i know a gocco master! if you are looking for help on where to get started, i can hook you up!
ReplyDeletemoosh is talking about me (I hope!). Everyone is scared by The First Print but once you get going gocco is awesome. The flickr group is great for advice: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gocco/
ReplyDeleteThanks, both! It's nice to know there are fonts of knowledge out there to tap into should I get the collywobbles! :) I'm going to bite the bullet and go gocco this weekend. I have been reading up on and chatting about it for some time and I think it is now or never. I keep telling myself to look on this print as a practice run (just getting to know my machine etc.) but secretly I do want the print to be wonderful. That, combined with the very finite numbers of bulbs and screens, does add to the pressure. It is so exciting though! Fingers crossed...
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