Sunday, September 1, 2013

29 Faces in September

This is a really cool challenge--make 29 faces in any medium, any style, any degree of finish during the month of September.  I did it last year, and came nowhere near to finishing (in September anyway--I did finally finish in December), but worked on some new techniques.

This year I'm doing it again, and am working on linocuts.  I LOVE linocuts (and woodcuts, and just about every other printmaking technique) and have some major projects I'd like to do with them, but I have no skills.  I actually cheated on this challenge and started early (only two days early), and boy, is there a learning curve.  But I figure there's no way to get the skills without making a LOT of them, so that's what I'm going to do--29 faces (because I do love faces).

This is #3.  It is 4" X 6", and it's the third  proof after small amounts of additional cutting for each.  The first thing I did after I had the image transferred to the linoleum, was start cutting in the middle of the hair--yikes!  We're so used to our marks being the dark things that I did that without thinking.  On this print, I touched my finger to the rolled out ink after I pulled the print, and dabbed it into those spaces, because it really looked awful.

This is #4.  It is 3" X 5", and it's the second proof.  For the first one, I was trying to have a mid-gray, with close together lines.  It didn't work.  It looked stupid.  I'm not sure this is any better, but alas.  I think I really need to be thinking in much simpler terms.  This is NOT pen and ink where you have lots of latitude for subtlety.

This is #5.  It is also 3" X 5", and it's the first proof.  I actually really like this.  It's much simpler than the others, and I like both the shapes of the guy's face and how the thinner lines make his beard.  It's more the kind of graphic I think one needs for linocuts.

11 comments:

  1. Oh wow these are realy nice and who cares if you cheat. I guess it is a lot of work cutting out those faces. I am glad I have come by and I am looking forward to see more faces. ManonX

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  2. Wow! Very expressive and lively potrets. I like shadows very much. Great job!

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  3. Fantastic! I love lino cuts and yours are amazing, especially the first one. Really love your style. Super start to the challenge.

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  4. Your lino prints are wonderful. The faces have so much expression.

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  5. They are superb, and you have no skills?? For over a year I have the lino and tools sitting in my desk drawer waiting for me to jump in and have a try. You have inspired me. It takes so much to carve a print so I don't see it as cheating at all.

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  6. I think these are all amazing! I love the expressions on their faces, especially #4 and #5! I can't wait to see what # 6 looks like!

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  7. Love these faces and ~ yeah ~ cool, cool, cool technique! And as far as I'm concerned, when it come to creative expression, there's no such thing as cheating!

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  8. oh wonderful!!!!!! I love the characters. They have a mysterious feel to them. Wonderful!

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  9. This is super!! I love your linocuts. I've been carving stamps now and then and I love it. It is so adicted but when I see your faces I see that there is a whole new world to discover for me. They are so expressive and real. Stunning!
    xxx Marianne MW

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  10. Impressive work as always...There something cool in each one for me!

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  11. These are so cool. I love them and in awe at the speed you are doing them. I think my favourite of the five so far is the bottom one on this post - he looks like he has a real sense of humour :)

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