Printing Ideas!

I’d been struggling with a way to get my images created for a good few weeks when Gary suggested that I look at making stencils and printing. I was a little unsure about this at first but then I thought, why not get stuck in and try something new out, what do I have to lose. T also made sense because a lot of people are more drawn to my printed work in my portfolio than the drawings.

I thought of a different way to make images with stencil instead, to try making the work a bit more “me”, and so far I think the technique has worked really well. It need refining in some areas, but after talking with Gary and Ian, I think that it’s still the drawing images to start with that’s the main problem, so I’ll focus more on that in the future.

My technique is quite fun, keeps me interested in several images at the same time and lets me be a bit freer with what I do. First I draw the image I want and then blow it up to make it easier for later. Next I draw around each element I want separate in the image and label each piece so I don’t get lost.

Following the drawing comes the cutting, where I make my stencils. This is the part where I try take my time, even though I’m quite impatient. However, I find this part quite therapeutic!

After that comes the fun part, where I get messy in the print room and use the stencils to create some textured shapes. I only use black ink, because at this stage colour isn’t important to me.

The next stage involves scanning in all of my shapes, selecting the best ones that work together and reassembling the image. As well as this I add the colour, and my image is complete.