Block Print
Title: They Will Prevail
Size: 23cm by 31cm
Medium: Black ink on Linoleum block
Date of Completion: September 8th 2022
Exhibition Text
"They Will Prevail" represents how nature will continue to thrive and fight for survival despite the negative impact caused by humanity. This piece was created using black ink and a linoleum slab and is inspired by Alexis Lesnick’s ability to capture the intricate beauty of both plants and animals. The bottle in my print is a symbol for the terrible ways humans pollute nature while the seahorse represents the natural world as a whole and its ability to overcome hardship.
Title: They Will Prevail
Size: 23cm by 31cm
Medium: Black ink on Linoleum block
Date of Completion: September 8th 2022
Exhibition Text
"They Will Prevail" represents how nature will continue to thrive and fight for survival despite the negative impact caused by humanity. This piece was created using black ink and a linoleum slab and is inspired by Alexis Lesnick’s ability to capture the intricate beauty of both plants and animals. The bottle in my print is a symbol for the terrible ways humans pollute nature while the seahorse represents the natural world as a whole and its ability to overcome hardship.
Inspiration:
Messenger Pigeon by Alexis Lesnick
While searching for inspiration for my piece I came across Alexis Lensnick's block prints. The first one to catch my eye was her piece titled "Messenger Pigeon" because of its sharp lines and edges. The piece has a clean aesthetic and features a pigeon perched atop a hand with bright red poppies woven between the fingers.The small lines carved in rows facing different directions create an elegant simplistic design. Alexis incorporated multiple Victorian inspired elements including, the bird, envelope, hand and flowers that come together to create one consecutive image. The intricate small details such as the cuff of the blouse on the hand further express the Victorian influence. Her use of different natural and man-made elements add to the dynamic nature of the piece which was something I wanted to incorporate in my own block print. I also took inspiration from her ability to imply shadows and light with small lines and hatching rather than leaving large sections blank. This piece reminds me of the relationship between humans and I feel it encourages the viewer to find the beauty in all creatures even pigeons.
While searching for inspiration for my piece I came across Alexis Lensnick's block prints. The first one to catch my eye was her piece titled "Messenger Pigeon" because of its sharp lines and edges. The piece has a clean aesthetic and features a pigeon perched atop a hand with bright red poppies woven between the fingers.The small lines carved in rows facing different directions create an elegant simplistic design. Alexis incorporated multiple Victorian inspired elements including, the bird, envelope, hand and flowers that come together to create one consecutive image. The intricate small details such as the cuff of the blouse on the hand further express the Victorian influence. Her use of different natural and man-made elements add to the dynamic nature of the piece which was something I wanted to incorporate in my own block print. I also took inspiration from her ability to imply shadows and light with small lines and hatching rather than leaving large sections blank. This piece reminds me of the relationship between humans and I feel it encourages the viewer to find the beauty in all creatures even pigeons.
Giant Oarfish by Alexis Lesnick
"Giant Oarfish by Alexis Lesnick displays the elongated form of an oarfish with black strands of kelp in the background. The fish is primarily white with fine details on the face and fins. Similar to Alexis's other pieces the image is very clean and has a serene tone. The contrast of the silhouettes of kelp and curved S shaped body of the oarfish add dimension and movement to the image. I wanted to create a piece that resembled the ocean plants similar to this piece and I felt inspired to incorporate lines on my seahorse that were similar to those on the oarfish face and dorsal fin. The shapes and small lines that decorate the inside the fish body add an element of creativity and prevent the piece from feeling stagnant and overly literal.
Planning
Sketchbook Planning Page
To begin my planning process I started by creating three thumbnail sketches on the top of my first planning page to outline my design. I wanted to determine how the seahorse and the other elements in my image should be positioned and which parts I wanted to carve away. Since this was my first time making a block print it took me some trial and error to conceptualize how the medium would work with my design. The small layout sketches that I completed on both pages were the most beneficial part of my planning process because I it helped me to feel much more confident in my placement of each element. I knew I needed to better understand the anatomy of a seahorse in order to determine the elements I wanted to incorporate in my final image even though it would be more simplified then my sketches. There were certain features of the seahorse such that I ended up sketching multiple times with the block print medium in mind. I had different ideas for what I wanted the plants to look like and considered a type with rounded leaves and a type with wavy lines however both of these contained primarily rounded edges which would be difficult to carve. After sketching some options I decided on simple seaweed silhouettes with pointed tips would be the cleanest and easiest to execute. On the bottom of both pages I started to plan how I wanted the glass bottle to look. I once again wanted to do a more realistic study of the bottle options I was considering to better understand how I wanted the simplified version to look on my block print. Although I liked the square bottle with a cork better I thought a more traditional and simplified bottle matched the clean style I was going for. I also decided I wanted to add a highlight on one side to give it more dimension. I also wanted to make sure that the seahorse tail could be seen wrapped around on the other side of the bottle since its supposed to look like glass.
Final Sketch For my final sketch I created a rough pencil sketch of where I wanted each element to be and then began going over it again and erasing the lines I did not like as I went along. At this stage in the process I had not yet decided on ever detail of how I wanted the final print to look like. In this drawing I decided to add a starfish that I ended up not wanted to incorporate in my final carving. I also filled in a few sections black to make my final decision on which parts I wanted to be inked in. I didn't like the seaweed being entirely black so I added a line down the center and also replaced the black sections on the seahorse's stomach with hatching. These changes were made to to better represent the style of my inspiration pieces. I was still indecisive about multiple elements and decided to transfer the sketch to my linoleum square to see how it would look. |
Process
Perfecting and Transferring Final Sketch
To transfer my sketch to the linoleum block I first cut out my sketch and shaded in the entire back of the page with a pencil. Next I taped the sketch with the image side facing up onto the linoleum slab and began tracing over all my desired lines. After transferring my sketch to the linoleum block I decided to adjust a few elements. I disliked some aspects of the composition of my piece and wanted it to better resemble my inspiration. I also wanted to prevent it from becoming to busy and crowded since I had limited space with the linoleum slab. I removed the starfish because I felt it distracted from the vocal point of the piece, and added long stacked lines on the left section of ground to provide more of a sense of depth. I sketched in the bubbles and hatching lines along the seahorses stomach plates as extra details. Overall after removing and adding details I was finally satisfied with my sketch and was ready to begin carving.
Carving Process
To begin the carving process I started to carve away the background in large chunks using my large blade. I wanted to leave small slivers to create texture but found it difficult to decide how much to carve away and how much space to leave between slivers. At times I accidentally cut away too much in certain areas and chipped into the outline of my image but for the most part I tried to take my time and be as careful as possible. When it was time to start the details on my seahorse I began with the middle vertical line that separates the horizontal plates. After carving away all the main outlines I began filling in the small slashed lines on the dorsal fin and chest plates. Using the small blade was much different and required a lot more concentration and precision. After working with the tools for a couple weeks I began to gain confidence and my technique improved dramatically. I had a much better understanding of how deep to carve to prevent the tools from going through the slab, and I also was able to carve larger areas at a much quicker pace. I noticed that using different sized blades required different levels of pressure and this took some adjusting every time I switched from one to another. I also had a difficult time spacing the small hatching lines inside the individual sections but I ended up really like the end result. The hardest part of the small details was learning how much pressure was needed for many different line widths and lengths that I wanted to achieve the result I was looking for. The stacked wavy lines on the ground were extremely time consuming because I had to be careful not to create any overlap.
To begin the carving process I started to carve away the background in large chunks using my large blade. I wanted to leave small slivers to create texture but found it difficult to decide how much to carve away and how much space to leave between slivers. At times I accidentally cut away too much in certain areas and chipped into the outline of my image but for the most part I tried to take my time and be as careful as possible. When it was time to start the details on my seahorse I began with the middle vertical line that separates the horizontal plates. After carving away all the main outlines I began filling in the small slashed lines on the dorsal fin and chest plates. Using the small blade was much different and required a lot more concentration and precision. After working with the tools for a couple weeks I began to gain confidence and my technique improved dramatically. I had a much better understanding of how deep to carve to prevent the tools from going through the slab, and I also was able to carve larger areas at a much quicker pace. I noticed that using different sized blades required different levels of pressure and this took some adjusting every time I switched from one to another. I also had a difficult time spacing the small hatching lines inside the individual sections but I ended up really like the end result. The hardest part of the small details was learning how much pressure was needed for many different line widths and lengths that I wanted to achieve the result I was looking for. The stacked wavy lines on the ground were extremely time consuming because I had to be careful not to create any overlap.
Printing Process
In order to insure the lines I was carving were deep enough and looked the way I wanted them to I decided to do a few test prints throughout the printing process. To start the printing process each time I gathered the various tools I would need including a piece of flat sheet metal, wooden barren and a foam roller. I started by spreading a small amount of ink on the top of the metal sheet with a pallet knife. Next I began to drag the roller through the ink and after the roller was coated I rolled the ink across my carving. To achieve an even coating of ink on the roller I had to roll the ink in different directions across the metal sheet many times. However having too much ink on the roller caused a bad texture on the carving so I had to swash my plate and start over a couple times. I decided to do the traditional manual technique which involved the barren that was used to press the carving block into the paper in order to transfer the ink. In order to use the barren I first centered my carving atop a blank sheet of paper and marked with a pencil where it was placed. Once the carving was coated with ink I positioned it once again within the lines I had marked and placed another piece of paper over it. I then flipped them over and began applying pressure with the barren. Finally I peeled back the sheet of paper to reveal my print. |
Experimentation
Left: My first print. The first couple prints I made did not come out with an even distribution of ink on the paper due to different variables. I had a difficult time with my first couple test prints because I didn't press down with the baren hard enough which resulted in a patchy light ink on the paper. However after realizing this I was able to correct my mistake and get a better distribution of ink. I wanted the background texture to show more to I pressed harder with the ink roller and the more prints I did the better the ink spread to the different crevices. However some of the smaller lines did not show up clearly so I had to go back and carve them deeper.
Right: Print I was unsatisfied with. I made many prints that I felt were not up to the standard I was striving for. In reach my desired result there were many variables that I experimented with . To try and achieve an even spread of ink I added more to my roller however the ink started to seep into some of the lines and make the final image blurry. I changed the motions that I was using to press the barren into the paper by trying a circular motion instead of just dragging it up and down which improved the quality of my prints. I was finally able to get the right about of ink spread evenly across the carving and but it was still difficult to prevent blotchiness. Eventually I learned how to put just enough pressure on every part on the carving so that it would print the ink evenly. I ended up making a print that was as clean and solid as I could make it and decided to make it my final print.
Critique
Similarities
My final piece and my inspiration pieces by Alexis Lesnick have many similarities. As far as composition all the pieces consist of both plants and animals that are intertwined to create one cohesive image. The three pieces also have a similar use of space that prevent a crowded or busy looking image and direct the viewer to focus on the key elements. The vocal point of each image is an individual species which allows the viewer to appreciate the beauty of the animal. The small stacked lines facing various directions are also a similarity that suggest shadows and lighting. Each piece consists of a primarily white background with the vocal points and other elements being black. The key elements of the prints all stand out clearly against the stark background. The three prints all stare a calming and serene tone due to their clean yet detailed style that consisted of sharp edges and flowing lines.
Differences
One difference between my block print and my inspiration is the elements of my image are resting on the ground while the subjects of Alexis's prints have a more implied sense of depth with no ground. Because if this difference my piece presents a much more completed scene that provides more context for the viewer while my inspiration pieces perhaps leave more up to interpretation. The animal in my image also has less white space than my inspiration. The background of my image contains a splintered texture which my inspiration does not have. I feel as though my image also has a slightly more serious feel to it due to the subject being rooted in environmental awareness and climate justice while Alexis's prints simply focus on the beauty of the creatures.
My final piece and my inspiration pieces by Alexis Lesnick have many similarities. As far as composition all the pieces consist of both plants and animals that are intertwined to create one cohesive image. The three pieces also have a similar use of space that prevent a crowded or busy looking image and direct the viewer to focus on the key elements. The vocal point of each image is an individual species which allows the viewer to appreciate the beauty of the animal. The small stacked lines facing various directions are also a similarity that suggest shadows and lighting. Each piece consists of a primarily white background with the vocal points and other elements being black. The key elements of the prints all stand out clearly against the stark background. The three prints all stare a calming and serene tone due to their clean yet detailed style that consisted of sharp edges and flowing lines.
Differences
One difference between my block print and my inspiration is the elements of my image are resting on the ground while the subjects of Alexis's prints have a more implied sense of depth with no ground. Because if this difference my piece presents a much more completed scene that provides more context for the viewer while my inspiration pieces perhaps leave more up to interpretation. The animal in my image also has less white space than my inspiration. The background of my image contains a splintered texture which my inspiration does not have. I feel as though my image also has a slightly more serious feel to it due to the subject being rooted in environmental awareness and climate justice while Alexis's prints simply focus on the beauty of the creatures.
Reflection
Through this project I was able to navigate the process of learning and experimenting with an entirely new medium. At first block printing seemed intimidating because it seemed entirely different from the art I typically make such as acrylic paintings and clay sculptures. However I thoroughly enjoyed each stage in the process and learned to love this new medium. The planning phase was definitely the most difficult because without having any prior experience with block printing I found it difficult to come up with a concept that would best compliment this medium while also working within its limitations. While learning about Alexis Lesnick and studying her artwork I fell in love with her style and incredible talent and felt even more inspired to create a block print of my own. After completing thorough research and planning sketches I felt excited to execute my piece. The carving process took a lot of concentration and seemed quite tedious at times but when it came time to print I felt extremely rewarded by my efforts. I was able to gain experience throughout the process which helped my confidence and even pushed me to add further details that I previously did not feel I was able to execute properly. Ultimately I feel I was able to properly display my inspiration in my work through the similar composition and style of all the pieces. I believe my final piece is a symbol of our impact as humans and should encourage us all to fully appreciate the beauty and strength of nature.
Connection to the ACT
1) Clearly identify how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The style in my inspiration through Alexis's use of line and composition were key elements I wanted to incorporate in my own piece. Her themes of nature and animals were impacted my decision for the elements in my own work.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors that I read approached the topic of environmental justice with the perspective that climate change is a serious issue and is influencing nature in extreme negative ways.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture etc. while you researched your inspiration?
The beauty of nature can be interpreted and expressed in many ways. Alexis Lensnick's approach to depicting the natural world is far different from the way a realism artist may do so. However the simplified composition and intentional choice of line seem to almost further accentuate the beauty of the creatures in her work.
4) What was the cultural idea or theme around your inspirational research?
A culture of mistreatment towards the earth and a general disregard for human impact has led to the current state of crisis our planet is in.
5) What kinds of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Being intentional about the style you want to display in your work by making sure each detail is well thought out. The choices an artist makes regarding each element such as color, line, and contrast can add to the complexity and aesthetic of their piece.
The style in my inspiration through Alexis's use of line and composition were key elements I wanted to incorporate in my own piece. Her themes of nature and animals were impacted my decision for the elements in my own work.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors that I read approached the topic of environmental justice with the perspective that climate change is a serious issue and is influencing nature in extreme negative ways.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture etc. while you researched your inspiration?
The beauty of nature can be interpreted and expressed in many ways. Alexis Lensnick's approach to depicting the natural world is far different from the way a realism artist may do so. However the simplified composition and intentional choice of line seem to almost further accentuate the beauty of the creatures in her work.
4) What was the cultural idea or theme around your inspirational research?
A culture of mistreatment towards the earth and a general disregard for human impact has led to the current state of crisis our planet is in.
5) What kinds of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Being intentional about the style you want to display in your work by making sure each detail is well thought out. The choices an artist makes regarding each element such as color, line, and contrast can add to the complexity and aesthetic of their piece.
Citations (MLA Format)
Alexis Lesnick. The Handbook. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.thehandbook.com/influencer/alexis-lesnick/
Fowler, R. (n.d.). Linocut techniques, tools, supplies, ink and beginner tips - linocut artist: Boarding all rows. Linocut Artist | Boarding All Rows. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.boardingallrows.com/linocut-process
Nathalie, S., Nathalie Seddon Nathalie Seddon http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1880-6104 Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Seddon, N., Nathalie Seddon http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1880-6104 Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Chausson, A., Alexandre Chausson Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Berry, P., Pam Berry Environmental Change Institute, Girardin, C. A. J., Cécile A. J. Girardin Environmental Change Institute, Smith, A., Alison Smith http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2649-2202 Environmental Change Institute, Turner, B., Beth Turner Nature-based Solutions Initiative, One contribution of 20 to a theme issue ‘Climate change and ecosystems: threats, & Al., E. (2020, January 27). Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2019.0120