I cut the following (roughly A4) piece of lino using decent cutting tools.
I made the following notes as I cut:
To clarify, in the top third of the 24 boxes in the grid, I have cut lines of varying depth and pressure using Swiss Pfeil tools numbered 5, 7 (wide), 7, 9, 11, 12 and 15. The wide and shallowly-curved Japanese chisel tool has been used just before the last Pfeil tool (No 15). It created some interesting zig zag lines when swiveled left to right as I cut.
Using this same sequence running from left to right on the next, or middle third, this time I have created various gouge marks. The Pfeil No 7s were very leaf-like when doing a zigzagging gouge. Pfeil No 15 is reminiscent of flames, I thought. I was intrigued to see how it printed.
Again, using the same sequence, I used all 8 tools to create cross hatching effects for researching “shading” purposes. I feel that the v shaped blades are most useful for the purpose of highlighting areas, but where not too much light is in evidence, rather than cutting a whole area of lino away entirely, which would suggest a very strongly lit area.
I learned much from this Exercise. I shall use this to inform my texturing on the next Project (6), aka Task 2. For this, due to COVID-19, I shall be falling back to a sketch I did recently of “Bottle Alley” in St Leonard’s-on-Sea sea front.
Update:
Change of plan. I shall hold back on using bottle Alley and save it for the multi-block print Exercise for Project 7 (task 3). This is because there is more scope for colour variety and layering on Bottle Alley which would add to interest. Instead I shall be using a sketch from the summer for the single plate linocut as follows:
Maureen Walker's Introduction to Printmaking Blog 