Today was in two parts.

Photoshop
In the morning we looked at some aspects of Photoshop. It’s a programme I’ve used but in an older version, but have never totally got to grips with. I use another image manipulation programme I’ve had for ages called Fireworks which I’m comfortable with.

We’re all at different stages with this kind of stuff so the morning reflected that. I found it useful, particularly the use of the ‘magic wand’. I’m not going to go through all the things we did – as I see it mainly as a series of technical processes towards a more creative end, hopefully.

When I got home I downloaded the recommended app onto my Ipad – Photoshop Touch and played around with a couple of mono prints that I’d done the previous week. Firstly the ‘staircase’ print which was based on a sketchbook collage I did from a sketch taken from the museum in Lincolns Inn Fields. I liked the staircase because it was an interesting shape and I liked the way the light fell on it as I sketched it through the doorway. It seems to be endlessly adaptable and pleasing set of shapes. Secondly was the monoprint based on the ‘pieces of paper on the floor’ drawing we’d done with Chris. I used the paintbrush on the first, then magic wand and fill tools on the second two. On the last image, I layered the original drawing over the top of a cropped section of next to last image.

Printing session
in the afternoon session I took the print I’d done at home of Nantucket trees and printed it white on black paper. It was okay but  I think I smudged it each time. I also tried another monoprint based on the ‘pieces of paper drawing’. It took quite a long time to get a good image.

Next week we are having a ‘crit’ and we have to show sequences of work. I certainly feel I’ve learned a lot but through making enormous numbers of mistakes both in terms of ideas and practical techniques.

As always the other people in the group have done some amazing things. I feel I’ve been so tired through the printing sessions I haven’t looked around enough at what other people are doing.

At home this weekend I took a drawing from my sketchbook of tree bark I’d done at Lincolns Inn Fields and did a lino cut – I decided to do one colour. In the end I feel I may need to do more cuts on this. I traced the drawing but feel now that I would have been better just doing a few guide lines and then cutting freely into the lino – I ended up doing that in any case as I went on.
Certainly in this case, tracing seemed to be a barrier to getting fluid shapes.

I tried the print in dark grey and used oranges and pink. I tried colouring one of the grey prints with watercolour – not sure about this.

Tree bark lino print