Lino Cuts

As I was leaving for Cirencester, I was called to ask if I could provide four linocuts for the College exhibition. The sting was they were needed by Monday lunchtime. So I said maybe and left. This morning I rose early and went to investigate. Over the last two days, I have made several decisions. These linocuts are to illustrate a book containing the Border ballad, Sir Patrick Spens. So I wanted to put the appropriate text and linocut on the same page which is designed to be A5 in size. Two are printed on the same A4 sheet. This meant laying out the text. By 1030, that was done. (Bodoni font). The final book will be a modified concertina. 

I cut a template out of stiff card which is exactly A5 in size but has a 3 inch square hole cut in it so that each lino cut would fit in snugly. I then ran into terrible trouble with ink and left it all to go out to lunch.

 

When I cam back, I decided that everything I had in the way  of inks would not do except for some vermilion red. So I tried and the first one was horrible. But the next four were fine.

The above photo shows the setup for pressing. It is a sandwich consisting of a wooden board, an old coverboard, the template with the lino cut inserted, an A5 piece of Bockingford inkjet paper (like highclass watercolour paper). These are on the right. On the left is the other half of the sandwich. At the bottom,  a wooden board, then a coverboard then a pad of four layers of thick felt.

Above is the paper moved from right to left showing the linocut in its template.

 

Above are four samples with their linocuts.

The final four sheets. The final version will probably be black but I may mix the colours. One important change will be in the wording. It does not ring true in places. I have checked on the web and all the versions are the same. Well tough. They do not sound right. I have already changed some wording but there are more serious errors of language and I am going to try and get a Lallans dictionary. Oh and yes. The moon is upside down.