I Messed Up Carving

Welcome back my printmaking nerds! 🤝In this week's issue:

• Owning Mistakes

• Advanced Carving Technique

• Holiday Update

Let's dive in…

Owning Mistakes

Once upon a time (back in October), I started carving a block I started referring to as “The Fat Man.” The image is actually of Simon Lord Lovat, a criminal on his way to his trail for sedition against the crown. The original was etched in the 18th century by the English artist William Hogarth.

The etching is a study on the psychology of criminals. Everything about the etching exudes pure genius, Lovat counts with his fingers the Highland clans he incited to rebel against the crown, while looking utterly mischievously sitting on a gilded chair ironically crowed by cupids. The cynicism is just epic.

When I saw this etching, I knew I had to give this a try. Not because of the history of the subject, but because of the technical skill and ridiculous appearance of Lovat. He exuded decadence and arrogance that we still see in the ultra rich today.

At first I was going to attempt to make an exact copy of this etching, but that was clearly not going to happen. After transferring the image to the block, I realized that a lot of the small details were going to be a giant pain to carve out.

Since it was still October, I decided to add in some Halloween motifs. A tall black candle, a witches hat and even a pumpkin. I was clearly not realizing how long this would take to carve.

Once I set to carve, I stupidly carved all of the wall behind Lovat. I was shooting for clearing the space around the candle, but I totally butchered the shape of the candle. So, all of the background had to go. I decided to add in a Starbucks cup on the table instead, and recognizing that carving his eyes would be a nightmare, I gave him some stunner shades. The pumpkin idea and the hat were scraped too.

One big small mistake was made at the beginning which forced me to pivot my design completely. Instead of a Halloween piece, it would be a piece about the ridiculousness of wealth and status. Yet, there was still the question of the giant white background, behind Lovat.

Being that Art Basel Miami was just around the corner, I decided that the most ridiculous art installation to ever come from that fair would suit the background well. Let’s just say that it will be bananas!

Advanced Carving Techniques

Another reason why I chose this particular etching was that it is a visual masterclass in creating advanced lines and turning of the form.

As I mentioned last week, the turning of the form, or making subject look three dimensional, is one of my current struggles with printmaking. Coming from the painting background, this habit is still hard to shake. Not only can the use of lines, patterns, and textures make a subject looks three dimensional, but it can bring a new perspective to your blocks. Here are some of the things I have been trying.

Negative Space

We know that all prints can benefit from this. Start by using a 1 or 2 mm u gouge and carve the whole outline of your block. When you have carved the outline of your main image, use a larger gauge to clear out the rest of the linocut. This will crate large white areas in your block - making your main subject stand out.

Weight of Line

This is something we all do whether you are conscious or not. When you write with a pencil you can determine how much pressure you apply downward. This pressure will make a thin or thick line, this is the weight of the line. This same principal applies in painting, and even drawing. With linocut we can recreate this effect by carefully carving out a line in two easy steps.

First, you carve one side of your preferred line, then in a second stroke the other side. Sounds kinda anticlimactic, but it’s just that easy and time consuming as it sounds. This process of dividing up a line to top and bottom cut, allows us to willingly determine its thickness. You can use this same process for a white line on a black background.

Square Problems

Inevitably in carving you will come along a right angle or a dreaded corner. The best way to tackle this is by once again doing two cuts. Using a knife cut away from the corner, in the direction that will not have lino, just in case your hand slips. Once you have used the knife to score the linocut, with a small u gouge, remove the material and you will achieve a nice sharp corner.

Tone aka Shading

When I used to sell my drawings, the most common compliment I would get was “I love the shading here.” What they referred to was the tone, the small gradual variation of graphite that fools the eyes.

With linocut, there this can be done with either lines, small dots or even patterns. This is a terribly time consuming process, but when done right it can create a sense of depth that is unmatched. The way I do this is by using a 1 mm v gouge and literally scrape a bit of the material in random patterns. Momento Mori is one of my prints where I went all all with this technique.

The Tapered Line

Very similar to the weight of the line is the tapered line. Alex Carmona is a master of the tapered line, if you are not familiar with his work, then check your wallet and grab a dollar. The faces of the Presidents were etched using this technique, with lines that contour faces, clothes and body shapes.

This effect is commonly done with a v gouge, as you carve. The deeper you carve the wider your line will be. The shallower you go the line will begin to taper. I tend to use the technique on large black areas. I love using this technique when working on animals because I can use the white line to create a sense of texture in fur or feathers.

The angle your gouge will also determine the width of the final line. If you make a steep cut this will result in a wide line, the shallower and more horizontal the tools is the smaller and finer the line will be.

If you want a visual reference for these techniques, then stay tuned to my YouTube channel where I will be publishing a long format video going over how to implement these techniques.

Holiday Update

If you watched my last reel, then you probably already know that I am extending my Holiday Sale! Through the webstore at www.danielvillaart.com, you can purchase a print, clothing, or other item at a discounted price.

Here is the recap of the news!

• Free Shipping until 12/10/22

• Extended Discounts until 12/31/22 (New Years Eve)

If you would like to make an order and get it before the holidays then here are some important postage dates!

• Hanukkah: order by December 9th

• Christmas: order by December 17th

• Kwanzaa: order by December 18th

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Before You Go

If you are still wondering what will go in the background of Lord Lovat, here is a clue: it involves duck tape and soft fruit. Think you know what it is? Then let me know. If not, then stay tuned for next week’s newsletter!

Do you have a printmaking or artist-related question you want me to answer? Click here.

Thanks for reading. See ya next week.

-Daniel