In this project, we used the media of printmaking, also known as a relief print. Printmaking is essentially carving into something to make a piece of art which you can reuse to make different styles. In my case, I carved my print into a linoleum block/soft block using carving tools. I did it by carving around the lines, leaving the positive space unharmed. After I finished, I stamped on paper with many different things such as black ink and different colored inks. I used many tools for stamping such as a brayer, ink, a bench hook, and plexi glass. I made many proofs on proof paper along with my final proofs on final paper. I then used other techniques like cutting paper to shape the elephant head on my print. I also used the hand coloring technique. These made the centerpiece pop compared to the rest of the different colored print. Overall, I learned that with print making, the different types of prints you can make is endless.
Reflection
Elephant Vision By: Matthew Evans
Subject Matter: My print is a great use of lines which surround an elephant head. The many different types of lines represent the crazy world around me while the elephant head represents the calmness of myself. This is important to me because I got to express my visual representation of my life through this expression of art.
Symbolism: I chose many different types of lines because it made my piece look crazy and in a good way, all over the place. I wanted to make my piece look mesmerizing, just the way life can be sometimes. The elephant head was the centerpiece that brought everything together. This shows how the simple things in life hold everything together. The orange and the blue in my piece represented craziness and calmness respectively.
Design and Techniques: I designed it this way because I wanted my piece to incorporate many lines. I chose many different lines which had different directions, different lengths, and had a difference in thickness. I started off with the elephant head and then just started drawing lines all around it. That’s how my process went. The techniques I used in my final drafts were the color technique and the paper cut-out technique.
Spanish Personification: Puedo estar tan loco como una ciudad. También puedo estar tan tranquilo como un elefante. Estas líneas crean caos en mi vida.