19 July 2006

Finger Printing

This next print includes some objects that look like rocks. To give the rock-shapes more body I wanted to create some softly shadowed edges, and I decided to try using my hands and fingers for burnishing instead of a baren. I figured that would give me the most control. 

I started by inking the edges of the shapes very lightly. Then I placed the damp paper over the block and carefully felt for and then traced the edges of the raised shapes with my fingers. Periodically I lifted the paper to see how much pigment was transferring. It was challenging at first to be consistent with both the amount of pigment and the amount of pressure from my fingers, but after a few impressions I began to get a feel for it. Here's the result after going through the process with three different blocks: 

And here's a closeup of the texture that was created: 

I loved using my hands like this, and my repetitive-stress-injured hands loved it too!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Annie,

Very nice rocks in the making.

There has been talk of stress injured hands and I am concerned that you may still be clearing your blocks with small hand tools. If you use any plywood this job can be double trouble. It is essential to use a mallet with large clearing chisels - marunomi, sold as gouges at the Baren mall. It took me a year to get onto these tools and it was the best move I ever made. With these chisels I clear 99% of the waste. The job is done quickly and I save my hands.