about the author: final prints

The printing process brought up some surprises, some pleasant, some not so!

• It was the first time I had used the greyboard stamp method mentioned earlier, which was risky, and really I should have practiced it. That said, I did it with only one design to test that it lines up and would actually print which it did before investing time into making the stamps for the remaining four designs.

• I suppose it wasn't completely unexpected, but printing brings about missed registrations and faded prints! Going into this I was adamant to avoid all of these, but as I was printing and these came out I actually quite enjoyed the look of them. I do like these anyway, but wondered if these would suit my prints- and I think they do! I think in general it just makes things look a little less clinical and more unique, but in context of Murakami- well nothing in his books are perfect or normal! 

• There are limits to how faded or misregistered a print can be though. I made roughly ten of each design, and didn't get as many good prints as I thought I could- which was a shame considering that I'd spent a bit of money on the paper and spent a lot of effort in the process but it's a good job I did so many considering the results.

• Despite making a printing template to use a lot of the prints didn't quite match that when I got to my second layer. As such I had to eyeball and adjust a few of the prints as I made them, but because of this I'm glad I printed a few copies of each on cartridge paper so I wouldn't be wasting all good paper.

This print is my favourite, in terms of composition and print results. I was apprehensive to the black marks at the bottom of the print, but now I think they give it a bit more life and impression of a ground. I had some issues with the top head's hair looking odd and had to 'trim it' so now he doesn't match the bottom one, but I think this also adds a little to the idea of parallels- the same but different.

I was worried about this print not lining up but using a bleed on my block really helped with this! I also think it looks better here than on the digital design, despite or rather in spite of being imperfect.

Again the imperfections seem quite charming. It reminds me of 60s print making, though I couldn't pinpoint who's. 

This print was a huge struggle! I measured the stamp to fit the other lino block, and thought I was being clever by doing so but all along I had cut the yellow too short and should have left it. None of the prints came out particularly well because of this and I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to enter any of this design in my final set or have to redo them, but with reassurance from a tutor I was told that one of them was good enough and that the imperfections match the series! I'm still hesitant about this print, but I feel like it is better to at least submit the whole set.

I also forgot to add the white shape of the man in the water which also affects the design, but I can only hope that what is supposed to be his face looks like an additional abstract design. It's not good.

I thought this design would be one of my least favourites- concerned that it would be too simple but in the end that worked out for it in print making! It resulted in good prints, technically, but I also think that the added detail of the natural print process adds something more to it making it look less boring.

As a set I think they work together well, when lined together they have a good balance of black, white and yellow. They all have that moody strange atmosphere of Murakami that I wanted to achieve, and their shared imperfections and print effects compliment each other nicely. I'm quite pleased with them, but working so closely with them for so long it's hard to see them positively.