FOSSI IMAGES
  • Home
  • Linocuts
  • Traditional
  • Digital
  • Royal Tyrrell Project
  • Shop
  • Blog
Picture

Categories

All
Opinion
Reflections
Tutorial - Getting Started
Tutorial - Image Transfer

What now?!

3/7/2019

2 Comments

 
 Greetings!

I've made quite a few changes since the end of the year and my first artisan fair with Market Collective in December.  One thing that I really wanted to address, is that I wanted to have a broader range of content for all animal lovers, not just birders!  So I have been branching out to Canadian wildlife.  I am not so rigid as to only reside on half a continent for my subject matter, but it just seemed like a natural starting point!  Never fear bird lovers, this does not mean I will be abandoning our bird friends, more to come in the future.

Another change to my practice that some may have already noticed (hopefully some care), is that I am trying to develop my watercolour/gouache painting skills.  This means that I am trying going to be trying to do less ink and wash images, and more pure painting (whatever that means).  I am not abandoning my original love of the arts, drawing.  I am just trying to hone my skills as I am a fledgling watercolourist.  And besides, most good paintings start with a great drawing!

In fact, I have been trying to push my drawing skills with more sketchbooking and mammal studies.  (Seen Below)
​I'd also like to take this opportunity to look at one of the first watercolours I ever produced (early 2018), versus one I did just a couple weeks ago. (hopefully it is apparent which is which, otherwise I am on the wrong track!)
I'd like to continue to explore different watercolour techniques and focus a little more on building interesting compositions.  I have recently completed my first "full scene" with a background landscape.  While I love doing animal portraits and a more illustrative focus, I like the idea of playing with more complex relationships of foreground/background and subject.

I am also trying to give up a little control.  One of the reasons I am drawn to watercolour is that it is very easy to give up control if you allow the medium to do what it does (it has a mind of its own unlike most mediums that tend to stop moving a fraction of a second after you release your hand, watercolour can keep going as long as there is water to move to.

That said, I am not looking to give up complete control.  I tend to find myself in the middle between realism and painterly.  I am, for now trying to avoid any nibs that allow me to fall into a level and control and trying to work exclusively with brushes, whether it's paint or ink at the end of my brush.

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of where I'm trying to go next, and even more hopefully, I can produce some excellent results (even while learning)!  

Thanks for taking a look!

​Eric
2 Comments
Nancy
9/8/2019 09:45:59 am

Thanks for deconstructing the Lino process. I’m totally new to it and am wanting to learn as much as I can. You mentioned you use grey markers - I’ve read this and can see from videos that people use this process. But I don’t understand it. Can you describe how it’s done and why?

Reply
Eric Fossi
9/9/2019 06:04:35 am

Hi Nancy,

The grey markers have 2 purposes.

1. Because the lino can be hard to see where you've carved due to the contrast of light grey against black guidelines, using a medium dark grey marker can help you to see where you've carved as it reduces the contrast between the guidelines but increases the contrast of cut lino vs uncut lino.

2. When you are doing a reduction lino and you are going to make multiple cuts after printing your first colour layer, markers can be used to show you the first, second third carve, as you can vary the tone. Also alcohol shouldn't wash off if you aren't using aggressive cleaners on your block between printings.

Hope this helps!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Linocuts
  • Traditional
  • Digital
  • Royal Tyrrell Project
  • Shop
  • Blog