To summarise my printmaking module, I feel I have successfully been introduced to the print studio and processes, though I have not yet had a chance to try silkscreen printing, which I would like to try next term in my own time.
I found keeping a reflective blog of my progress difficult initially but once I got used to it I found it a logical and visually interesting way to evaluate myself. I found myself really having to think about objectives like 'visual sensibility' and 'active participation' and now feel equipped to talk about my progress in all modules with more confidence.
I feel the technique I most got to grips with was mono printing, as I used it for my final piece an I like the unique and fairly unpredictable results it produces. This is surprising, as I initially hated mono printing, and found it difficult, having never tried it before.
Here's a picture of the best prints I made this term - I put them all out out on the floor to help me decide what to include in my portfolio.
There's also a video.
+Bring an old towel and nailbrush, there's never paper towels in the print room. The ink gets everywhere, and you'll need to wash your hands a lot to make sure you don't make your paper dirty.
+Have an old shirt to wear over your clothes/wear old clothes - there's a few aprons in the print room but they won't cover your arms etc, and the ink doesn't wash out.
+Use different coloured pens for mono printing (when you use the same image to make repeat prints you won't get confused about which bits of the outline you've already gone over).
+Update your blog at least weekly, so you don't forget what you've been doing and where you're going. I found it really helpful to blog about each session directly after as it consolidated the ideas in my mind as well as reminding me what to focus on next time.
