A while ago I decided to create a linocut of an eccentric and rather “unloved” looking building in Brighton – the Western Pavilion. This building was created as a domestic dwelling in the style of the famous Royal Pavilion, but has been bashed about a bit over the years, with unsympathetic adaptations and additions to add a shop front to it. You can read more about the building in my earlier blog entry.
I started with one block as the key to the image, to be printed in a dark colour. Here is a print from it, once carved.
This allowed me to check the image was working as planned. I then started another lino block for the colour. Instead of using a separate block for each colour, as I often do, I used the reduction technique. I carved out the sections that would remain white, then printed the first colour on several sheets of paper. I then carved out additional areas for each successive colour and printed again each time on the same sheets of paper, allowing the colours to dry between each re-printing. The result was this:-
The colours were printed using a water-based ink to save on drying time. I then printed the key block over the top using oil-based inks. Water-based inks are great, but I do find that the oil-based inks have stronger colours, so I often finish off with the darkest colour in oil-based ink as I can then just leave the edition to dry at leisure after that.
Here’s one of the final prints of the Western Pavilion peeking out at the corner of a busy shopping street in Brighton:-
