Digital vs. Analog

I have learned a fascinating and unexpected new technique for creating relief prints. However, I hate it. I do not think I will ever use it once this class is over. You see, I have learned something valuable about my favorite art medium: just like everything else, it is about the journey rather than the destination. I don’t carve because I love the incredibly stark images created by the black and white shapes, or the texture of the dried ink on the printed image. I carve because I love the whispered conversation between the blade and the product. I carve because the mistakes only improve upon the composition. I carve because linocutting is a craft that crashes the fine-art-circle-jerk party. I carve because it is a middle finger to the digital universe encroaching upon mine without consent. But I never realized this until I side-stepped the entire method.

I have (practically simultaneously) been practicing two very different "carving" techniques, both of which I run through a printing press. The following is an exploration of those processes.
I have (practically simultaneously) been practicing two very different “carving” techniques, the results of which I run through a printing press. The following is an exploration of those two processes.

 

Technique Number One: Traditional Carving
Technique Number One: Traditional Carving
Step One: I transfer the image using graphite paper and a pencil
Step One: I transfer the image using graphite paper and a pencil
Step Two: I carve the image using a tool called a gouge (on the streets its called a “speedball”)
Step Three: I carve away all the negative space (because negative space belongs in my trash can)
Technique Number Two: Computer-Aided Design
Technique Number Two: Computer-Aided Design
Step One: Using TinkerCAD's built-in image generator, I import my image then size my stamp.
Step One: Using TinkerCAD’s built-in image generator, I import my image then size my stamp.