My Favorite Inking Technique
Customers come into my booth at a festival and comment that by linoleum block prints look like photographs or say they don't look like other block prints they have seen. One attribute that sets my reduction prints apart from other printmakers is my use of the rainbow roll technique. As you can see in the photo above, I have blended gray tones, ranging from white to dark gray. I then roll into the colors carefully and roll them onto my block.
Rainbow roll printing has been used for centuries as a way to create subtle changes in color. This print by Utagawa Hiroshige employs the technique in the water, sky and mountain. The rainbow roll creates the illusion of depth known as arial perspective, using color to create space.
In my Woman's Best freind print, I used rainbow rolls to create the sunset and the mist on the mountain in the background. This is also a great way to print two colors at once. In the Marcy Field II print below, I used a rainbow roll to print the yellowy green at the bottom of the print which transitioned to a teal color in the mid section of the print. I used several rainbow rolls in this way. See if you can identify them.
Explore the unique collection of reduction process block prints at DCastleBabcockArt, where I bring each print to life with heart, color, and authenticity.
Contact me today to discover how handcrafted art can bring magnificence and meaning to your space.
