Linocut in Progress: Making and making use of rejects

I was reasonably happy with the orange-to-yellow blend of Step 3, but it didn't seem to have quite the OOMPH that I wanted. Enter the uses for the "reject prints" that I keep in the rotation as I work.

Ordinarily my "tester/rejects" are nothing to look at: just bad registration and bad color choices, so I don't take photos of them. This is unfortunate, because I can't show you just how far Reject 1 had deviated from the rest of the edition already. At Step 1 I had run the initial background twice, and Step 2 went on really dark. Step 3 was printed like the rest of the edition, but for Step 4 I first mixed an opaque orange with lots of my new Handschy white in it. Disaster!

I do NOT like this Handschy white, I'm afraid. It's too.... varnish-y... or something. It's runny out of the can, but overbearing on the roller. And a b@#$% to clean off rollers and blocks. I don't use any solvents, only mineral oil for clean up, and this white just doesn't want to let go. I've ordered some Graphic Chemical white to try instead. Darn that Daniel Smith for not making ink anymore.

So... sorry I can't show you the mess at this point, but you'll just have to trust me that you'll see it later.

Step 4: Another orange-to-yellow blend.

Step 4

Okay. It's not exactly what I was after, but it will have to do. Now to tone down that orange. I want to cool off the color temperature but not resort to opaque ink. (Partly because I am struggling with that white.) Might not be possible.

Step 5: The wrong color

Whoa. Definitely not what I was aiming for. I tried using a transparent purple-blue here, but the result was wayyyyyy too red. At least I have Reject 2 in the rotation now.

Step 5: Still not right, but better.

Well. Okay. This is less harsh than that red, but not the cooler tone I was hoping for. There's a lot of blue in it, but I moderated it with a little umber. Hopefully it will influence the next layer in appropriate ways.

Step 7: Getting there, but GEEZ.

Hm. Again not exactly what I wanted, but clearly I am not in charge here. It's swinging back to a cooler color temperature, but I think it's time to just surrender and let the print take me where it wants to go.