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Hello! My name is Adrienne Ledbetter.
I'm a printmaker, living in Shizuoka, Japan.
Today, I'm going to show you
how to do a basic linocut with multiple plates.
Our first plate is the image of Mt Fuji itself. So...
When you make a linocut, you have to remember
that the image that you're making will be in reverse
after you print it.
That means the famous features of Mt Fuji, like the Hoeijishin
(the Hoei eruption site), have to be in reverse.
The areas that you cut away on a linocut plate will be the areas that will remain white.
The areas that you leave will be covered by the ink.
You have to think of it as a sort of 'negative' image,
or 'white line' image. That's why I'm focusing on and
cutting away at the snowy cap, and leaving the rest of the mountain body.
This print will actually consist of
five plates; a background plate
(which will make up the sky), this image of Fuji,
and several layers of foreground,
coming up to the seashore.
This image is actually my daily view of Mt. Fuji.
So, during the hottest months of the summer,
you can't see the mountain because of the mist. But now that it's a little bit
cooler,
I can see it like this almost everyday.
An important part of making linocut
prints is that you have to simplify
the image. You can't get too fussy, you can't get too detailed.
Especially with landscape prints like this, it's best to just give the viewer
the impression of the place.
Yeah... don't get too fussy with it. It's really best to just let the quality
of the materials show. It can speak a lot about you
as a printmaker.
For example, it's a creative decision
of mine to make the shoreline pretty vague.
The closest layer to us in the foreground is quite dark.
This is because the coastline in Shizuoka is really industrialized.
I'd prefer not to show it.
Because I'll be printing the sky first and printing Mt. Fuji over top,
I've got to cut away at this entire skyline
on the Mt. Fuji plate.
When you cut away at big open spaces like this, you're always running the risk of getting
ink into the spot. I really don't recommend
having big open spaces like this for beginners.
Alright, so... we're nearly finished with this plate....
Smooth out a couple of spots... Make sure I don't have any high ridges...
Ok! I think we're good!
Alright, the Fuji plate is finished.
Next, let's work on some of the foreground layers,
the mountains, and shoreline.
In the years that I've lived in Shizuoka,
I've never seen Fuji look the same twice.
Everyday, he---
----(I don't know, is Mt. Fuji a 'he'?) Well, 'he' never looks
the same twice.
Mt. Fuji and hills surrounding it really do have their own character.
Alright... So, like the Fuji plate, I'm clearing
away the background. Bit by bit by bit.
I'm also going to try and make it as tidy as possible.
That way, I can get a really clean impression....
And I'm done with the plate.
So, let's move on to the next plate. I'm doing the same thing here.
Wow, I'm really building up a pile of shavings.
So, we've also got to do the same thing here. Completely remove
the background, so that the Mt. Fuji plate and the previous foreground plates
will show through. And just like with the previous plate
I've got to make sure
that it's as clean and tidy as possible and don't have any leftover ridges.
Alright, so I'm nearly finished. You can see this one in comparison to the other plates.
So, here are all the plates together. I went ahead and did the last little one
off-camera.
If you enjoyed today's video, please check out my
online shop, NamariPrints on Etsy.com.
You can also check me out on Facebook,
under http://www.facebook.com/NamariPrints.
On the Facebook page,
you find discount codes and the latest news about what I'm doing here
in Japan. Thank you and have a good day!