Being an adult, you would think you would be able to keep your clothes clean at least for one day, but when it comes to being an art major that goes out the window in just one class. Being clean is a thing of the past when it comes to doing anything involving ink, clay, or even just being in an art studio itself. The Colossal Print outreach event that was held at my school is no exception, by the end of the day my whole outfit was covered in oil-based ink that can’t be removed.
My shirt had stains from the front to the back and my jeans had ink from the thighs to my knees and even on my back pocket! However, despite being coated in ink from my eyebrows to my shoes I had a great time working with the schools that came out for the event. I even got to meet some local artists and saw friends who had transferred return to campus for the event. Though, the best part of the event had to be seeing two of my professors drive a steamroller to make our prints.
Doing such a large project strengthened my resolve to anting to do a large-scale woodblock for my CAPSTONE but it also gave me a bigger appreciation for printmakers. The time and the detail not to mention how long it takes to ink a block to get just one good print is an art, and it’s all because so much time goes into each stop. However, sometimes the wood isn’t your friend giving you splinters and soaking up all the ink to the point you have to put a lot more on than you thought you would, but, still, it’s worth it to hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ that are murmured throughout the crowd once that fabric is pulled off a woodblock not to mention the laughs once you realize most of the ink got on you and not on the block.