Kitzalia Lino-print (F/f, feet)

[scavenger]

This is the result of an artistic experiment I started a while ago, but only finished yesterday.
Lino printing is a technique I learned way back at art school, but I haven't used it until now. It consists of transferring your drawing onto a piece of linoleum (old fashioned -easy to cut- brown linoleum) and then cut away all the parts that will become white (transparent) in the finished print. This must all be done mirrored, of course.
Of course one could easily get these effects far easier in an art program like Illustrator, but I kinda enjoy the process of cutting and printing by hand, and the result is strikingly "medieval" in feel (which is why I chose to do a Kitzalia drawing) 🙂

The image you see is scanned "as is". It is an unmanipulated scan of the actual print. Even the paper was hand stained to resemble parchment.

For those not familiar with the Dutch language, the text below the picture is in "mock" medieval dutch. Translated it says: "Kitzalia - How she tortured Maryke's feet".

 

[eagphilly]

Wow, that take some skill!!
I salute you, that is a wonderful job!! It's always nice to see artists try different things *is inspireded*
Funtastic picture! Your hard work was well worth it =D

 

[Low_Roads]

Fascinating! This picture looks exactly like an old-time woodcut (which, in effect, is what I suppose it is), right down to the antiquated font style (it recalls 15th century pamphlet illustrations I've seen featuring Vlad Tepes... this is more felicitous subject matter, of course!) It certainly delivers an ambiance that would be difficult to achieve with any other technique: the bold reliance on black , the fine-line shading, the "fading" at the borders. The overall effect is certainly eloquent of hands-on craftsmanship! And the design, with its heavy reliance on oppressive, dramatic shadowing and askew angles takes full advantage of this unique style (a stocking scenario is perfect, in terms of the time period as well as the wood-grain motif)! This could easily be an illustration from the Tickelus Maleficarum... what you had in mind, perhaps?

 

[Kalamos]

Oh, lino-print!
Tried something like that when I was young[er].

...

🙂

 

[scavenger]

Scribesan: Thank you! Not having access to certain tools (heating plate, printing press) makes the carving/cutting and printing really labourous, but I've discovered some tricks on the way to make it go easier. 🙂
It's nice to see these wacky art experiments are appreciated! 🙂

Littlebighead:Thank you! Actually its not a wood cut; It's cut from linoleum, which is far softer and easier to cut than wood. The print looks very similar though. Because I am printing without the aid of a press, there's always going to be some "faded" parts, but as you noticed, these add to the medieval feel.
It's not intended to be a page from the Tickleus Maleficarum.

The Tickleus would be a manuscript similar to such handwritten books like the Book of Kells or the Bohemian Codex Gigas. It would contain the techniques of Tickle Torture, and was in existence before Kitzalia got her hands on a copy of it (though the original text has probably extended with Kitzalia's own findings by the illustrious Pastor Krank)
The time in which Kitzalia lives is the 12th century, roughly 10 years after the end of the Second Crusade. Manuscripts were the only way to copy books back then.
In the 15th century book (woodcut) printing started in Europe. Several decennia prior to that, wood block-printing was used for pictures and playing cards. One could imagine my print resembles an illustration of a typical medieval folk-tale about an inquisitress who lived 300 years earlier...

Kalamos: Thanks! Indeed, for me it also has been some time since my printing experiments at art school (which was in high school; I went studying animation afterwards). But I still hold some fascination for the medium, and that's why I started on this 🙂

 

[Kalamos]

The Tickleus would be a manuscript similar to such handwritten books like the Book of Kells or the Bohemian Codex Gigas.

Or the Lindisfarne Gospels, or...

...

Kalamos: Thanks! Indeed, for me it also has been some time since my printing experiments at art school (which was in high school; I went studying animation afterwards).

Love it.

I remember doing it when I was... well, my parents had me do some sunday art school, and make sure I would grow up as sick with art - which does not pay, they used to say - as possible.

So, I was 10 or 12.
And I still remember cutting my fingers to ribbons in the damp, rainy afternoon, while trying to carve up the lino tile for printing...
Despite jeopardising my decimal maths abilities, I was able to finish the blasted thing.

Guess what I did carve?
Mario and Luigi. The plumbers from the new [back then] Nintendo games.

...

Those were times...

 

[The Bandito]

What can I say, Scav..... except that you never cease to amaze.

I always hated print making myself. I have absolutely no talent for it ^^

I feel the darkness and the multi-line texture fits well with your drawig style.

Its so efreshing to see actual "ol' school" artistic ability. Makes me feel like I'm not the only one out there that still uses bristol and ink to make my pics XD

Nice work, my friend:

B

 

[scavenger]

Kalamos: I actually went to full-time art school, and there we had classes that would focus on painting, life drawing, printing, etc. My favourite printing technique at the time was by etching and engraving. On the side I followed saturday morning art school... It was there that I first experimented with lino printings.
The came animation, miniature painting, the use of acrylics and the start of the digital age, and I kinda forgot about "manual printing". until recently I dusted off the old tools for this project. 🙂

Bandito: Thanks! Glad you like it! 🙂 Bristol eh? I remember doing ink drawings on bristol during life-drawing classes. I abandoned the material for aquarel paper when I started colouring my comics.

 

[His Divine Shadow]

The lettering reminds me tremendously of the style used in older tapestries and, especially, those old books with illustrations scattered throughout. The picture itself follows that pattern splendidly. Unfortunately I can't empathize with the creation side of the work like others above (I have no artistic talents to speak of in any way) but the product is marvelous! :happy:

 

[pitticklinger1]

haha, nice feet tickling pick! i think its worth the time it took you to draw it

 

[scavenger]

HDS: Glad you like it! indeed, I based the lettering on a medieval font (I studied lettering on medieval tarot cards for inspiration) Thanks!

pitticklinger: Thank you! It was not the drawing that took a lot of time, but the cutting and carving of the linoleum printing sheet.

 

[*TheBloodWolf*]

great work. keep up the great work.

 

[scavenger]

Thank you, Bloodwolf! 🙂

 

[*TheBloodWolf*]

you are welcome scavenger01 *bows*

 

[Rgevskiy1]

Great work, master Scav! =)

 

[scavenger]

Thank you, Rgevskiy! 🙂

 

[kopfhorer1]

Your work looks a lot like a bookplate. I wouldn't mind having that image on one! I can just see "Ex Libris" and then the owners name underneath that in place of your caption!. It would certainly raise the eyebrows of anyone who borrowed my books!