Firstly consider the marks you have been able to make. Does a theme spring to mind when you see them? They might remind you of the textures in a landscape or the effect of light on water. Can you see how they might be incorporated into a portrait or something more abstract?
Interesting questions. No I can’t readily see a theme and nothing instantly springs to mind for most of the marks I’ve made. The lines made with the narrow saw blade successfully translated into a feeling of movement and depth in my lotus plant prints and the brayer and push-pin produced finer lines than the my .5mm cutter could.
The effect of the soldering iron melting the lino is wonderful and it’s possible to make a flowing sharply curved line more quickly than using the lino cutters. I also found it very controllable and less likely to slip than the lino cutters. However, the cut is quite thick with slightly jagged edges – very attractive but not smooth-edged if you are looking for something precisely cut, such as my Project 8 fabric design.
I see these techniques becoming more useful as I move further through the course and I hope to incorporate them into something less formal, more abstract and perhaps layered and textured.
TactualTextiles 