I treated myself to some really lovely quality paper and new printing inks in beautiful gold and copper, thinking they would be perfect for Christmas.
The paper is the sort that you have to order a minimum amount and comes in a really large size, so you have to cut it down to the sizes you want before you begin, which really focusses you to what you actually want to print. I've cut the paper to the differing sizes, the new ink is out and I've selected the lino I want to print, put my apron on and a bit of background noise and I'm set for a good few hours of printing...or so I think.
The ink is very different to what I normally use, it is oil based for starters and it just isn't rolling out like I would expect it to but I push through. I roll the ink onto the first print and feel a bit of relief that the gold ink looks really nice on the print, so all I was thinking now was, just don't mess up getting the expensive ink on the expensive paper!
I hand press my prints, so I'm moving across the paper ensuring that all the areas are being caught and getting enough pressure and then it is time for the big reveal but it is somewhat of an anti climax because it just isn't good. It is like a gold highlight of the print but no real substance, by that I mean you can still see the black paper underneath the gold. I wonder whether I haven't rolled the ink enough, so go again and try a smaller print but the same thing happens.
In the end, after trying again and again, I decided to cut my losses before wiping out an entire sheet of the quality paper and check online to see whether anyone else has struggled with this particular brand of ink, whether it is me and my usage of it or something else, but all in all, a very disappointing printing session.
I feel if a printing session doesn't go well, there is that itch that you want to scratch, that you want to go again and get it better - you want the print to work, on the right paper with the ink you've chosen and when it doesn't, it just sits around like a dark cloud because I am literally sitting in the room with the evidence that it hasn't worked hanging from my drying rack!
Time to make a coffee and dwell on what went wrong....