In this image I used a process that is somewhat familiar and somewhat novel. Relief printing is something I have done many times and really enjoy. The blue stingray on the homepage of this site is an example of a lino cut print I did as a demo in practicum.
Printing on Styrofoam plates however, is something I have never done before. I eased into the activity with little anxiety but had a few moments of apprehension throughout the process. The first one being about how much pressure to apply when making the plate and how detailed the lines would be printed. The second time occurred during printing when I was worried I would accidentally get extra ink on my page because my hands were messy. After printing I came to realize the amount of detail that can be expected when printing with Styrofoam. This will no longer cause me anxiety as I am aware of the process. I also remembered a trick I used to use in art school to keep your paper clean. Fold a small rectangle of card stock in half to use like a pair of tongs to lift the corners of your paper off the plate. This way your dirty hands only come in contact with the card stock and not the paper.
The content of this image also speaks to my, sometimes, desired reaction to the anxiety I feel. I call it, “Screamer”. In certain situations, like when I feel I am going to be late for something, my anxiety mounts so quickly that I feel the extreme need to scream though I rarely, if ever, do. It is a gruesome feeling and I don’t like how I feel when this happens so I felt a monstrous depiction was warranted.
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