Overview
This was my first project for my History of Graphic Design class. We had to create a black and white image, transfer it to a pine board, and chisel it out. Once the image had been carved out it would be inked and we would print an image.
The Concept: In the nineteenth century, Alphonse Mucha designed a large woodcut for the world famous actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt said "this image has immortalized me." I wanted to make an image that was based off of the original. I have heard people say that Scarlett Johansson is the most influential actress of our time, and according to several sources, she very well may be. So, I did an image of Johansson as a way of saying that she is more influential than Bernhardt was. Not only that, but it also shows that I aspire to be like Mucha one day with my design work. So, after 40-50 hours of finger-blistering work, some blood, and a freshly carved 30 inch board, I give you: Scarlett Johansson by Ben Mahaffey.
Steps: Below you will see several of the steps I went through. These steps range from finding inspirations, all the way to the final product.
Feedback: Please leave your feedback on the project, and if you like it, "Appreciate It" for me so more and more people can see it! I think this is by far the most exciting project I have worked on, and I plan to do more. All feedback is welcome, and it will not offend me.
Thanks for viewing, and enjoy!
This is the piece that was done by Mucha in the mid nineteenth century. I wanted the look of this poster, but I did not want to copy it. I knew I wanted to change the person and change around some of the text and fields of color. Below are two screen shots of my work on the computer.
After printing the image to the correct size, I needed to transfer it to my board so I would have a template to cut from. I used the wintergreen oil method to transfer the ink. Shortly into my project, I realized that I hadn't reversed the image like I need to. If I cut the image like it appears here, the final print would appear reverse. After realizing that major mistake, I redid it. But, since I had already started the transfer, I continued so I could see how it looked. Below is the finished version, but also the incorrect version.
I started to cut the wood after I had corrected my previous mistake. Since there were such sharp curves, and because I couldn't cut against the grain of the wood, I traced the entire image with an x-acto knife so that the wood would flake off rather than splinter.
One of the largest problems that I came across was working with the small, delicate lines in the text. Most of the time, when I started to carve around them, it would chip off and leave a weird look. However, I decided to embrace the look and let it contribute to the woodblock look. Below is an image from my first test print with the block. I put one layer of ink on the block, and then used a brayer to put all of the ink onto the paper. But, ink will not build up until the third or fourth time you transfer. I did at least fifteen test prints before I finally got up enough courage to try my final print.
I ended up with two final prints for this project. I turned in one on a semi-transparent background that gave the image a nice effect. Then, I decided to make a poster of two prints side by side. It shows the contrast of heavy and light ink. I am still trying other options that may look better, but for now, this is what the final image will look like.
I hope you enjoyed everything you saw so far. Please continue to check back incase I add an update with a new version of the art. But, for now, click "Appreciate," "Follow," and leave a comment to let me know what you think.
Thank you, and God Bless,
Ben Mahaffey
