So today I wanna chat about this Modigliani prints project I finally got around to trying. Been staring at his long-faced ladies for weeks, right? Figured, screw it, let’s make some prints myself instead of just lookin’.
Digging Up Supplies First
Scraped together whatever junk I had lying around. Found an old rubber eraser block, cheap carving tools from that failed stamp phase last year, some basic black ink, and scrap paper – printer paper, cereal box cardboard, even ripped out notebook pages. Gotta start cheap.
Carving Like A Madman
Sketched Modigliani’s style face real rough on the eraser surface – just those long almond eyes, sharp nose, tiny mouth. Grabbed my dullest carving tool ’cause the good ones vanished. Pushed down hard, shaving rubber slowly. Felt clumsy! Bits tore off where I didn’t want. Shook rubber bits outta my hair later.
Ink Disaster Time
Squeezed too much ink on a scrap plate. Dabbed the carved eraser in it. First press on paper? Total blob of mush. Wasted half the paper sheets wiping it off. Nearly gave up right there.
Getting My Hands Blacker
Ok, less ink this time. Used an old credit card like a scraper to spread it thin over the carved eraser. Pressed way lighter with my palm. Peeled the paper back… Hey! There’s her face! Details were fuzzy but definitely Modigliani-ish. Tried pressing harder using a smooth rock from the garden.
- Paper Matters: Cereal box cardboard sucked the ink up like a sponge.
- Notebook Paper: Ripped the moment I pressed down.
- Printer Paper Winner: Smudged but actually held together.
Messing Up and Fixing On The Fly
Dried ink clogged the fine lines super quick. Ended up poking clear lines with sewing needles after each print. Some ink pooled weird on the paper (looks like ghost tear stains honestly). Wiped edges with spit-moistened fingers – classy, I know. Smears became "artistic shading."
End Result? Imperfect But Real
Spread ten weirdly stretched Modigliani faces across my kitchen table. Lined ’em up. Some look sad, some angry. Hardly perfect, definitely messy – ink splotches everywhere, edges ragged. But I made something. Staring at ’em now while eating stale crackers… Felt good wrestling with simple stuff. Probably try linoleum next time, less messy fighting.
