Trying Out That Marie Auger Technique
So, I bumped into this name, Marie Auger, a while back. Saw some interesting stuff online, some kind of printmaking I think. Looked pretty unique, kinda raw, not like the super polished things you usually see. Got me curious, you know? Figured I’d give it a whirl myself. Seemed like something I could maybe manage in my garage.
First thing, I had to figure out what I actually needed. Spent a bit of time digging around. Looked like some variation of relief printing, maybe lino or woodblock. I settled on linoleum ’cause it seemed a bit easier to get started with, less chance of slicing my fingers off, maybe. Went down to the art store, felt kinda clueless wandering the aisles. Grabbed some lino blocks, a basic cutter set – the cheap kind, you know, just to test the waters – some black ink, and a roller thingy, a brayer they call it? Oh, and some paper. Just plain old thick paper, nothing fancy.
Back home, I cleared a corner of my workbench. Put down some newspaper – good thing I did, spoiler alert. Drew a simple design onto the lino block. Something geometric, thought that’d be easiest. Then came the carving part. Man, that was tougher than I expected. The cheap cutters weren’t exactly gliding through the lino. Had to put some real muscle into it. Kept slipping. Gouged a few spots I didn’t mean to.
- Getting the lines right was tricky.
- My hand started cramping up after like, twenty minutes.
- Realized pretty quickly why people invest in better tools.
Took me way longer than I thought just to carve this simple little block. Felt like hours. Anyway, finally got it carved, or hacked up, depending on how you look at it. Time for the ink. Squeezed some out onto a scrap piece of plastic. Rolled the brayer in it. Tried to get an even coat. Then rolled it onto the lino block. Ink got everywhere. Definitely got more on my hands and the newspaper than on the actual raised parts of the block.
Then, the moment of truth. Pressed the paper onto the inked block. Rubbed the back of it with a wooden spoon, saw someone do that online. Felt kinda silly doing it. Peeled the paper off. And… well, it was a print. Sort of. Smudged in places, patchy in others. Didn’t look anything like the cool Marie Auger stuff I saw. Looked more like something my kid would make. Maybe worse.
Tried it a few more times. Cleaned the block (which was another mess), re-inked, printed again. Got slightly better results? Maybe? It’s hard to say. The process was messy, kinda frustrating, and the results were pretty underwhelming, if I’m being honest.
What I Reckon Now
So, yeah. That was my adventure trying out the ‘Marie Auger’ thing, or my interpretation of it anyway. Didn’t exactly produce any masterpieces. Probably need better tools, more patience, and maybe an actual lesson from someone who knows what they’re doing. Not sure if Marie Auger herself used cheap tools and a wooden spoon, but somehow I doubt it.
It wasn’t a total waste of time, though. Learned that printmaking is harder than it looks. Got ink absolutely everywhere. And, uh, confirmed that my artistic talent maybe lies elsewhere. Or maybe I just need to stick to looking at stuff online instead of trying to replicate it in my messy garage. Still got the lino block somewhere, maybe I’ll try again someday when I’ve forgotten how much hassle it was. Or maybe not.
