Printmaker Notes 26

Learning from failure

Is there really such thing as failing? isn’t it just a part of learning? A very good friend and I were talking recently and we realized this is a good theme for a new season. Ive failed plenty in my life. Ive always picked myself up and learned a lot from mistakes big and small. I try not to live with regret and just focus on moving forward with hope and faith for a better tomorrow. That was on a big scale…Im also talking about on a small scale too, as it relates to my Art.

I devoted this past 2025 to pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Using lots of new materials to me. I bought ALOT of new art supplies. Ive not really landed on anything that I can’t live without or that just compels me to create with a brand new medium. I love my printmaking and always return to it.

Recently, I finished a Collagraph print of a volunteer pumpkin, that I have been watching in the garden (and obsessing over) lol. I made 5 prints from the plate, all failures except for one that I thought was the least worst one. That’s this one that I posted about in Printmaker notes 25.

I was in my studio looking thru these other 4 collagraphs and thought one of these might look better with some watercolor added.

This one was a failed print because the pressure on my press wasn’t strong enough and/or I wiped away too much ink from the plate before printing. Probably a little of both.

The lines are really nice and the background of the paper has picked up some of the black ink in a beautiful way that will show thru the watercolor paint.

Im using Winsor Newton Watercolours which are my favorite and began layering in color

The finished piece is below.

I feel like I turned a failure into a great learning experience and surprising success. I really enjoyed it and love the look of the linework and texture of the print underneath the watercolor. I most likely will experiment with this again. I have a drawing I have been working on, I was trying to decide how to print it. I think i’ll make a collagraph plate and print and paint it. A little more experimenting. :-)

I have a finished drawing ready to transfer to a new lino block and another drawing started for linocut. A lot happening behind the scenes. I’ll make another post with these new drawings soon.

I just wanted to pop on and encourage anyone feeling like they’ve failed with an art piece, to learn from it. Take it in a new direction, you might just like it more the second, third or fourth time around. It will always work your creative mind which never should been considered a fail. I believe it always leads to something better.

Here is the finished piece. :-)

Thankyou so much for reading and following along on my art journey. If you ever have any questions please feel free to ask :-)

If you’d like to purchase one of my linocut prints. I would be honored, thrilled and very grateful :-)

Wishing you all the best,

Meg

Here is a link to my Etsy Shop

Meg T. Justice Art Etsy Shop