Now I’ve decided on the quantity of the new giclée prints I’m creating for the SGAR group exhibition, MADE, and I’ve confirmed their overall size and the scale of the motifs, I just need to finalise the line weight of their very delicate patterns.
Line weight refers to the thickness or thinness of the actual lines used to make up the design. The higher the weight the thicker the line. I want to see how far I can reduce the size of the motifs and push the line weight before it breaks up and is not distinguishable. I want to retain a graphic element to the design, but also convey a ‘floaty-ness’ that is integral to delivering an image that is somewhat ethereal in quality and nature.
To test the line weight, I create print test files for my high-end, professional art printer. These files contain variations on the design at different scales and I annotate accordingly the line weights used. These are then printed onto the actual paper stock we will use to print the final works, so I can see exactly what the result will be.
Then, I need to go back into my design files and make any necessary changes based on these print tests. This might seem like a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, but it’s definitely worth getting it right at this stage.
How does that old saying go? Measure twice, cut once…
