Finished Print - A Taste of Honey

The finished print. 
I think the wallpaper turned out really well and I would like to add it again 
perhaps on some curtains or a cushion next time. I think it shows visually the different research I've been doing and how different thinkers ideas can all come together for the same aim and I feel it strengthens this connection I'm exploring into how the working-class sit within art and literature. 

The print itself is of a scene in A Taste of Honey as I explained previously although I was working on the market scenes from The Lion in Love I thought the wallpaper would look better where the focus is on the interior. 

When Jo leaves home there is a stark contrast in the rooms where her and her mother lived versus where she and her best friend Geof live, although she is still financially poor, Geof provides her with care and comfort unlike her mother which is something I wanted to explore through a cosy homely room. I also wanted to make sure that Jo was sat down as she is pregnant and Geof insists on doing most things for her and he's always up and about either cooking or ironing. I didn't want to have Jo's pregnancy showing in this print but I might add it in a later one as I think the focus on the play isn't ever really about the baby it's about Jo and her place in that time as a young working-class woman. 

When cutting the print I was unsure whether I should cut the background of the wallpaper so that the flowers and leaves were all dark but after I tried it on the cushion on the left hand corner I thought it would end up not looking like wallpaper and they would get lost in the white so I'm glad I left it dark as I think it adds to the homely atmosphere. When I came to print the lino as I have been struggling with the quality of ink I mixed some black into the blue and although it's slightly patchy I think it printed cleaner than just one flat colour I will have to experiment with this further. 

Overall after having two weeks off from printing I'm happy with the print and think it's stronger for the research.