Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Snails and chickens

As you walk through to the Jubilee wood from the road, you have to pass several different pens of very beautiful and well looked after chickens and bantams. They happily scratch away at any lettuces or cabbages we donate which have gone to seed and are regularly let out to free range over their owners allotment.  No wonder they look so well......
 
 
                                                                Pen and ink drawing

They were the inspiration for my next print, particularly the breed which I believe is called Plymouth Rock,  along with the many snails who seem to be enjoying the recent thunderstorms we've been having. What  interesting creatures they are, even if they can be a considerable pest when they take a liking to your salad crops.  Most snails on land are hermaphrodites and after a mating ritual which can last for several hours they finally fertilise each others' eggs! Their anatomy is fascinating too, under that beautiful shell they even have a lung which they  breathe air through which I suppose shouldn't surprise me but somehow did.

First lino  prints 30 x 20 cms
 
 
The image has transferred well with the strong  lines of the  Plymouth Rock feather patterns and I like the contrast of the swirling snail shells but Val suggested I try a graduated colour print and she was right.....the print changed quite dramatically although the difference is probably not so noticeable in this reproduction.....
 
Lino print 20 x30 cms
 
The prints will vary of course as each time you add the ink to the roller [dark red and black in this case] the balance of colour will change slightly  but that's what makes the prints so fascinating to create.  The next step will be to apply different colour combinations which will again change the image.   

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