Last Moon Prints.

It’s just two weeks to go until we have to hand in this first project. What Christmas?  

        

    

            

Six of the monoprints, some reworked and with relief printed additions: image size 4 x 6 inches

Over at my main blog Pencil & Leaf I am getting back to regular blogging in the New Year. I will be writing more about the whys and wherefores of  the Moon project and there will be another project coming up.

As Sue said in her last post we are away now until 2015 when Sue will be starting again with another Beautiful Beast.

Meanwhile Happy Christmas to you all.

Happy Christmas!

At this time of year it seems that peace and quiet are hard to come by for us humans but the beautiful beasts just carry on as normal. Keeping warm and finding enough food are their priorities and when you see how people behave in the Christmas sales it makes you wonder how we've got to the top of the food chain!

Thank goodness we have our furry, prickly  and feathered friends to help keep some sense of sanity and although my hedgehog friend should really be fast asleep at this time of year, I can't help imagining him [or her] rooting amongst the leaves for a tasty morsel as the large cool moon rises up behind them.

 

This is the first print on the press rather than a hand printed image and I'm pleased with the result.  There's lots more work to do on the image but as the Christmas cards have now been written and the presents [almost] wrapped, I can turn my thoughts to everyday life in the world of the Beautiful Beasts which is a wonderful place to be when the Christmas madness has taken over the 'real' world.

 

Happy Christmas to anyone who has been kind enough to read our blogs over the year, and we hope you've enjoyed them as much as we have.  We're taking a break for a short while and are thinking about how the blog should progress but in the meantime Happy Christmas to you all and hope you like this hand drawn image inspired by the 'Angel of blessed silence'.........so apt at this time of year!!

 

 

 

 

Best wishes for Christmas and 2015 from Val and Sue

And a Couple More..

The moon gazing hare.. a mishmash of a mono-print and a bit of Photoshop. I thought if I were a moon gazing hare it would be rather nice to see another hare gazing back,  just as we continue to scan the universe for hopes of finding some friendly companions. I used to have a little replica moon gazing hare from the British Museum, another thing gone in the fire. It looked a bit like this..




And a moon thing. I cannot tell you what it is. It just grew out of the bobs of ink. There seemed to be feathers and eyes involved but think the feathers are of something deceased..




This is a bit of a favourite so far..

More Moon Animals

Continuing my experiments with mono-prints and the moon.
The moon-eating serpent appears in both Philippine ( Bakunawa) and Indian mythology (Rahu) ..thought to be responsible for eclipses… well why not.
Here are a couple of experiments combining mono-prints with a card plate.

 


And one combining 2 mono-print techniques and working over with pen and ink.

Moon Dogs

I am still very busy with the moon project and last week started making some monoprints to get some more experience with this form of printmaking. 

The proposed series is developing from the idea of the moon as being a constant thing, the same quiet sphere hanging in our sky for centuries, changing very little. What has changed are the theories, knowledge and ideas which we have formulated around it or discovered about it.

So I am keeping some consistency about the moon in the prints and changing its surroundings to reflect some of my own research findings.
If nothing else it’s a good exercise in monoprinting which is very unpredictable. I made a mask to keep the prints the same size, decided to use only black and white and cut some moon masks of the same size.

Knowing how unpredictable it is I decided to do as many as I could in a day using different tools and pressures and papers. I think I stopped at about 40, threw lots away and had about 20 to play with.
Inevitably some worked well, some did not, but all this is experimental so that’s fine.
To start adding some content to the basic prints I went on to cut some simple card shapes to ink up.

Many animals and myths and misconceptions are associated with the moon, so here, for a start is the dog howling at the moon.
In black….

and in white….

Hardy hedgehogs....

 

With the warm autumn weather we've been having it's no surprise the hedgehogs are wondering what time of year it is, I just hope that they all find a home before the really cold weather starts. The colours of the autumn leaves have been particularly good this year so if they've used them for a warm bed, they'll be feeling very stylish!  Last year at this time I nearly disturbed one of these lovely creatures as I tried to tidy up the garden but fortunately discovered him [or her] before any damage was done and left the leaves all around to keep our valued little friend warm. 

 

 

Pencil sketch

 

I'll be working on another print  but there's something so special about them and I want to find out  more. There's a lot of information on the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website and after reading it  I think that I might have a go at making a hedgehog 'prefab' for the garden.....baby hedgehogs in the garden next Spring would be wonderful . Did you know a collective noun [or one of them] for hedgehogs is a 'prickle'.....sounds perfect to me. 

 

This character looks like he could do with a good home, but I love the expression on his face.....he just has to made into a print!

 

 

And finally, following the hand pressed prints of the magpie, I did some roller press prints from the same block   

 

 

The moon and the magpie. Roller pressed on Japanese paper.

Nightjar sketches 2

A couple of small colour studies for the nightjar. Their plumage is a grey-brown mix of dots and dashes, spots and wavy lines,  perfect for blending in with the bark of trees and leafy undergrowth.



more soon......

The Nightjar: First Sketches

At the moment I am deeply involved with all things moon and nocturnal and thought it would be interesting to take a look at nightjars. They are  odd little things with an ill deserved “goatsucker” reputation. Their shape and sound are distinctive but I have yet to see one in the flesh. Apparently it’s  not easy. They are protected birds and also on the Red list for endangered species.
I have made a few preliminary sketches just to get to know its shape and characteristics: the huge gaping beak ringed with stiff modified feathers which act to funnel the insects into its mouth and those big eyes which close into slits when asleep.There is something of the nightmare animal about them and Hieronymus Bosch didn’t help by placing the nightjar firmly in Hell, snacking on people.

A detail from Hell in Bosch’s, The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490..ish )
Apart from its strange head probably its most striking feature is its beautiful camouflaged plumage, like the bark of a tree, mottled and grey-browns, lovely.   People who have seen them say they are almost impossible to detect amongst the undergrowth. I shall be looking at that next.

More sketches to come …

One for sorrow?

The magpie or 'maggot-pies' as Shakespeare refers to them in Macbeth, seem to be so caught up in folklore in just about every country in the world and it's not hard to see why. The  black and white feathers and the raucous call makes them very distinctive and rather mysterious - although they are often seen in groups called 'tidings' or 'parliaments', they always seem to me to be loners. 

As a totem animal it is known as ‘the cunning prophet‘ and is associated with  prophecy.  It's said it can be taken as a sign of  joy in personal change, encouraging us to let go of the old and find the new with confidence and clarity. It's certainly an adaptable and successful bird and even if you don't believe in folklore and legends, you can still appreciate it just for the way it looks.

The famous nursery rhyme 'One for sorrow, two for joy' etc., means that they were familiar  to most children a generation or two ago but I wonder if that's still the case......do you still salute a magpie when you see one?!

 

Black and white lino print on Japanese paper - hand printed

 

Val's beautiful prints of the moon were my inspiration for these prints, done by hand at a very early stages so that I could see whether I could get the effect I was after. I like to take prints at an early stage as often they suggest taking a different route towards the finished piece of work.

 

The next stage is to see how the image will change when the block is printed using a mechanical press...... 

Moon moth

I am off on a short break this week so just one image for Beautiful Beasts.
I’ve been working on some prints of the moon lately and as moths are night creatures I have been wondering about combining the prints. I have no time for actual printing so this is a combined Photoshop print, colours I don’t think I could ever achieve in real  life.
I tend not to use Photoshop much but as I am doing an Illustration course I think its time I really used it for the best it can do, which for me is combining images and playing with colours. So many ides and possibilities can emerge.

 

Moon moth, 2 prints combined in Photoshop

Abstract ladybirds

I've been playing around with the images of the ladybird and realise how much I like the strength and sharpness of black and white printing. It has its own difficulties of course, but there is something both calming and energising in the different tonal values which can be achieved using different tooling methods and I've been playing around with some bits of images  from my original vinyl print.

 

At the moment this is one stage for a final idea but I like the shapes and the idea of using parts of the  the same image turned around and juxtaposed. I'm still working on it but feel it has a lot of potential....

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home

 

This week I've been working on an image that developed from an exercise in being bold with charcoal and shapes.  The original images led me to think of making a print and once that process gets involved, it's inevitable that there will be twists and turns which are always surprising....  

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we have 46 species of ladybirds in Britain? I didn't until I started looking up information about this lovely little creature. We're very happy to see them on the allotment as they are voracious eaters of aphids, apparently they can eat up to 5000 of them in their one year lifetime although I would love to know how that's been established!

 

These small coloured pencil sketches led me to develop the ladybird theme but I knew I wanted to make it more abstract when it was transferred to the vinyl block

 

 

It was then a matter of  making an initial print  to see how the design would appear

 

 

30cm x30cm print on Japanese paper

 

 

I liked the result but wanted to experiment more with the image

 

 

30cm x 30cm Red and Black print on Japanese paper

 

 

 

 

Close up of ladybird, black on red background

 

It's interesting how  different colours and masking out areas can completely change the 'feel' of the image,  so I'll continue to experiment with it

Moth Print Development

I‘ve spent a little time with the moths again… no joke ..
This time combining the two plates.

Hmm.. nice possibilities. These are just proofs on newsprint which prints up really well! Better sometimes than the expensive paper. That’s just how it is sometimes ..

Moth second plate

At last I have finished the cutting of the second plate.

The patterns are quite different from the first plate, as I want to overprint and see what happens.

I also cut a mask, using a test print from the first block. I can’t now remember why I I wanted to do this but I had written it down in my invaluable to-do book.
(Note to self: Good idea to add reason or give self some clue or other.)
Anyway I hope I will remember when I start printing.

Test print of number two plate

  .

I was looking at the new plate and the cut-out print from plate one and thought how much I liked the isolated pink moth.

Some more possibilities are suggesting themselves.. sadly not the reason for the mask yet.

More soon..

Kingfishers at night? Really??

 

I've been working on an idea for an abstract print but it isn't ready yet for the rest of the world so I've revisited an image I originally worked on earlier in the year - the kingfisher.  Somehow it seemed appropriate after drawing the feathers and I wondered how often someone finds an iridescent blue kingfisher feather.  How wonderful that would be and I would spend a very long time studying them if ever I was ever lucky enough to find one.

 

 

Lino print and watercolour

 

I know kingfishers aren't seen at night but mine has decided to see what all  the  fuss is about and have a chat to the moon....perhaps the fish will be sleepy and more easily caught?.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lino print and watercolour.

I shall do more work on this image as I want to give the water some definition and improve the

cloud formations

 

 

 

Lino cut and watercolour

 

 

This one is an extravaganza  of colour because, after all, that's what kingfishers are all about..... 

Feathers

Perhaps it's because I've been consciously looking for them, but recently I've seen so many feathers scattered over the ground on our dog walks. I can't blame Poppy, our lurcher,  as she likes to stay in sight of us [unless a hare distracts her of course] so I know she's not responsible and happily pick them up to enjoy the sheer beauty of their design and colouring.   How intricate they are! From soft willowy wafts of white down which then become strong shining flight feathers which interweave in a complex way to make the perfect wing.

Watercolour and pencil

 

 

I suspect this is a duck's feather as it was found by a large man made pond on one of our walks but there were so many types of wildfowl on it that I couldn't even begin to guess what sort of duck.

 

Watercolour and pencil

 

 

A collection of feathers which took me three days to draw and paint because they are so intricate but what a pleasure it is to do when it gives you the chance to enjoy yourself at the same time as closely observing something so beautiful.

 

After straining my eyes for several days I decided the next blog entry will be something completely different in terms of size! It's a long time since I've done a print and Val has inspired me to get going again after seeing her work on the lovely moth, so it's back to the drawing board but this time with something larger in mind.......

 

Moth Print: 2

I am using the moth image for some more systematic experiments. I’m going to try 2 blocks with different sorts of marks and patterns on each.

First background vinyl block and sketch

First proofs and then printed onto the next block.Something I have not tried before. It involves making a registration plate and some careful measuring. Not my forte….

Second block with some different designs.

Moth Print 1

Like Sue I am just back from hols. This time another inspiring visit to a favourite city Amsterdam. Time is short this week so just a simple moth design to try a few print techniques.

Some initial sketches to sort out a design that will be quick and versatile. 

A few further thoughts and starting to cut the base plate.

Weasel on a wander

 

 

A very limited post from me this week as we've been on holiday to Spain, walking some of the 'old ways' as well as bits of the new, and I know which I prefer! It can become quite an addictive pastime so before we had to get back to 'normality' we had a couple of long walks locally.

 

After an hour or so of walking along footpaths across fields and along hedges,  we crossed a gate and came to a road where we found this dead weasel who had probably been hit by a car and been bowled into the verge.  The opportunity to be able to study such an elusive animal as a weasel couldn't be missed so one of the many bags taken for blackberries and sloes was used to carry it back.  

 

 

 

Weasels are our smallest carnivore and hunt on other small mammals such as voles and mice  and when you can see their teeth close up, you can appreciate how effective they must be as hunters. They're smaller than a stoat but have a beautiful chestnut brown coat.

                                                  Pencil sketch and water colour of weasel

Being able to study this lovely little creature closely gave me an opportunity to understand its form and movement patterns.

I've recorded certain measurements to help remind me of how the weasel is built, and was surprised to see how large its head is in comparison with its body. It's slim and muscular with short front legs in comparison to its back legs but anyone who has seen how quickly they can run across the road can appreciate what a speed machine it can be. 

Sad though it is to see road kill, at least something can be salvaged if we can increase our understanding of the natural world. It's certainly shown me  what a wonderful creature it is and  perhaps my sketches might just help others to appreciate it too.