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

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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.