Autumn Sketches

We are taking a break, I am back at college and Sue off to warmer climes for a while. Meanwhile in September I tried to make one 30 minute sketch a day. They had to be in colour and A4. That’s quite a task for me but its been great, getting ideas down quickly and simplifying things is always a good exercise!
Here are a few favourites: leaves, bugs, elderberries, blackberries, the grebes, starlings, last plums, jam The last one, below, is the huge supermoon with the flock of passing geese. The sound of their cries is the essence of autumn to me.










See more and the inspiration behind them over on my blog www.pencilandleaf.blogspot.com
Back with new work, new inspiration, and new thoughts in the New Year!

Something a little more exotic......

For various reasons, Val and I are taking a break from the blog for a while and  I'll be turning my attention to some slightly more exotic creatures  for a few weeks. I got myself into the mood by doing a print with watercolour  of a toucan and a macaw.

When we look at how our wildlife has evolved, we can  learn a lot about our [and their] environment  .....the colour of their feathers/fur/shells and the shape and size of their beaks/bodies etc., As in plant forms, it seems to me that there are few design features in the wildlife of the world that don't make us wonder at their perfection and  make us thrilled to be able to observe them. 

 

 

Print and watercolour 20cm x 20 cms

 

I'm looking forward to studying these exotic cousins of  our more sartorially 'subdued'  species of birds but  it seems to me that the more colourful the plumage, [perhaps this applies to more than birds!] the less beautiful the song.  Walking home from the wood  recently in the dusk, I couldn't help  feel thrilled to hear the melodious song of a robin perched high on  a tree at the side of the road - that takes some beating, but I'm sure our blackbird is up for it.......   

 

More Bees..

This time I have been working on an image of a bee playing a pipe. It’s a trial both for a bit of reduction lino practise and a possible visual for a poster which will include a poem.

It took rather a long time to get this far. I am not sure reduction linos are for me. I find them a bit limiting and have ended up actually preferring the black and white. But its all good practise.The character of the bee was important and that is always a challenge especially in lino. One tiny slip of the cutter and everything changes.  It’s an all purpose bee of no particular species. Not quite as stylised as I wanted, so may try another version.

First reductions and colour trials

Four not-too-bad prints. There are 4 colours plus white in the most complex print.

But I love the simplification and choppy marks of lino and woodcut. These sort of marks would be hard to achieve in any other medium. The happy accidents and unforeseen marks are particularly rewarding.

Final black and white print and the plate.

Brooding rooks

More rooks but this time I've changed the process a little and also used the carborundum and p.v.a. mix more as a drawing tool. Each print is different depending on the way the ink has been removed from the plate and the range is quite surprising.

The first print was quite minimal in terms of the ink  that was picked up as the block went through the press

 

The following prints varied and you can see more tonal difference due to the texture of the surface and the amount of ink that has remained on the different surfaces of the plate

I particularly liked this print which is much darker and I think  the texture of the feathers around the neck works well.

Collographs are fascinating things, the possibilities are endless!!

Stalking like a Rook

Sylvia Plath's poem 'Winter Landscape, With Rooks ' is a difficult poem to read because of the deep  sadness and despondency it evokes and yet the words

                                               feathered dark in thought, I stalk like a rook,

                                               brooding as the winter night comes on.'

 

sound wonderful to me. It almost conjures up a picture of someone growing feathers as they stalk along the hedgerows hunched up against the cold as the thin winter sun goes down. 

Perhaps my imagination is getting the better of me as the recent  weather turns from very hot to cold in the space of 24 hours, and a hint of autumn is in the early morning air. The combine harvesters are working all night if they can before the rain stops them but the blackberries and sloes are plumping up nicely because of it. I think the wood will provide plenty of berries for human and avian foragers alike this year.

I printed the rook by press rather than by hand and thought the results were interesting, as their is no clear outline around the carborundum, making the rook blend softly into the background

 

 30cm x 15cm Monoprint

 

Each print will be different because of the way it is inked up on the plate, areas of light and dark can be manipulated by hand with careful ink application and removal 

 

 

30cm x 15cm Monoprint with pen and ink

 

 

 

Monoprint with pen and ink

 

You can already see the difference with these three prints and that's something which makes the whole process very demanding but also very interesting, not to mention time consuming........

Birds in the Bird Cherry

The Bird Cherry tree is dripping with red fruit.

 

The blackbirds love them. So do the wasps. I have picked some to cook with quite a bit of sugar, then to freeze, to bring a little August sunshine to the dark days of Winter.

These are some print trials for “August” in my “Bird Cherry Year” project. At this time of year the greens are dark and saturated but so far I have lightened the green to get the cherries to print. I may add some highlights on the cherries but they are not very shiny. Its more of a a sheen, along with the dusky bloom of these cherry/plums.

Many more trials to come. So far these are just tests, printed with cheap water-based inks. The better quality inks will look quite different.  I think it will be well into November before I can consider printing them all as a set.

Blackbirds and Birdcherries

Some (late) Spring Bees

In between things I am continuing with recording what happens to the Bird Cherry this year in print. The idea is to be able to make a small book. Rather than rely on photos I am waiting until things happen to the tree so I can make some observations from life.

In the Spring with the first blossoms came the bees. I have had the plate cut for ages and only now got round to printing some trials. I combine the plates so it’s a slow and uncertain process. here are the first ones.

This one is the nearest to what I need.. I wont be able to print the set until much later in the year. So plenty of variations to come.

Rook in carborundum

It seems like I've been hooked by a rook and can't get the image out of my mind. Somehow rooks always remind me of winter when I hear them caw to each other and yet they're with us all year round, fussing and defending their nests in Spring and keeping a watchful eye out for easy food at any time. Now the Jubilee wood is growing up, we often see them there, especially in the established trees which form part of the hedge boundary.

After trying out the carborundum on my swallow prints it occurred to me that it would be perfect for the dark sooty rooks. My first attempts have been hand printed as I like the uniqueness of monoprints which change with every print depending on the way the block has been inked up.

    

Monoprint, mixed media including carborundum and pen and ink drawing

 

 

Mixed media monoprint

 

 

Already the variations are coming out and I want  to experiment more with colour added by hand using watercolour and/or  coloured pencils, but I will also be printing this block in the press to see how it changes the image.

 

'Pretty swallow once again.......'

Our recent  weather must be confusing all of our avian summer visitors but even when the wind is blowing and the  rain is falling, it's still warm enough for the swallows to enjoy their snacks on the wing.

The pond in the wood is a great place for them to get water and we've often watched them diving down to skim across the surface and drink as they fly.......a wonderful spectacle and it's often caught our dog, Poppy, by surprise. She hadn't realised how fast  swallows can fly but allows them to use the pond because she's definitely not a water dog and avoids anything larger than a puddle if she can!

 

.        Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee Wood diary

 

John Clare, the wonderful romantic poet [1793-1864] who later in life had such a sense of despair and isolation  lived near here at  Helpston in his early years. I often turn to his poems for inspiration as they are full of fascinating observations and  'visual' words. If you haven't discovered him yet, he's well worth a read. 

 

 

Pencil and wash sketch in Jubilee  Wood diary 

 

I decided to look at the subject using a different medium this time and wanted to try a collagraph. It seemed sensible to keep the design as simple as possible as I was using carborundum for gradients of tone  and it isn't the easiest thing to use. It works by the carborundum being stuck on to the plate using a liquid glue and then the plate being sealed well with a suitable gloss finish such as varnish.

 

 

Collagraph 34cm x24cm

 

I'm interested in the texture you can produce just by the technique you use when wiping off the inks and the ink also settles into the carborundum leaving a very dark tonal area.

 

 

Collagraph Plate with carborundum

 

The beauty of collographs is that everyone is different according to the way it's been inked up and you can, of course, add anything you like to them in terms of drawing on top or adding colour. I think they can be an exciting way of freeing yourself up from some of the rigours of other types of print making and really encourage you to experiment. That's what I intend to keep on doing........

Small Owl Dancing with Bees

Yesterday we had a morning in Cambridge, first the Botanical Garden and then the Fitzwilliam Museum to see the Turner Watercolours and the other exhibition of watercolours which trace the development of the watercolour. Both were fascinating. But also walking through the ceramics gallery there were two lovely owls. One a huge Martin Brothers owl and the other a gorgeous smaller slipware jug.

I made a couple of quick sketches because it just so happens that I have been making a small experimental print of an owl. It started out as just a regular if stylised owl, but it seemed to need a bit of action so I changed the drawing to make it dance… and then it seemed to also need some companions so I gave it some bees.

There were brown/yellow and  blue/dk blue prints. The image is 6 x4.

Small Owl Dancing with Dees.

What was most interesting about the slip ware owl was the dot/dash decoration of the slip. The simplification is very design-y. So is my owl. I may try a print of the slipware owl too. but in some ways it seems like cheating because the “design” element has already been done…. unless I could bring something new to it….

All prints are just more experiments in combining plates, improving my cutting and trying to get the registration right. I am getting better, slowly …..

Mole: Deceased

Last week Chris saw a dead mole when we were out on a cycle. Poor mole.. but an opportunity this time to get a closer look at those feet.

It was not in very good shape, a bit chewed, very smelly and with circling flies but I did bring it home for some quick sketches and photos.

The front feet are extraordinary, huge and paddle shaped with long pointed claws. The skin is leathery and deeply scored. I have a lot of respect for the moles who attempt the heavy clay soil around here.

I sketched the rather handsome hovering iridescent green bottle fly too. Its all part of the cycle after all.

Mole is now buried under the apple tree in a box. I am hoping the flies, bugs and microbes will work well in this warm weather and in a few months time I might have a relatively clean skull!

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.   

Some More Moles …

 

  

Just sketching and thinking… :).. as, I think, is the mole.

Some Moles

I like moles. They are yet another addition to my list of the much maligned creatures, who I feel are unjustly disliked for some bizarre reason or another. Eels, snakes, insects, frogs, nightjars are not high on natures beauty parade, are they?

My great delight in moles though is their subversive, subterranean activities which signal a bold two finger gesture to those nice green lawns and the dreadful golf courses. Go moles!

I was prompted to make this print after seeing a poor little dead mole by the roadside. I cant quite remember why I didn’t pick it up but I think it had something to do with not having anything to put it in, except my very small shoulder bag. I am such a lightweight. I should have just walked on with the mole draped over my shoulder or dangling from my belt. I may have also hesitated because I know that mole fleas are BIG. Still it’s no excuse for being so faint hearted.

Anyway mole sketches and a small print have followed, to get me back into printmaking and the blogs too.

.

Sketchbook pages A5

 

First proofs of pale grey and darker grey plates

First reasonable print.. my registration is getting better…2 colour lino 4 x 6

More mole stuff to come …

Buttercups and butterflies

At last, the end of the academic year for both of us so now to get back to the much missed diary of the Jubilee Wood.  Most days I've been able to walk around the wood and even though it has seemed so cold because of the winds we've been having, the young trees in the wood are looking great.

The wild flowers are at their best, with vetch, orchids and buttercups weaving through the grass and making it sparkle  with their purple, pinks and yellows and in this recent warm weather even the butterflies have been in search of nectar.

Buttercups in Jubilee Wood

 

I made a quick sketch to try and capture the feel of the moment

 

 

More work to be done on it but its a reference and even if I don't use it later for a print or picture, it  really helps me to remember  all of the sensations  of the moment - the warmth, the colours, the sounds of the birds and the peace of the place.

 

To help us create a more three dimensional memory of the wood through the seasons, we've decided to make some 'creative' pieces from items we find there. My first piece was inspired when I saw some of the thin, wispy blackthorn branches left over from some maintenance work which had been done by valiant volunteers during the winter. Once I started bending them they appeared  to me to have spines like some treacherous deep sea fish that you just wouldn't want to meet....... 

 

 

So here's my flying thorn fish which has come up from the deep to see what Gidding  Jubilee Wood is all about!.......

 

 

 

 

Swans

Sue and I have both been up to our ears in academic life so the blog has had to take a back seat for a while. However by mid June we should both be back to regular blogging.

I have been let out a bit earlier than Sue and have been cycling by the Reservoir. There are swans feeding on the young corn in the field by the track and I have watched over the last couple of weeks as the corn has grown higher and the swans have begun to disappear into the green. Sometimes there are geese with them. When you walk along the track all the heads go up at once.

And as I am slowly getting back to sketching, here are a few sketchbook notes of the swans and a little colour study. They are bright white against the spring green of the corn and the dark wood.